GR24 EC - HERITAGE – Visit the Panathenaic Stadium

The Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.

The stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos at 400 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD it had a capacity of 50,000 seats. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports (Athletics, Gymnastics, Weightlifting and Wrestling). The stadium was filled with an estimated 80,000 spectators.

It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004.
It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place
The students had the chance to visit the stadium where the first modern Olympic Games took place. They jogged in the footsteps of former Olympians and stood where famous athletes wrote history!!

Panathenaic Stadium is a monument of global significance heritage and part of the sporting and Olympic history of Greece and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Panathenaic Stadium offers visitors a unique opportunity to revive their historical memory. Student had the chance to have some fun without restrictions in an open stadium