The Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens

The Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens represents a serious and basic change in modern Athens. It is cultural, environmental and developmental in purpose and it will contribute greatly to improving the quality of life in Athens.

Since 1985 the City-planning Programme of Athens included, in accordance with a proposal by the Ministry of Culture, the unification of the Archaeological sites in the centre of Athens. Subsequently, in 1988, the Ministry of Culture commissioned the drawing up of a Master Plan to further the realisation of Melina Merkouri's splendid vision. Its fulfillment will improve the quality of life in Athens by giving both Athenians and visitors an archaeological park running across the centre of the city, 4 kilometres long and covering an area of 7,000 stremmata: indeed a cultural, recreative and instructive centre, unique in all the world, and very much needed by Athens to emerge from her present condition. The plan is to include all the archaeological sites and monuments of the area together with the traditional aggregate of the Centre (Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion) and the area comprising the Commercial Triangle and the Historic Centre of Athens. To make this possible requires some other measures, such as replacing a number of streets with pedestrian roadways, for example Vasilissas Olgas, Dioysiou Areopagitou, Apostolos Pavlou, part of Ermou and the Sacred Way. Necessary also will be the reconstruction, conservation and display of the monuments, reorganisation of the archaeological sites, and so forth.

Within this area the archaeological sites and monuments will assume their true importance, dominating the landscape, as they become part of everyday life. The plan offers Athenians an environment that is aesthetically, environmentally and culturally much improved. By incorporating into the life of the city monuments covering the entire historical span, both citizen and visitor can experience the historical continuity of the city in an environment of improved educational and aesthetic value. The area at the same time is to be a centre for relaxation and recreation, linked with daily life and contemporary cultural activity. Thus important archaeological sites (such as those along the national road to Eleusis) and significant cultural institutions are drawn into an overall programme for improving the city. Both inhabitants and visitors will see a city worthy of its history.

The common programme of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works comprises in its initial phase 6 areas that are included in the overall programme of study and works. The purpose is the unification of the cultural inheritance of the Centre and the re-structuring - improvement of areas in the Historic Centre. This is one of the most important parts of Athens and, culturally, the most significant.

The cultural, environmental, social and economic results of this programme will be of enormous importance.

