Athens Fairytopia: In search of the lost Ilissos
We discover Athens and create a 3-D map of the city following the Ilissos River
Dates
Tickets
Venue
Time & Date
Information
Cost
Free admission
Reservation and more info
T: 210 3713000
E-mail: education@onassis.org
Αddressed to
Children 9-14 years old
Introduction
The Ilissos River was once the watery heart of Athens. And it still is, though now it runs… under the city’s pavement. Come and hear stories about the city and create your own colorful, 3-D map.
Photo: Stavros Petropoulos
Did you know that the Ilissos was the river that ran across all of Athens? It ran down from Imittos, fed the Lyceum and watered the gardens of the Duchess of Plaisance. On its shores spread the Stadium and the Temple to Olympian Zeus, the temple of Artemis and the Shrine of the Muses, while the Kalliroe Spring offered cooling water for passersby. Foreigners on grand tours during Ottoman rule sketched Athenians in elaborate costumes resting beside its gentle flow.
Today the Ilissos still flows under the asphalt to the sea, while the tram runs along its former riverbed. After studying maps and books in the Onassis Library showing the landscape, flora, and fauna, the gods and humans of this historic land of nereids, we will visit the space around the Church of Agia Fotini Ilissos to get inspired and create a 3-D map. Using pictograms, like a new form of needlework, we will mark on paper and fabric the history and changes this holy river endured over the centuries.