Athens University Museum Panepistímion Athínas

This building on Panepistimíou (University) Street - now officially Venizélou Street - together with the Academy, National Library and the New Palace, are the most striking achievements of the young kingdom of Greece in the field of architecture and town planning. It was designed by the Hansen brothers of Copenhagen.

The University, a plain Neo-Classical building with restrained ornament, was built in 1839-41 by Christian Hansen (1803-83). Behind the columns of the portico, above the doorway, is a representation of King Otto, who initiated the project, surrounded by Muses.

In front of the entrance are figures of Kapodistrias, who as Governor of Greece (1827-31) proclaimed the foundation of the university, the writer and scholar Adamantios Korais (1748-1833) and also W.M. Gladstone. Immediately in front of the facade are the statues of the poet Rigas Pherraios and Patriarch Gregory IV, who were murdered by the Turks in 1789 and 1821 respectively. Inside, the portico, stair-well and aula all display examples of the fine ornamentation of the period.
The Athens University, as it is commonly referred to, houses a collection of printed documents and journals, commemorative medals, medical and dental instruments as well as photographs and paints depicting the history of the university.