Exploring a city’s heritage is one way to keep fit and to be green. One of my favourite cities is Athens and in 2004 (as part of the celebration of the Olympics) the Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Culture Heritage along with the Municipality of Athens Cultural Organization produced Heritage Walks in Athens: the walks were written by Artemis Skoumbourdi.
The book was introduced by Dora Bakoyannis, the then mayor of Athens.
Our monuments stand as continuous guardians of memory. It is not only the past of Greece but the roots of the Western World and the influence of the East that can be found within our museums.
Costa Carras, President of the Hellenic Society (Elliniki Etaira) wanted people to come to the headquarters of the society ‘where they can learn more about issues concerning the environment and the cultural heritage in Greece’.
The short book contains 8 walks:
- The Athenian Acropolis
- Mills and Municipalities of Ancient Athens
- Agora and Areopagus, the Heart of Ancient Athens
- The Centre of the City from Antiquity until the Ottoman Period
- Athens, Medieval and Modern
- The Heart of the Modern Greek State
- Museums, Collections and the National Park
- The High Point of Athenian Neoclassicism
Some of the walks are quite steep and demanding but the climbs are rewarded with wonderful views over the city.
Heritage Futures 
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