Year:
15/07/2002 -
Works and actions:
Historical Review Attempts to unify the archaeological sites of Athens go back to the first efforts at planning the new Greek capital which continued into the first decades of this century. In brief: Athens won her independence on the 31st of March, 1833, two months after the election of Othon as king and three months before the edict designating Athens as capital. In November 1831, Stamates Kleanthes and Edward Schaubert drew up the Topographical Plan of Athens with its fortification wall, the ruins of antiquity and also the monuments of the mediaeval period and the Turkish domination. In May 1832 they were requested to draw up the new city plan. On the 29th of June 1833 the decree was signed proclaiming Athens as the capital and the plan drawn up by Kleanthes and Schaubert was accepted with a few minor adjustments. The plan was intended for a population of some 40,000 people. Anticipated were expropriations of land for the opening of roads, the forming of open areas, and the creation of a large archaeological zone around the Acropolis. The memorandum of Schaubert and Kleanthes to the Regency at Nauplion in 1832 explaining in detail the city-plan of Athens, contains important information about the condition of Athens at that time. Reported among other items is the following: "..................... If the present (economic) situation of Greece does not permit excavations to begin immediately, future generations must not blame our generation for lack of foresight. In this area there are artistic treasures, and important historical inscriptions. This is clear from unscheduled excavations that have been carried out as a result of building near the Prytaneion and the Tower of the Winds. Therefore we may well expect the discovery not only of foundations of earlier buildings but also important remains just as in the case of the Tower of the Winds. Between the monuments excavations should proceed to the ground level of the ancient city in order to reveal the ancient road network with its roads and squares. At intervals, the ruins of some small picturesque church of Byzantine mediaeval times might be retained as a pleasing contrast to the works of the ancients. The space between the monuments could be arranged as a garden with trees and verdure. Suitable spots could be chosen for observing the antiquities. Thus the entire area can be a museum of ancient art unrivalled anywhere else in the world. . . . . . . . . . .» It should be noted that many of the antiquities (in their present state of display) in the area of Athens, we owe to that first plan of the Greek State. The plan clearly contains the idea of unification of the archaeological sites and the archaeological park. Opposition to the plan, especially to the expropriations, led the Government to recall the advisor to Ludwig of Bavaria, the architect Leo von Klenze, and to the drawing up of a new plan which was accepted on 18 September 1834. This plan, while not greatly different from the first, limits the width of the roads, the size of the squares and the area of the archaeological zone. Even so, it retained an area of considerable extent around the Acropolis for the archaeological sites and verdant areas. The inability of the Greek Government of the time to carry out the expropriations required by the previous plans meant that it had to include in the city-plan part of the area around the Acropolis. A new plan was drawn up by Hansen and Schaubert which was approved by decree on 11 November 1836. This plan is essentially the one still in force today for the area of the Plaka. The fire of 1884 facilitated the carrying out of excavations by the Archaeological Society and the revealing of the Roman Agora and the Library of Hadrian. The archaeological area was further exposed, beginning shortly before the war and continuing after the war, in the area of the Ancient Agora by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. The Kerameikos was excavated by the German Archaeological Institute beginning in the previous century. A whole series of adjustments were made to the original plan of Athens with the publication of countless decrees, the history of which was studied by the well-known architect and city planner Kostas Biris. Among these and the plans proposed by the men called in by the Mayor, Spiros Merkouris: <li> Ludwig Hoffman in 1908 (plan 1910) who notes that, "to be able to help to save the remains of ancient art from encroaching residential quarters, is to me like a sacred command." <li>Tomas Manson in 1918, who makes some proposals similar to the previous one. Following the plan of Aristeides Balanos, work was carried out, without significant results in the area of Lophos Skouze (Skouze Hill). Excavations were made also in the Archaeological area of Kolonos and the Sacred Way, at Sepolia and Kolokynthou in 1917. Kostas Biris, director of City- Planning for the Municipality of Athens, drafted studies and proposals for the improvement of city-planning in Athens: <li> Plan for the Reorganisation of the Capital, Athens 1946. <li> Studies and Struggles for Contemporary Athens, Athens 1958. In the first of these two books is the plan for creating an archaeological park in the areas of the Acropolis, Plaka, the Demosion Sema, the Sacred Way. From that time on there have been various proposals and studies. All, however, have remained incompleted; none have reached the stage of a specific programme for realising the proposal. The first official involvement on the part of the State in the Unification of the Archaeological Sites with a specific programme, came about with the City-Planning Programme for Athens of 1985 following a proposal by the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry anticipated basic reorganisation in such a unification and considered this to be of great importance for the improvement of the Athenian area. The next step was taken in 1988, again by the Ministry of Culture, which entrusted to a group of people a co-operative study for the unification of the archaeological sites in the centre of Athens. Each of these investigators was responsible for the study of a sector, which formed part of the study as a whole (Master Plan), promoting the realisation of Melina Mercouri's splendid vision. Its fulfillment will improve the quality of life in Athens by giving both Athenians and visitors an archaeological park running across the centre of the city, 4 kilometres long and covering an area of 7,000 stremmata: indeed a cultural, recreative and instructive centre, unique in all the world, and very much needed by Athens to emerge from her present condition. The plan is to include all the archaeological sites and monuments of the area together with the traditional aggregate of the Centre (Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion) and the area comprising the Commercial Triangle and the Historic Centre of Athens. To make this possible requires some other measures, such as replacing a number of streets with pedestrian roadways, for example Vasilissas Olgas, Dioysiou Areopagitou, Apostolos Pavlou, part of Ermou and the Sacred Way. Necessary also will be the reconstruction, conservation and display of the monuments, reorganisation of the archaeological sites, and so forth. Within this area the archaeological sites and monuments will assume their true importance, dominating the landscape, as they become part of everyday life. The plan offers Athenians an environment that is aesthetically, environmentally and culturally much improved. By incorporating into the life of the city monuments covering the entire historical span, both citizen and visitor can experience the historical continuity of the city in an environment of improved educational and aesthetic value. The area at the same time is to be a centre for