The Corinth Canal
It is one of the modern hydro technical achievements of man, which turned the Peloponnese peninsula into an island. The sight is really impressive. Sheer walls of 80 meters in height, consisting of multicolored rocks, like a puff cake. The width of the channel is only 23 meters, the depth is not more than 8 meters, and the length is 6434 meters (more than 6 km). From the bridge connecting the banks of the canal, the large barges slowly going down, seem to be toy. The canal can not only be admired from the bridge, but also one can pass it with a sightseeing boat, which departs from Loutraki.
Corinth
Today Corinth is interested for the ruins of the ancient agora with the Temple of Apollo, which, with its 38 monolithic columns, became the prototype of the Athenian Acropolis, Temple of Octavia (the sister of the Roman Emperor Augustus), Pyrene Fountain, Roman Basilica, Lechaion Road with the porticoes, benches and thermal baths of Euricle, as well as a series of medieval bastions on top of the majestic cliff of Acrocorinth with remains of the Aphrodite Temple at an altitude of 575 m. A rich collection of exhibits is also in the archaeological museum of Corinth.
Mycenae
The famous residence of ancient kings, were founded by the hero Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danai, who got the head of the Gorgon Medusa. Then Mycenae were glorified by the king Agamemnon, who led the famous Trojan War, and upon his return was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. And, finally, excavated by the famous archeologist and businessman Heinrich Schliemann, who also found Troy and Tirinth. In fact, it is not only one of the most powerful, but also one of the most ancient Greek cities, which gave the name of the whole Mycenaean civilization. Now it is a famous archeological sight, where one can see the remains of fortress walls, gates, royal palace, tombs. A huge number found by Schliemann gold, jewelry, cups and “mask of Agamemnon” exhibited in the Athens National Museum.
Epidaurus
Located in the picturesque, green and highland area of Argolis on the site, where in ancient times was an antique port. In this region, with a wonderful climate and a lot of healing springs, thanks to which in the 4th century BC, here appeared Asclepius – one of the largest sanctuaries in ancient times the God of medicine and healing Asclepius, the son of God Apollo and Koronida.
But the most famous landmark of Epidaurus is an excellently preserved antique theater with perfect acoustics, which Pausanias called “the most harmonious” construction of Greece. A crunch of paper, a sound of a lit match or a drop of a coin on the stage is audible in the upper rows. In the ancient theater there are 55 rows and 12 stairs, and its capacity is 14000 spectators. Every summer, it hosts a traditional theater festival, in which famous theaters, artists and musicians take part.
Nafplion
The first capital of independent Greece, where settled in 1833 the first Greek King Otton Ι. Today Nafplion is a very beautiful Mediterranean city, located in a natural harbor, covered with a picturesque isle with a small Venetian fortress Burdzi, built in 1471. The city is named after the ancient Nafplio – the son of Poseidon and Amymone.
The biggest influence was made by the Venetians, with narrow medieval streets, old charming houses and the impressive fortress of Palamidi with 8 bastions surrounded by walls. The fortress was built in 1686-1715, on the top of a hill 216 meters high, where 999 steps lead. Close to Nafplion, there is Tolo, the most popular summer resort close to the town, with a long sandy beach and relaxing atmosphere.
Sparta
This ancient city was and remains a living legend and the capital of the famous ancient dominant militarized state. Everyone knows the battle of 300 Spartans, who kept under Thermopylae a many thousand Persian army.
Unfortunately, now days there are few traces of antiquity remain in Sparta. Only some fragments of the city walls of the 4th century BCE, the remains of Roman and Byzantine fortifications, the foundation of the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia of the 2nd century BCE, the temple of Athena Khalkoikos and clear shapes of the Roman theater. But the indomitable spirit of the Spartans is still existing in these places. Sparta is usually visited in combination with a 5 km Mistra.
Mystras
A medieval city, founded by the Franks in 1249 after the 4th Crusade. Powerful crusader Guillaume de Viarduin, considered the picturesque hill Mizitra an ideal place for the construction of his castle. In 1262, the city was conquered by the Greeks and built powerful fortress walls, and during the XIII-XIV centuries, many churches and monasteries were built. In XIV-XV centuries the city reached its prosperity and began to be called “Florence of the East”.
