Modern Olympic Games – staging and modernity
When Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games (1896), the Panathinaiko Stadium was built on the exact same spot where the athletes in the Panathenaic Stadium fought for victory in ancient times. For the games in 2004, this stadium, following the ancient model in terms of size and shape, was modernized and adapted to the needs of today, so that some of the classic disciplines, such as B. archery and the finish of the marathon competition could take place.
The stadium in the Marussi district from 1982 was renovated for the opening and closing ceremonies and for the athletic competitions. The Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava was commissioned to convert the sports facility and expand it into the »Olympiakó Athletikó Kéntro Athénas« (OAKA; “Athens Olympic Sports Center”). The Olympic swimming center, a hall for the various gymnastics competitions, the velodrome and a tennis center were built here. With his Olympic buildings, Calatrava succeeded in synthesizing a design that meets the highest aesthetic standards and functional engineering. For the Olympic Stadium, he constructed a glass roof that became the symbol of the Games: The roof, which ultimately rests on just four points, spans the stadium at a height of 70 m and, with an area of 24,000 m², is the largest glass stadium roof in the world. The roof of the Velodrome, a self-supporting bridge construction with a span of 145 m with two hanging shells made of polycarbonate at a height of 30 m, is also Calatrava’s work; he also took over the landscaping. He planned water features for the wide access routes to the various sports facilities; Green areas and paths were lined with shady olive trees, pines and cypresses. He planned water features for the wide access routes to the various sports facilities; Green areas and paths were lined with shady olive trees, pines and cypresses. He planned water features for the wide access routes to the various sports facilities; Green areas and paths were lined with shady olive trees, pines and cypresses.
In addition to the OAKA, other sports facilities had to be built, especially for the many new disciplines, including the regatta course and the white water channel for canoeists in Schinias. The latter is considered one of the best in the world. In the south of Athens, on the coast of Faliro, the “Stadium of Peace and Friendship” was built, a modern sports hall for the Olympic volleyball tournaments. The Olympic Village and a media center also had to be rebuilt.
In the course of preparations for the Olympic Games, the oldest part of Athens, the Plaka, was traffic-calmed and the road and underground network was renewed and expanded.
The post-Olympic use of the sports facilities and facilities is still largely unclear. So far, the only thing that is certain is that the Office for Social Housing will raffle off the 2 292 apartments in the Olympic Village to those entitled and that the Ministry of Education will move into the media center.
World Heritage Sites (K) and World Natural Heritage (N)
- Temple of Apollo at Bassai (K; 1986)
- Ruins and Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi (K; 1987)
- Acropolis of Athens (K; 1987)
- Mount Athos (K / N; 1988)
- Meteora monasteries (K / N; 1988)
- Early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki (K; 1988)
- Ancient city of Epidaurus (K; 1988)
- Medieval city of Rhodes (K; 1988)
- Ruins of Olympia (K; 1989)
- Mystras ruins (K; 1989)
- Delos Island (K; 1990)
- Monasteries Daphni (near Athens), Hosios Lukas (near Delphi) and Nea Moni (on Chios) (K; 1990)
- Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos (K; 1992)
- Vergina Archaeological Site (K; 1996)
- Archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns (K; 1999)
- Old town of Chorá, the capital of the island of Patmos, with the monastery of St. John and the cave »Apocalypse« (K; 1999)
- Old town of Corfu (K; 2007)
- Archaeological site of Philippi (K; 2016)