relaxation and recreation, linked with daily life and contemporary cultural activity. Thus important archaeological sites (such as those along the national road to Eleusis) and significant cultural institutions are drawn into an overall programme for improving the city. Both inhabitants and visitors will see a city worthy of its history. The cultural, environmental, social and economic results of this programme will be of enormous importance. Contents and Principles of the Programme of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens Athens is the capital and the largest city of the country, with over 40% of the population of Greece. It is a city which in the course of its history has had the glorious privelege of being the birthplace of Civilisation and Democracy. Through this historical course, Athens has inherited important monuments, bearing witness to the culture of all phases of her existence. The cultural area of Athens, comprising the archaeological sites, the Byzantine monuments and neoclassical buildings, together with her natural surroundings form a unique inheritance and an inexhaustible wealth for further development of the city. Archaeological sites and monuments of all periods are particularly numerous in the historic centre. They are to be found in large aggregates, including both ancient (Acropolis and the South Slope of the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Academy of Plato) and modern monuments. They exist also in areas such as the Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion and Gazi. In addition isolated monuments are scattered throughout the urban web: these are mainly archaeological sites that came to light during separate excavations (in the Plaka area), and Byzantine, Post-Byzantine and more recent monuments. Most of the aggregates and single monuments lie within an area centered on the Acropolis. It runs from the Panathenaic Stadium, surrounds the Acropolis, and continues on to the Academy of Plato. This zone includes areas of considerable importance from the standpoint of history, archaeology, architecture, monuments, environment and city-planning. These areas are: the Academy of Plato, the Demosion Sema (national cemetery of antiquity), the Sacred Way, the Theseion, the Kerameikos, the Psyrri neighbourhood, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, Monasteraki, Plaka, Anaphiotika, Hill of the Muses (Philippapos, Pnyx, Observatory), the Acropolis with its monuments, the Makriyanni neighbourhood where the new Acropolis Museum is to be built, the Olympieion, Ardettos hill and the Panathenaic Stadium, the Zappeion and the area of the Cultural Centre. At present, despite efforts that have been made from time to time, the Archaeological Sites of Athens are divided, unconnected with each other and quite unrelated to everyday life. The monuments are isolated and not always interrelated with their urban and monumental environment. The result is that the historical continuity of the city is interrupted in the perception of those exposed to the life of the city whether as inhabitants who pass by or visit daily these areas, or as foreign tourists. As far as the tourists are concerned, the presentation of the monuments is fragmented to the extent that in general their visit is confined to the Acropolis. Given the present situation, it is most important for Athens that the archaeological sites in the centre of the city be unified to form a functional and comprehensible whole: an archaeological park in which the monuments and all the antiquities have the prominence they deserve, emphasising their aesthetic and educational value and the historical continuity of the city. The creation of such a centre for the Athenians in a functional area that has been so greatly improved culturally, aesthetically and environmentally, while improving the quality of life, will also emphasize the historical character of Athens. It will give the visitor to the area a better idea of the diachronic development of the city. Moreover, the organisation of the area will provide the opportunity for a longer visit and one that is simpler, pleasanter and more informative. Melina Mercouri saw clearly that the productive capital of Athens was her cultural heritage and that her contemporary cultural output was based on this. With this in mind the programme for the unification of the Archaeological sites of Athens was launched in 1985. For decades it had been the aspiration of many architects, a vision of life and breath for Athens. The area covered in the study is around 7,000 stremmata, and it extends for some 4,000 metres. The entire area is divided up by important roadways which are in effect historical and cultural barriers. Places and monuments in the historic centre of the city, which today is the focus of the environmental problem, are going downhill day by day in an area whose chief characteristics are pollution, the traffic problem, a lack of open and green spaces and the notable decline of these same spaces and the area around them. The programme applies modern ideas about the protection of cultural heritage, with the protection and display of monuments and sites of all types and dates. Every one of the monuments is to be respected. This is in contrast to the outlook of the first years following the Revolution when ancient monuments were preserved and displayed while Byzantine and more recent monuments were left to their fate (for example in the Ancient and Roman Agoras, Library of Hadrian, and so forth). All together, in accordance with the aims of the programme, the zone of unification will be part of a wider network which will be centered on the archaeological sites but will also include the main areas of greenery in Athens. The archaeological sites will be connected in fact with public and open areas, public installations, and areas used for cultural activity and relaxation. The area will be interconnected by roads used daily by Athenians for access to the commercial centre; similarly it will be connected with existing and planned cultural establishments. The programme will enable the inhabitants of Athens to have a 4 kilometre long archaeological park with an area of 7,000 stremmata, and an Historic Centre aesthetically, environmentally and culturally evolved. This will be a haven of life and culture within a city that respects the human being. The level of approach is balanced between a regulative and city-planning study. It includes, that is, proposals of broad strategy, together with a considerable number of proposals in detail for specific sections. In order to put the programme into effect, in 1993 the Office of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens was formed under the Ministry of Culture. Its task is to assist in carrying out the studies for unification. Aims of the Programme 1. By "Unification" is meant the creation of a zone in which, so far as possible, the natural continuity of the various archaeological sites and monuments will be re-established. This continuity will include a linking together of the archaeological sites in their maximum extension, and the forming of areas between them in such a way as to insure this continuity. Monuments of all periods are to be respected, and included in the organisation so that their aesthetic contribution and prominence contributes to historical continuity. 2. Work within the archaeological sites is limited and it is reversible. The purpose is to organise and to facilitate the functioning of the sites, as well as to modernise public services. Archaeological sites discovered in the course of future excavations will be organised and connected either practically or functionally with existing sites. 3. Work in the immediate surroundings of the archaeological sites and monuments consists of organising these areas and improving the appearance of the buildings and various constructions. 