Building of the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens in Panepistimio is one of the landmarks of Athens; Shutterstock ID 407977351; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: POI 407977351

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Athens University

Athens

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This splendid building was designed by the Danish architect Christian Hansen and completed in 1864. Although the university has expanded massively around the city (enrolment is more than 100,000 students), Hansen's building still serves as the university's administrative headquarters and ceremonial hall.

Adjacent to the south is the more ornate Athens Academy, modelled on Plato's Academy and still Greece's most prestigious research institution. Admire the two school buildings' neoclassical facades from the street; neither is open to the public.

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Nearby Athens attractions

1. National Library

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One of the neoclassical 'trilogy' of buildings on Panepistimio, the late-19th-century National Library is a dazzling design by Danish architect Theophil…

2. Athens Academy

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This ornate building, completed in 1885 and modelled on Plato's Academy, is Greece's most prestigious research institution. It was designed by Theophil…

3. Koraï 4

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When the German military occupied Athens in 1941, it requisitioned the Ethniki Insurance offices and for three years used the two-level basement as…

4. Museum of the City of Athens

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Housed in two interconnected buildings, including the palace where King Otto lived between 1830 and 1846, this small museum is not so much about the city…

5. Museum of the Bank of Greece

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This museum covers the general history of money, from ancient times on. There's a token nod to the euro era, but really this place is about that venerable…

6. Numismatic Museum

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The collection of coins here, dating from ancient through to modern times, is excellent, but of more general interest is the dazzling 1881 mansion in…

7. National Historical Museum

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This grand old collection of swords, ship figureheads and portraits of moustachioed generals is a bit short on signage; it's best for people who already…

8. Church of Agii Theodori

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