Tomb of the Unknown Soldier turns 90
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The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of Athens’ most iconic, and visited, monuments, turns 90 this year.
Both visitors and locals who gather in large numbers to see the change of the guard are likely not aware that its construction was hugely controversial throughout the seven years it took from planning to completion.
Building the monument required extensive landscaping, as the Parliament building behind it was previously level with the upper part of Syntagma Square.
The head of the National Gallery, novelist Zacharias Papantoniou, called the project an ‘aesthetic nightmare’ and many architects held similar views.