4. Improvement of places of special interest in some areas in the wider vicinity. The purpose is to create an improved area between the sites and the building web of the city.This entails a system of restraints (land-use, building ratios, land coverage etc.), together with special adjustments and incentives. Such re-shaping of a whole series of areas will bring with it significant improvement in all the communal, economic and city-planning parametres. 5. The underlying aim of the programme is to bring the Athenian citizen into contact with his cultural heritage and as far as possible to give him a fuller knowledge of the city in which he lives. A web of pathways through areas of greenery, monuments and archaeological sites will provide a pleasant walk. This network of pathways will also be closely tied in to the commercial web of the city centre. Thus the use of this network through the zone of unified sites will not depend on conscious choice alone; it will also be an automatic result of general use and circulation in the wider centre of the city in accordance with everyday needs. 6. Those who visit the monuments of the area, whether as tourists or inhabitants of the city, will find attraction in the entire extent of this enterprise. There is greater cultural benefit to the visitor since both the monuments and the archaeological sites, now better organised and more functional, will provide greater educational possibilities. Moreover, an extensive visit to the sites will thus be both pleasant and practical, and can be done by foot or, in some parts of the unified zone, by tram. 7. The proposition must be put into effect through the City-planning Programme of Athens which indeed provides the framework for the project. In a few cases problems have surfaced during the course of applying the programme; efforts have been made to resolve these. 8. The resolution of problems in the improvement of the Western neighbourhoods and in the creation of new cultural and environmental centres in those areas. 9. Resolution of the intensification of land-use in the central areas. 10. Avoidance of further traffic overloading, with better flow of wheeled traffic and pedestrian movement to the extent possible. It is clear that efforts to facilitate the movement of traffic are interconnected with general work being carried out in the area of the capital, especially that of the Inner Ring (traffic junctions on different levels etc.). A number of extra projects in connection with the road network are aimed at improving the parametres of circulation or the unification of the various areas without adversely affecting them. The plan includes, to be sure, a considerable number of divided projects, re-arrangements and aims that have to do with the area planning as a whole or with work completed. 11. Realisation of the Programme is expected to have a significant effect on the quality of life and on the environment; both directly, through the converting of roadways to pedestrian walk-ways, the increasing of areas of greenery and open unbuilt-over spaces etc., and indirectly, through various works on all levels such as the improvement of the highway network, increase in the average flow of traffic, decrease in pollution and noise, use of natural gas, and so forth. The result will indeed be advantageous for the inhabitants of Athens. Moreover, it will save the monuments of the region which are at present being greatly damaged by pollution. 12. The inclusion of a great number of cultural institutions in the area will expose modern cultural activity to our cultural heritage. The monuments will serve a purpose and will attract both inhabitants and visitors. At the same time the developmental character of this enterprise must be emphasised, with the carrying-out of the entire project envisioned, improvement of the areas involved and an increase in tourism. Measures for Attaining the Aims of the Programme 1. Archaeological Sites 1.1. Review of the boundaries and their function, where required. 1. 2. Extension of ancient pathways within the archaeological sites, where possible, so that they can determine the course to be followed by visitors. 1. 3. Plans for auxiliary infrastructure of the archaeological sites. 1. 4. Lighting arrangements, sanitary arrangements, reorganisation and augmentation of planting. 1. 5. Management of the archaeological sites on a rational basis. 1. 6. Use of archaeological sites for various events, artistic in particular. 1. 7. Extension of archaeological sites in specific cases in order to facilitate unification. 1. 8. Regulations for the keeping of antiquities in basements and open areas. 1. 9. Connection of sites with areas under excavation by a network of public and open areas. 1. 10. Conservation and restoration of monuments within the archaeological sites. 1. 11. Work on the facades of buildings in the immediate vicinity, whether traditional or contemporary. 1. 12. Connection of the sites by means of pathways in cases where they are not contiguous. 2. Monuments. 2. 1. Rebuilding, conservation, restoration of monuments. 2. 2. Determination and classification of indicated uses. 2. 3. Organisation of the environs of the site. 2. 4. Interrelation of the sites in an entity. 2. 5. Interconnection of the sites by footpaths, open and public areas. 3. Aggregates. 3. 1. Repair of all the neoclassical buildings in the possession of the Ministry of Culture and also buildings declared as Historical (to be preserved). 3. 2. Work on the appearance of the areas bordering the pathways. 3. 3. Reorganisation of the aggregate (Demosion Sema, Psyrri, Theseion etc.). 3. 4. Paving over of approaches to ancient arteries and of a great number of other roads wherever this is deemed necessary for better display of monuments, the aggregate, or for improvement of neighbourhoods. 4. Work on the Road Network. 4. 1. Construction of an unhindered pedestrian crossing at right angles to Peiraios street to connect with the Kerameikos, Sacred Way and the Demosion Sema. 4. 2. Construction of pedestrian roads in suitable places. 4. 3. Conversion to a pedestrian roadway of Odos Ermou (Hermes St,) from Odos Athenas (Athena St.) to Plateia Syntagmatos (Syntagma Square). 4. 4. Conversion to a pedestrian roadway of the Sacred Way as far as Odos Konstantinoupoleos (Constantinople St.) in a first phase, and subsequently up to the National Road. 4. 5. Opening up of a new N-S road to connect the Sacred Way with the Academy of Plato and the Demosion Sema. 4. 6. Pedestrian paving of area of the Demosion Sema. 4. 7. Remaining pedestrian pavements in the areas of the aggregates (Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion, Commercial Centre etc.) and at other points of the area being united. 4. 8. Ancient pathways to be pedestrian. 4. 9. Conversion to pedestrian roadways of Odos Dionysiou Areopagitou (Dionysios the Areopagite St.) - Odos Apostolou Pavlou (Apostle Paul St.), Odos Ermou (Hermes St.) and Odos Ayion Asomaton as far as Odos Peiraios (Peiraeus St.). 4. 10. A light tram to circulate in the areas of Unification. 4, 11. Conversion of Leoforos Vas. Olgas (Queen Olga Ave.) to a pedestrian roadway. 4. 12. Construction of an interchange partly on two levels at the juncture of Kallirhoe and Vourvachi streets. 4. 13. Organisation of one-way traffic pattern on Syngrou - Vourvachi - Kallirrhoe - Diakou streets. 4. 14. Construction of a two-level interchange at the juncture of Syngrou Ave. - Lagoumitsi street. 4. 15. Readjustment of traffic patterns at a number of places in the Unification area. 4. 16. Organisation of Parking Places at each of the units of the Unification areas. 4. 17. Organisation of planting all along the roadways and pedestrian pathways.
URL:
http://www.astynet.gr
Subject:
Antiquities

