Університет University

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The University of Athens is the oldest university in modern Greece and perhaps the most prominent. It is also the first modern university in the Balkan Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean region. It was founded in 1837 during the reign of King Otto and was originally housed in a building in Plaka. In 1841, the institution moved to a building on Panepistimio Street, and in 1932 it was renamed the "National and Kapodistrian University of Athens".
The main building of the University of Athens is a neoclassical building designed by the Danish architect Christian Hansen. The most impressive part of its decoration is the fresco on the inner facade. The mural was commissioned from the Austrian artist Carl Rahl, but due to financial problems it was completed after his death.
In the fresco, King Otto sits on a throne, surrounded by the Sciences. The Sciences are depicted as female figures of the Renaissance. On the left and right, the viewer can see the history of the ancient world, starting with Prometheus. Next comes a series of figures from the ancient Greek world, and the scene ends with the image of the Apostle Paul, symbolizing the nation's transition from worship of the Olympian gods to Christianity.
To the left of the entrance to the university is a monument to Rigas Fereos, one of the heroes of the Greek Revolution of 1821. To the right is a monument to Patriarch Gregory V, executed by the Turks in 1821.
In front of the university are monuments to the founder of the university that now bears his name, Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias, and to Adamantios Korais, the creator of the modern Greek language.
Closer to the avenue are two memorials honoring students who died in the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and World War I. Even closer is a monument to British politician William Gladstone, who actively supported the struggle for Greek independence.