Panathenaic Stadium
The Ancient Stadium (Greek Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο ) in Athens (also known as Kallimarmaro ) is the Olympic stadium of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Was built as a reconstruction on the foundations of the ancient stadium and is located in the center of Athens.
Antiquity
The original stadium, about one kilometer east of the Acropolis located, was built around 330 BC in a natural hollow between the hills of Agra and Ardittos to where the annual Panathenaic Games, the most important celebration of ancient Athens hold. Between 140 AD and 144 AD, the stadium received at further expansion measures by the patron Herod Atticus its final appearance ( of Herod Atticus Hippodrome ), as in during excavations by the German architect and architectural historian Ernst Ziller 1869-1870 phenomenon occurred. How did the ancient stadium shaped like a horseshoe with a track length of 204.07 meters and a width of 33.35 meters. According to current estimates, the ancient stadium took 50,000 spectators. Under the Romans an arcuate wall was on the west, the open end of the stadium built and henceforth used the stadium as an arena.
Modern Times
Given the implementation of the first modern Olympic Games, the stadium was renovated in 1895 from the ground up. The after plans by the architect Anastasios Metaxas Ziller again made-up ground in the form of a horseshoe has a length of 236 meters in the interior. It is characterized by a very tight turning radius of the raceway. The bleachers seat approximately 50,000 spectators should be lined with the help of 920,000 drachmas giving Greek Georgios Averof financiers all in marble. However, as the time was running out at the end, parts of the structure had to be built of wood and architectural as well as possible hidden. In addition to the athletics competitions were apart from swimming, shooting and cycling ( Karaiskakis Stadium ) performed all other Olympic sports in the Ancient Stadium. The missing marble stands were later supplemented, so that the stadium was completed at the unofficial 1906 Summer Olympics.
On April 4, 1968 met in Kallimarmaro the basketball players of AEK Athens as part of the finale for the Cup Winners' Cup on Slavia Prague. A massively large number of audience, most likely around 80,000, according to other sources 65000-120000, followed the meeting, the AEK won with 89:82. This is the unofficial world record crowd for a basketball game, the officially recognized record is created for the NBA All- Star Game in 2010 with 108,000 viewers.
The opening ceremony of the World Athletics Championships 1997 was held in the stadium. For this purpose, a temporary stage construction along the narrow side was built. The stadium also hosts concerts were held, as Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode, Tina Turner and Black Sabbath.
In 2004, when the Summer Olympics were held in Athens again, here were the competitions held in archery ( 4,000 spectators ). In addition, here was the goal of the two marathons ( 40,000 spectators ).
Current usage
The Ancient Stadium is rarely used for events. Current regulations require when using a strong limitation of the tickets, which makes most uneconomical use from the perspective of the organizers. The events usually use only a small part of the stadium.
However, there are always exceptions, such as the reception of the Greek national football team, which had sensationally won the 2004 European Football Championship. The stadium is also the goal of the annual Athens Marathon from Marathon to Athens. This marathon has been held since 1982.
The stadium on the edge of downtown is now a popular destination for tourists.