Year:

15/07/2002 -

Works and actions:

Historical Review

Attempts to unify the archaeological sites of Athens go back to the first efforts at planning the new Greek capital which continued into the first decades of this century.

In brief:

Athens won her independence on the 31st of March, 1833, two months after the election of Othon as king and three months before the edict designating Athens as capital.

In November 1831, Stamates Kleanthes and Edward Schaubert drew up the Topographical Plan of Athens with its fortification wall, the ruins of antiquity and also the monuments of the mediaeval period and the Turkish domination. In May 1832 they were requested to draw up the new city plan.

On the 29th of June 1833 the decree was signed proclaiming Athens as the capital and the plan drawn up by Kleanthes and Schaubert was accepted with a few minor adjustments. The plan was intended for a population of some 40,000 people. Anticipated were expropriations of land for the opening of roads, the forming of open areas, and the creation of a large archaeological zone around the Acropolis.

The memorandum of Schaubert and Kleanthes to the Regency at Nauplion in 1832 explaining in detail the city-plan of Athens, contains important information about the condition of Athens at that time. Reported among other items is the following:

".....................

If the present (economic) situation of Greece does not permit excavations to begin immediately, future generations must not blame our generation for lack of foresight. In this area there are artistic treasures, and important historical inscriptions. This is clear from unscheduled excavations that have been carried out as a result of building near the Prytaneion and the Tower of the Winds. Therefore we may well expect the discovery not only of foundations of earlier buildings but also important remains just as in the case of the Tower of the Winds.

Between the monuments excavations should proceed to the ground level of the ancient city in order to reveal the ancient road network with its roads and squares. At intervals, the ruins of some small picturesque church of Byzantine mediaeval times might be retained as a pleasing contrast to the works of the ancients.
The space between the monuments could be arranged as a garden with trees and verdure. Suitable spots could be chosen for observing the antiquities. Thus the entire area can be a museum of ancient art unrivalled anywhere else in the world.

. . . . . . . . . .»

It should be noted that many of the antiquities (in their present state of display) in the area of Athens, we owe to that first plan of the Greek State. The plan clearly contains the idea of unification of the archaeological sites and the archaeological park.

Opposition to the plan, especially to the expropriations, led the Government to recall the advisor to Ludwig of Bavaria, the architect Leo von Klenze, and to the drawing up of a new plan which was accepted on 18 September 1834. This plan, while not greatly different from the first, limits the width of the roads, the size of the squares and the area of the archaeological zone. Even so, it retained an area of considerable extent around the Acropolis for the archaeological sites and verdant areas.

The inability of the Greek Government of the time to carry out the expropriations required by the previous plans meant that it had to include in the city-plan part of the area around the Acropolis. A new plan was drawn up by Hansen and Schaubert which was approved by decree on 11 November 1836. This plan is essentially the one still in force today for the area of the Plaka.

The fire of 1884 facilitated the carrying out of excavations by the Archaeological Society and the revealing of the Roman Agora and the Library of Hadrian.

The archaeological area was further exposed, beginning shortly before the war and continuing after the war, in the area of the Ancient Agora by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. The Kerameikos was excavated by the German Archaeological Institute beginning in the previous century.

A whole series of adjustments were made to the original plan of Athens with the publication of countless decrees, the history of which was studied by the well-known architect and city planner Kostas Biris.

Among these and the plans proposed by the men called in by the Mayor, Spiros Merkouris:

<li> Ludwig Hoffman in 1908 (plan 1910) who notes that, "to be able to help to save the remains of ancient art from encroaching residential quarters, is to me like a sacred command."
<li>Tomas Manson in 1918, who makes some proposals similar to the previous one.

