National Garden

The National Garden of Athens is a state park spread over 15.5 hectares in the city center. It is located directly behind the Greek Parliament building (Old Palace) and stretches from it south to the area where Zappeyon is located, and across the street from it is the Olympic Stadium, built in 1896 for the Olympic Games. There are some ancient ruins in the garden. On the southeast side are busts of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first ruler of Greece, and banker John Einard. On the south side are busts of famous Greek poets Dionysius Solomos, author of the Greek national anthem, and Aristotle Valaoritis.

The garden was commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838 and completed by 1840. The project was developed by German agronomist Frederick Schmidt, who brought more than 500 species of plants and various animals, including peacocks, ducks and turtles. Unfortunately, for many plants, the dry Mediterranean climate was too harsh, and they did not survive, the animals took root perfectly and even reproduced. The upper garden behind the Old Palace was fenced and privately owned by the royal couple.

In 1878, the Danish architect Theophilus Baron von Hansen designed the neo-classical Zappeyon. Zappeyon is named after Evangelos Zappas, a Greek millionaire and philanthropist who participated in the organization and holding of the first Olympias, the predecessors of the modern Olympic Games. Since the 1920s, the square in front of Zappeyon has been an important transportation hub for trams and buses. Today it is used for public exhibitions.

On September 30, 1920, while walking in this garden, King Alexander was bitten by a monkey and died of sepsis three weeks later. His death had a dramatic impact on Greece’s domestic and foreign policy, leading to the Asia Minor disaster, the so-called “Greek-Turkish Population Exchange.” At that time, the Greeks were subjected to genocide in Muslim territory, and many fled.

Today, the garden is called "National" because the monarchy in Greece is abolished. The main entrance to the park is on Leoforos Amalias, a street named after Queen Amalia. There is also a gate on Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, on Herodou Attikou and on the junction of the National Garden with the Zappeion Park Area. The National Garden has a duck pond, a small zoo, a botanical museum, a small cafe, a children's library and a playground.