University of Athens, Greece

Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών

Map of location of the University

Athens 157 72, Greece

GREECE TRAVEL GUIDE FOR SENIORS 2026-2027 – AMAZON 128 Pages

Guide Book for the Peloponnese: with Athens, Delphi and Kythira – Paperback – Amazon – Bradt Travel Guides, 288 Pages, November 18, 2025

The three story university building was designed by architect Stamatis Kleanthes. It is the oldest University in Southeast Europe.

The university system has been in continuous operation since it opened in May 3, 1897. The building has been used as housing for immigrant families (1922) and a taverna was in operation in the ground floor for many years. In 1963 the building was registered as a national monument of Greece and was integrated back into the University.

History of the University of Athens

Known as the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, is the oldest university in modern Greece and one of the oldest in Europe.

The University of Athens was founded on May 3, 1837, by King Otto of Greece. Otto was the first modern king of Greece after the country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. The university was part of Otto's efforts to modernize Greece.

The university's main building, the "Propylaea," is an architectural landmark in Athens. It was designed by Danish architect Christian Hansen and completed in 1842. The design is categorized as neoclassical.

Four main faculties make up the programs at the university, they are: Theology, Law, Medicine, and Arts (including sciences and humanities). Other academic disciplines are also included at the university, added over the long years of operation..

Following the successful war of Greek Independence, the university was designed to play a key role in the formation of a national identity and in the preservation and dissemination of Greek language, culture, and history.

Official web site of the University