Following the plan of Aristeides Balanos, work was carried out, without significant results in the area of Lophos Skouze (Skouze Hill). Excavations were made also in the Archaeological area of Kolonos and the Sacred Way, at Sepolia and Kolokynthou in 1917.
Kostas Biris, director of City- Planning for the Municipality of Athens, drafted studies and proposals for the improvement of city-planning in Athens:

<li> Plan for the Reorganisation of the Capital, Athens 1946.
<li> Studies and Struggles for Contemporary Athens, Athens 1958.

In the first of these two books is the plan for creating an archaeological park in the areas of the Acropolis, Plaka, the Demosion Sema, the Sacred Way.

From that time on there have been various proposals and studies. All, however, have remained incompleted; none have reached the stage of a specific programme for realising the proposal. The first official involvement on the part of the State in the Unification of the Archaeological Sites with a specific programme, came about with the City-Planning Programme for Athens of 1985 following a proposal by the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry anticipated basic reorganisation in such a unification and considered this to be of great importance for the improvement of the Athenian area.

The next step was taken in 1988, again by the Ministry of Culture, which entrusted to a group of people a co-operative study for the unification of the archaeological sites in the centre of Athens. Each of these investigators was responsible for the study of a sector, which formed part of the study as a whole (Master Plan), promoting the realisation of Melina Mercouri's splendid vision. Its fulfillment will improve the quality of life in Athens by giving both Athenians and visitors an archaeological park running across the centre of the city, 4 kilometres long and covering an area of 7,000 stremmata: indeed a cultural, recreative and instructive centre, unique in all the world, and very much needed by Athens to emerge from her present condition.

The plan is to include all the archaeological sites and monuments of the area together with the traditional aggregate of the Centre (Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion) and the area comprising the Commercial Triangle and the Historic Centre of Athens. To make this possible requires some other measures, such as replacing a number of streets with pedestrian roadways, for example Vasilissas Olgas, Dioysiou Areopagitou, Apostolos Pavlou, part of Ermou and the Sacred Way. Necessary also will be the reconstruction, conservation and display of the monuments, reorganisation of the archaeological sites, and so forth.

Within this area the archaeological sites and monuments will assume their true importance, dominating the landscape, as they become part of everyday life. The plan offers Athenians an environment that is aesthetically, environmentally and culturally much improved. By incorporating into the life of the city monuments covering the entire historical span, both citizen and visitor can experience the historical continuity of the city in an environment of improved educational and aesthetic value. The area at the same time is to be a centre for relaxation and recreation, linked with daily life and contemporary cultural activity. Thus important archaeological sites (such as those along the national road to Eleusis) and significant cultural institutions are drawn into an overall programme for improving the city. Both inhabitants and visitors will see a city worthy of its history. The cultural, environmental, social and economic results of this programme will be of enormous importance.
Contents and Principles of the Programme of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens

Athens is the capital and the largest city of the country, with over 40% of the population of Greece. It is a city which in the course of its history has had the glorious privelege of being the birthplace of Civilisation and Democracy. Through this historical course, Athens has inherited important monuments, bearing witness to the culture of all phases of her existence.

The cultural area of Athens, comprising the archaeological sites, the Byzantine monuments and neoclassical buildings, together with her natural surroundings form a unique inheritance and an inexhaustible wealth for further development of the city. Archaeological sites and monuments of all periods are particularly numerous in the historic centre. They are to be found in large aggregates, including both ancient (Acropolis and the South Slope of the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Academy of Plato) and modern monuments. They exist also in areas such as the Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion and Gazi. In addition isolated monuments are scattered throughout the urban web: these are mainly archaeological sites that came to light during separate excavations (in the Plaka area), and Byzantine, Post-Byzantine and more recent monuments.

Most of the aggregates and single monuments lie within an area centered on the Acropolis. It runs from the Panathenaic Stadium, surrounds the Acropolis, and continues on to the Academy of Plato. This zone includes areas of considerable importance from the standpoint of history, archaeology, architecture, monuments, environment and city-planning. These areas are: the Academy of Plato, the Demosion Sema (national cemetery of antiquity), the Sacred Way, the Theseion, the Kerameikos, the Psyrri neighbourhood, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, Monasteraki, Plaka, Anaphiotika, Hill of the Muses (Philippapos, Pnyx, Observatory), the Acropolis with its monuments, the Makriyanni neighbourhood where the new Acropolis Museum is to be built, the Olympieion, Ardettos hill and the Panathenaic Stadium, the Zappeion and the area of the Cultural Centre.

At present, despite efforts that have been made from time to time, the Archaeological Sites of Athens are divided, unconnected with each other and quite unrelated to everyday life. The monuments are isolated and not always interrelated with their urban and monumental environment. The result is that the historical continuity of the city is interrupted in the perception of those exposed to the life of the city whether as inhabitants who pass by or visit daily these areas, or as foreign tourists. As far as the tourists are concerned, the presentation of the monuments is fragmented to the extent that in general their visit is confined to the Acropolis.

