The Creation of Modern Athens: Planning the Myth

This is the first book to examine the urban development of Athens in the nineteenth century. Analysing the process of architectural and urban design as it was experienced and evaluated by architects and the public, Eleni Bastéa reveals the multiple and often conflicting interpretations of the new city. By following two parallel processes - the building of the new capital and the construction of a new national Greek identity - Bastéa demonstrates that Athens’ elaborate urban design and civic architecture, although initiated by foreign-trained architects, reflected both international neo-classical ideals as well as the national aspirations of the modern Greek nation.

• One of few books to examine both the architects’ and the public’s views on the making of a city • Well-illustrated with 73 half-tones • Contains little-known accounts in the press and the archives of the period

Introduction; 1. Athens 1834; 2. Modern Greece: between history and myth; 3. ‘From barbarity to civilization’: Planning the modern Greek State; 4. Planning new Athens; 5. After the grand designs; 6. Building the capital; 7. Fin-de-siècle Athens.

London Hellenic Society John D. Criticos Prize - Winner