Monument of the Unknown Soldier
From the Constitution (Syntagma) Square, we climb
by large stairs on a vast esplanade where the Royal Palace, said the
Palaion Anaktoron (old palace) stands. Built in 1835,
mostly at the expenses of king Ludwig I of Bavaria,
over the plans of the Bavarian architect Gaertner.
This enormous cube of pentelic marble is an imposing edifice of three
stories, which dominates the town. Only the two doric porticoes (W.
and S.) animate with the contrast to the light and shade, the vast
monotonous surfaces of the two facades.
This historical Palace that saw so many brilliant days under the first
kings of Greece was destroyed internally in 1910 by a great fire.
Since then, notwithstanding some repairs, it remained in a ruinous
state especially when they had the absurd idea to install there refuges!
Lately the hellenic Government decided to install there the House
of Parliament. On account of this unlucky decision, this
historic palace has undergone radical changes, which altered its original
plan. By these repairs the Museum of king George I,
which was on the first story, has been removed from there, out of
its natural place.
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