Given the present situation, it is most important for Athens that the archaeological sites in the centre of the city be unified to form a functional and comprehensible whole: an archaeological park in which the monuments and all the antiquities have the prominence they deserve, emphasising their aesthetic and educational value and the historical continuity of the city. The creation of such a centre for the Athenians in a functional area that has been so greatly improved culturally, aesthetically and environmentally, while improving the quality of life, will also emphasize the historical character of Athens. It will give the visitor to the area a better idea of the diachronic development of the city. Moreover, the organisation of the area will provide the opportunity for a longer visit and one that is simpler, pleasanter and more informative.

Melina Mercouri saw clearly that the productive capital of Athens was her cultural heritage and that her contemporary cultural output was based on this. With this in mind the programme for the unification of the Archaeological sites of Athens was launched in 1985. For decades it had been the aspiration of many architects, a vision of life and breath for Athens.

The area covered in the study is around 7,000 stremmata, and it extends for some 4,000 metres. The entire area is divided up by important roadways which are in effect historical and cultural barriers. Places and monuments in the historic centre of the city, which today is the focus of the environmental problem, are going downhill day by day in an area whose chief characteristics are pollution, the traffic problem, a lack of open and green spaces and the notable decline of these same spaces and the area around them.

The programme applies modern ideas about the protection of cultural heritage, with the protection and display of monuments and sites of all types and dates. Every one of the monuments is to be respected. This is in contrast to the outlook of the first years following the Revolution when ancient monuments were preserved and displayed while Byzantine and more recent monuments were left to their fate (for example in the Ancient and Roman Agoras, Library of Hadrian, and so forth).

All together, in accordance with the aims of the programme, the zone of unification will be part of a wider network which will be centered on the archaeological sites but will also include the main areas of greenery in Athens. The archaeological sites will be connected in fact with public and open areas, public installations, and areas used for cultural activity and relaxation. The area will be interconnected by roads used daily by Athenians for access to the commercial centre; similarly it will be connected with existing and planned cultural establishments. The programme will enable the inhabitants of Athens to have a 4 kilometre long archaeological park with an area of 7,000 stremmata, and an Historic Centre aesthetically, environmentally and culturally evolved. This will be a haven of life and culture within a city that respects the human being.

The level of approach is balanced between a regulative and city-planning study. It includes, that is, proposals of broad strategy, together with a considerable number of proposals in detail for specific sections. In order to put the programme into effect, in 1993 the Office of Unification of the Archaeological Sites of Athens was formed under the Ministry of Culture. Its task is to assist in carrying out the studies for unification.
Aims of the Programme

1. By "Unification" is meant the creation of a zone in which, so far as possible, the natural continuity of the various archaeological sites and monuments will be re-established. This continuity will include a linking together of the archaeological sites in their maximum extension, and the forming of areas between them in such a way as to insure this continuity. Monuments of all periods are to be respected, and included in the organisation so that their aesthetic contribution and prominence contributes to historical continuity.

2. Work within the archaeological sites is limited and it is reversible. The purpose is to organise and to facilitate the functioning of the sites, as well as to modernise public services. Archaeological sites discovered in the course of future excavations will be organised and connected either practically or functionally with existing sites.

3. Work in the immediate surroundings of the archaeological sites and monuments consists of organising these areas and improving the appearance of the buildings and various constructions.

4. Improvement of places of special interest in some areas in the wider vicinity. The purpose is to create an improved area between the sites and the building web of the city.This entails a system of restraints (land-use, building ratios, land coverage etc.), together with special adjustments and incentives. Such re-shaping of a whole series of areas will bring with it significant improvement in all the communal, economic and city-planning parametres.

5. The underlying aim of the programme is to bring the Athenian citizen into contact with his cultural heritage and as far as possible to give him a fuller knowledge of the city in which he lives. A web of pathways through areas of greenery, monuments and archaeological sites will provide a pleasant walk. This network of pathways will also be closely tied in to the commercial web of the city centre. Thus the use of this network through the zone of unified sites will not depend on conscious choice alone; it will also be an automatic result of general use and circulation in the wider centre of the city in accordance with everyday needs.

6. Those who visit the monuments of the area, whether as tourists or inhabitants of the city, will find attraction in the entire extent of this enterprise. There is greater cultural benefit to the visitor since both the monuments and the archaeological sites, now better organised and more functional, will provide greater educational possibilities. Moreover, an extensive visit to the sites will thus be both pleasant and practical, and can be done by foot or, in some parts of the unified zone, by tram.

7. The proposition must be put into effect through the City-planning Programme of Athens which indeed provides the framework for the project. In a few cases problems have surfaced during the course of applying the programme; efforts have been made to resolve these.

8. The resolution of problems in the improvement of the Western neighbourhoods and in the creation of new cultural and environmental centres in those areas.

