Athens University History Museum, History museum in Plaka, Greece.
The Athens University History Museum occupies a former residence below the Acropolis, with views toward the Ancient Agora and Lycabettus Hill. The building displays scientific instruments, portraits, photographs, medals, manuscripts, rare books, and seals documenting the academic history of Greece.
The building served as the first university of independent Greece from 1837 to 1841 after being redesigned by architects Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert. It became a symbol of the nation's commitment to establishing higher education following independence.
The building is known locally as the "Old University". Ludwig Ross, who taught the first class there on 22 April 1837, lectured on Aristophanes' "Acharnians" and "Knights" to about 30 listeners. In 1868 the house sheltered refugees from Crete, and since 1967 it has belonged to the University of Athens.
The museum stands on Tholou Street in Plaka, on the northern slope of the Acropolis, near the Ancient Agora. The building is reached on foot through Plaka's stepped lanes; the nearest metro station is Akropoli. The university acquired the property in April 1967, and it now functions as the institution's cultural centre.
The building is known locally as the "Old University". In 1856 Kleanthis sold it to a private buyer from Crete, and in 1868 it housed refugees from that island. Marble busts of Kleanthis and Schaubert by sculptor Fanis Sakellariou were placed in 1973 in the courtyard of the Athens Municipality Cultural Centre on Akadimias Street.
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