Today Mystras is a national museum, it looks as if only yesterday people lived here, and it is considered to be one of the most amazing and perfectly preserved medieval cities in Greece. Among the most interesting and well-preserved buildings, the fortress of Villehardouin with fortress walls, the Despot’s Palace, the Monemvasia and Nauplia Gates, the fountain of Marmara, Metropolis in the form of a small fortress, where the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus were crowned, the church of St. Nicholas, the Church of St. Sophia, the Evangelistria church, the church of St. Christopher and the chapel of St. George. The churches impress by magnificent frescoes that are real masterpieces of classical Greece and the Paleologic Renaissance.
Monemvasia
This medieval castle town on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese, is among the most impressive places in Greece. The huge sea rock connected to the mainland with a narrow road. From the basement ground to its top stretches fragments of an ancient fortress wall, which was constructed by Franks, Byzantines, Venetians and Turks.
At the top of the rock in Upper Town stands the Church of Agia Sophia, built in the 12th century with its Byzantine interior. The Lower City is very romantic with its narrow streets, old medieval houses, mostly converted to boutique hotels, and the Church of Christ Helkomenos of the XIII century.
Olympia
Place of origin and holding of the famous Olympic Games, lighting of the Olympic Fire. The sacred land of Zeus the Olympian, to which no army had the right to enter. Olympia impresses today not only with its historical past and impressive monuments, but also with a strong positive energy. According to mythology, Hercules took part in the first Olympic games, in honor of the Tsar Pelop. In the 7th-6th c. the first monuments were built to accommodate the ever-increasing demands of the sanctuary, as it is estimated the Games began in 776 BC.
Games were held every 4 years and lasted 5 days. Only free men were allowed to participate and in the intervals between the competitions the guests were entertained by the cultural program – theatrical performances and declarations. The winners were awarded with a sacred olive tree wreath and life-long glory in the whole Greece. In 391 AD Emperor Theodosius condemned and banned the Olympic Games as unworthy of Christian culture.
The first efforts to discover the monuments of Olympia were those of the French “Expedition scientifique de Moree” in 1829. Systematic excavation in the sanctuary was begun by the German Archaeological Institute in 1875.
More than twenty buildings have preserved to our days, including the Gymnasium, the Palaistra, the Stadium, the temple of Hera, Pritason, Pheidias workshop, Leonidaion, Bouleuterion, Treasuries, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Philippeion. Many remarkable exhibits are on view in the archaeological museum of Olympia.
Patras
The third largest city in Greece after Athens and Thessaloniki, which became the European Capital of Culture in 2006. Carried out in February-March is the third most colorful after Rio de Janeiro and Venice. One of the business cards of the city is the fantastic two-kilometer Rio-Antirio bridge, built for the 2004 Olympics and connecting the Peloponnese with the mainland.
Patras is conventionally divided into two parts: the more ancient historical Upper Town, and woven from the lace of green streets, picturesque squares and the embankment of Otonos Amalias Lower Town.
The center of the Upper Town is a castle built in the VI century on the ruins of an ancient acropolis, in 805 heroically withstood the siege of the Saracens and nomadic Slavs, and during the Second World War it turned into a sort of “Greek Brest Fortress”. The inner courtyard of the castle is now turned into a beautiful public park. No less interesting is the Roman Odeon (reconstructed), which serves as an open theatrical stage. The richest collection of artifacts of Mycenaean and Roman cultures contains the archaeological museum of the city.
The heart of the lower city is the majestic Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, in which the relics of the “Baptist of All Russia” are stored. Andrew the First-Called – one of the twelve apostles of Christ, preached Christianity in Asia Minor, Greece, Scythia and even reached Kiev. The apostle was crucified on the diagonal cross (Andreevsky), which became a symbol of the Russian fleet, and the apostle himself – the patron of the Russian power. Not without reason, the Order of St. Andrew was the first and highest order of the Russian Empire.