9. Resolution of the intensification of land-use in the central areas.

10. Avoidance of further traffic overloading, with better flow of wheeled traffic and pedestrian movement to the extent possible. It is clear that efforts to facilitate the movement of traffic are interconnected with general work being carried out in the area of the capital, especially that of the Inner Ring (traffic junctions on different levels etc.). A number of extra projects in connection with the road network are aimed at improving the parametres of circulation or the unification of the various areas without adversely affecting them. The plan includes, to be sure, a considerable number of divided projects, re-arrangements and aims that have to do with the area planning as a whole or with work completed.

11. Realisation of the Programme is expected to have a significant effect on the quality of life and on the environment; both directly, through the converting of roadways to pedestrian walk-ways, the increasing of areas of greenery and open unbuilt-over spaces etc., and indirectly, through various works on all levels such as the improvement of the highway network, increase in the average flow of traffic, decrease in pollution and noise, use of natural gas, and so forth. The result will indeed be advantageous for the inhabitants of Athens. Moreover, it will save the monuments of the region which are at present being greatly damaged by pollution.

12. The inclusion of a great number of cultural institutions in the area will expose modern cultural activity to our cultural heritage. The monuments will serve a purpose and will attract both inhabitants and visitors. At the same time the developmental character of this enterprise must be emphasised, with the carrying-out of the entire project envisioned, improvement of the areas involved and an increase in tourism.

Measures for Attaining the Aims of the Programme

1. Archaeological Sites
1.1. Review of the boundaries and their function, where required.
1. 2. Extension of ancient pathways within the archaeological sites, where possible, so that they can determine the course to be followed by visitors.
1. 3. Plans for auxiliary infrastructure of the archaeological sites.
1. 4. Lighting arrangements, sanitary arrangements, reorganisation and augmentation of planting.
1. 5. Management of the archaeological sites on a rational basis.
1. 6. Use of archaeological sites for various events, artistic in particular.
1. 7. Extension of archaeological sites in specific cases in order to facilitate unification.
1. 8. Regulations for the keeping of antiquities in basements and open areas.
1. 9. Connection of sites with areas under excavation by a network of public and open areas.
1. 10. Conservation and restoration of monuments within the archaeological sites.
1. 11. Work on the facades of buildings in the immediate vicinity, whether traditional or contemporary.
1. 12. Connection of the sites by means of pathways in cases where they are not contiguous.
2. Monuments.
2. 1. Rebuilding, conservation, restoration of monuments.
2. 2. Determination and classification of indicated uses.
2. 3. Organisation of the environs of the site.
2. 4. Interrelation of the sites in an entity.
2. 5. Interconnection of the sites by footpaths, open and public areas.
3. Aggregates.
3. 1. Repair of all the neoclassical buildings in the possession of the Ministry of Culture and also buildings declared as Historical (to be preserved).
3. 2. Work on the appearance of the areas bordering the pathways.
3. 3. Reorganisation of the aggregate (Demosion Sema, Psyrri, Theseion etc.).
3. 4. Paving over of approaches to ancient arteries and of a great number of other roads wherever this is deemed necessary for better display of monuments, the aggregate, or for improvement of neighbourhoods.
4. Work on the Road Network.
4. 1. Construction of an unhindered pedestrian crossing at right angles to Peiraios street to connect with the Kerameikos, Sacred Way and the Demosion Sema.
4. 2. Construction of pedestrian roads in suitable places.
4. 3. Conversion to a pedestrian roadway of Odos Ermou (Hermes St,) from Odos Athenas (Athena St.) to Plateia Syntagmatos (Syntagma Square).
4. 4. Conversion to a pedestrian roadway of the Sacred Way as far as Odos Konstantinoupoleos (Constantinople St.) in a first phase, and subsequently up to the National Road.
4. 5. Opening up of a new N-S road to connect the Sacred Way with the Academy of Plato and the Demosion Sema.
4. 6. Pedestrian paving of area of the Demosion Sema.
4. 7. Remaining pedestrian pavements in the areas of the aggregates (Plaka, Psyrri, Theseion, Commercial Centre etc.) and at other points of the area being united.
4. 8. Ancient pathways to be pedestrian.
4. 9. Conversion to pedestrian roadways of Odos Dionysiou Areopagitou (Dionysios the Areopagite St.) - Odos Apostolou Pavlou (Apostle Paul St.), Odos Ermou (Hermes St.) and Odos Ayion Asomaton as far as Odos Peiraios (Peiraeus St.).
4. 10. A light tram to circulate in the areas of Unification.
4, 11. Conversion of Leoforos Vas. Olgas (Queen Olga Ave.) to a pedestrian roadway.
4. 12. Construction of an interchange partly on two levels at the juncture of Kallirhoe and Vourvachi streets.
4. 13. Organisation of one-way traffic pattern on Syngrou - Vourvachi - Kallirrhoe - Diakou streets.
4. 14. Construction of a two-level interchange at the juncture of Syngrou Ave. - Lagoumitsi street.
4. 15. Readjustment of traffic patterns at a number of places in the Unification area.
4. 16. Organisation of Parking Places at each of the units of the Unification areas.
4. 17. Organisation of planting all along the roadways and pedestrian pathways.

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