Panathinaiko Stadium
| Kallimarmaro | |
The stadium in 2009
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| Location | Athens, Greece |
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| Coordinates | 37°58′06″N 23°44′28″E / 37.96833°N 23.74111°ECoordinates: 37°58′06″N 23°44′28″E / 37.96833°N 23.74111°E |
| Owner | Hellenic Olympic Committee |
| Capacity | 144 AD: 50,000 1896: 80,000 current: 45,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 6th century BC (racecourse) c. 330 BC (in limestone by Lykourgos) c. 144 AD (in marble by Herodes Atticus) |
| Renovated | 1896 |
| Architect | Anastasios Metaxas (1896 renovation) |
The Panathenaic Stadium (pan-ATH-uh-NEY-ik;Modern Greek: Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, Panathinaïkó Stádio, [panaˈθinaiko staˈðio]; Ancient Greek: στάδιον Παναθηναικόν, stádion Panathēnaikón), also known as Kallimarmaro (Καλλιμάρμαρο [kaliˈmarmaro], lit. "beautiful marble"), is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) c. 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 seats. After the rise of Christianity in the 4th century it was largely abandoned. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports. It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004. It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place.
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