Description of the attraction
Greece is rightfully considered the birthplace of Western civilization. This is an ancient country, the history and traditions of which go back more than one millennium. Greece is the cradle of science, culture and education. The Greek education system originated in the era of Ancient Greece and reached its heyday in the 6th century BC. Already by the 5th century BC. among the free Athenians it was difficult to find illiterate people. In simple schools taught to read, write, count. They also taught music, dance, gymnastics. Higher-level institutions taught arithmetic, rhetoric, grammar, music theory, dialectics, geometry and astronomy. In the 4th century BC. higher education also appears. At that time, famous philosophers taught logic, the history of philosophy, and the art of eloquence for a fee.
On May 3, 1837, at the residence of the famous Greek architect Stamatis Kleantes, Ioannis Kapodistrias National University of Athens (University of Athens) was founded. The university bears the name of the first president of Greece. It was formerly known as Otto University. This oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in Greece was the first university not only in Greece, but also in the Balkan Peninsula and the entire Eastern Mediterranean.
In 1841, the classes were moved to a new building designed by the Danish architect Theophilus von Hansen. The old building now houses the History Museum of the University of Athens.
At that time, the university had 4 faculties: theology, law, medicine and arts. The Faculty of Arts included the study of applied sciences and mathematics. It is interesting that initially 33 professors taught for 52 students.
An important change in the structure of the university took place in 1904, when the Faculty of Arts was divided into two faculties: arts and sciences. The Faculty of Sciences included a School of Pharmacy, Departments of Mathematics and Physics. In 1919, the Department of Chemistry was opened, and a little later, the School of Pharmacy received the status of a Department.
Today the University is recognized as one of the largest research and teaching centers in Europe. It is the second largest institution of higher education in Greece. Training in it is also available for foreign students.
