The Pedion tou Areos or Pedion Areos ( el, Πεδίον του Άρεως or Πεδίον Άρεως, , meaning ''Field of

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war ...

'', corresponding to the French ''

Champ de Mars The Champ de Mars (; en, Field of Mars) is a large public greenspace in Paris, France, located in the seventh ''arrondissement'', between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park is named after t ...

'' and the ancient ''

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which cove ...

'') is one of the largest public parks in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. It is also the name of the wider neighborhood.

Park

The park was designed in 1934 and its purpose was to honor the heroes of the

Greek Revolution The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted b ...

of 1821, 21 of whom are depicted in marble busts standing in the park. The initial plan included the construction of a "Pantheon" for the revolutionaries and also a major Christian temple, dedicated to Greek independence. The park is a state-owned public ground, covering an area of 27.7

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

, and is located about 1 km NE from the Omonoia Square. Today, it is enclosed by the streets Mavromateon, Evelpidon, Pringiponisson and the Alexandras Avenue. In front of the main entrance of the park there has been an equestrian statue of king

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

since 1938.http://www.ert-archives.gr/V3/public/pop-info.aspx?tid=5894&tsz=0&act=mInfo At the other entrance, near Alexandras Avenue, stands a memorial to the English, Australian and New Zealander soldiers who fought in the

Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The memorial is surmounted by a statue of goddess

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

. A total renovation of the park was completed in December 2010. These premises were the primary meeting spot for Athenians during the time of the first king of modern Greece, Otto. In 1927 the area was given to the newly created Commission for Public Gardens and Trees of Athens to transform it into a park like the National Garden. The commission, however, decided first to improve

Thiseion Thiseio or Thissio ( el, Θησείο, ) is a traditional neighbourhood in the old city of Athens, Greece, northwest of the Acropolis, and surrounded by the archaeological sites of the Agora, Keramikos and Pnyx. The name refers to the Tem ...

and the National Garden and six years later, in 1933, the works to reform the park began, financed by the restricted funds that were left. The works stopped due to severe administrative problems, as well as severe lack of funds. The then-new governmental institution Special Funds for Permanent Pavements of Athens decided (law 6171/1934) to undertake the costs. A. Dimitrakopoulos, director of the Ministry of Communications, was appointed to prepare a general plan for the park and did so based on the styles of English and French parks popular at that time. N. Vosiniotis was appointed to implement the new plans. Special care was taken not to impede the view of the Acropolis from any central points in the park; however, no limit on the height of the surrounding buildings was enforced. The work of planting and upgrading began in 1935 and continued through the Metaxas Regime until 1940, when Greece entered World War II. During those five years, 46000 trees and bushes were planted. Continuing the plan, deciduous trees were planted to afford the park shade in the summer and sunlight during the winter. In the central square of the park there is a fountain surrounded by many plants that thrive in the Mediterranean climate and create beautiful natural colour combinations, corresponding to each season. After the end of the war, in October 1944, irrigation was provided for the park. The

Hellenic Military Geographical Service The Hellenic Military Geographical Service or HMGS ( el, Γεωγραφική Υπηρεσία Στρατού or Γ.Υ.Σ.), is the Hellenic Military's mapping agency. History Established in 1889 as the “Geodetic Mission” with the purpose o ...

and the sport camp of Panellinios G.S. can be found at the SW part of the park, in the direction of Kipseli. Inside the park there are also two churches, a playground and the open theater ‘Aliki’ that is used for plays, events and concerts. One of Athens’ most historic cafeterias, Green Park, is also located in the park.

Renovation

Work began on a radical renovation of the Park in April 2008 although the people living nearby were rather dubious about the project and showed their opposition. The works for the reforming, under the guidance of the architect Alexandros Tompazis, were finally delivered on December 28, 2010. The reforming covered 25 hectares and cost 9.663.990 Euros, financed by the third EU Community Support Framework and national resources. There are now 1200 trees, 50000 flowers, 7500 topiaries and 2500 roses. Around one hectare of grass and another of flowers cover the ground where there used to be 22,650 square meters of tarmac. Apart from the plants, there are also 8,800 square meters of marble and 3,800 square meters of granite in big square blocks. Most of the changes affect the infrastructure, like the endless underground network of water supply, drainage, rainwater collection and electricity supply. At the same time, the area’s lighting was enhanced and upgraded. The renovation relied on the logic of the Park’s own history, given that it includes important monuments and sculptural works, all of which were cleaned on the basis of Ministry of Culture guidelines.

References

{{Greek War of Independence Neighbourhoods in Athens Parks in Greece