Soccer slogans spray-painted on ancient marble slabs, makeshift chicken coops, dovecotes and cardboard “houses” for cats, and a rudimentary “museum” housed in a shipping container with broken windows are the sights that greet visitors to Plato’s Academy Park in Athens.
The site of the ancient Greek philosopher’s world-famous academy could – and should – have been a magnet for visitors and scientists from around the globe. The ideas born here formed the foundations of Western civilization, yet the park, as Kathimerini witnessed over several visits, is completely neglected.
The entrance gate and even some ancient marble slabs are covered with graffiti, while inside the archaeological site there are makeshift structures for stray animals. According to one resident, some time ago the park had become a meeting point for Rottweilers and their owners – “perhaps it still is,” she says – while she has seen “barbecues being organized and, for a while, criminal groups were burning stolen cables to get the copper.”
At the Plato Academy Digital Museum, located at one edge of the park, the windows have been broken and extensive damage has been caused to its exterior. There are no cameras or guards to prevent vandalism.
