Athens SIGHTSEEING - CULTURAL EVENTS  

The odeon of Herod Atticus

The odeon of Herod Atticus was built in 161 B.C. by the eminent Athenian orator and philosopher Herod Atticus, in memory of his wife Rigillis. The odeon is in the shape of a theater because it was used for theatrical as well as musical presentations.

The Odeon holds 5000 spectators. Today it is one of the most important open sites for cultural events. During the summer, it is used for concerts presented by the Athens Festival.

Superb presentations of ancient and modern drama are also staged in the Herod Atticus Theater. A brilliant adornment for Athens, it also constitutes an important award for the artist, Greek or foreign, who presents his work there. Every year it is inundated with spectators, and most of its events are considered cultural landmarks.

The modern city that today fills the Attica basin has two aspects, so very different from one another yet at the same time so closely connected: on the one hand, Athens is just another metropolis of the western world but on the other, there is this aforementioned optimism, high spirits and romanticism that define the Greek.

It would be difficult to find another city in the world with more groups and organizations dedicated, to the investigation, preservation and promotion of dance, music, customs and roots. Even artists from other countries, foreign communities and embassies are to be found here.

Festivals, events, exhibitions, and in general all the activities that are carried out near the sacred rock of the Acropolis, are blessed with the preconditions for success perhaps more than anywhere else.

The Theater in Athens is not merely another form of artistic creation. This city, that gave birth to contemporary western theater, has today more theaters than any other capital city , and they are always full.

The city sees a steady increase of modern and aesthetically daring buildings, while new ornaments such as the Music Megaron, which has the best acoustics in the whole of Europe, make Athens even more beautiful.