Acropoles

This week for our category culture, we will discuss about acropoles. Maybe you have even been to an acropolis in Greece during a vacation already. They sign and represent the Greek antic.

Some of them are well-preserved which makes them still able to visit even after such a long period. The English translation of acropolis just means “upper city”. The "upper town" was usually the highest elevation of the town, on which castles and fortifications were built for defense purposes. Mostly, it was an ancient Greek settlement. A common sign of an acropolis is the precipitous sides of hills. Moreover, most of them had their functions as a religious sanctuary. Usually, it was built on a mountain and was functioned as a fortification. For defense reasons, the early settlers of a town chose elevations and hills. Throughout the time this place wasn`t only used as a weir system but a cult site with important sanctuaries.

Acropolises were mainly the centre of a city such as in Athens. As you probably already know, the most famous acropolis is in Athens and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. The acropolis of Athens is located on a rocky outcrop. The Acropolis of Athens also initially had a primarily defensive function. Therefore, it was built in order to protect the city about 3.300 years ago. The Athenians wanted to show with grand buildings how powerful they were during the time.

Basically, it was common to have such a fortress in most cities in Greece. If you were attacked by enemies, you could retreat there and defend yourself.

All in all, acropoles are a big part of the Greek culture. We can be glad that most of them are still visitable these days. A visit to such a monumental building as in Athens is obligatory on a city trip in Greece.