#sterea hellas

It is more than 10 times larger than the national gardens! It is also the largest botanical garden in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Its name is not an homage to the hero of the Iliad but to the benefactor and banker Alexandros Diomedes, who founded the garden in 1951 and who was notably environmentally sensitive in a time the vast majority of people did not realise how vulnerable the balances in our environment are. The name of his wife is included in the full name of the garden "The Botanical Garden of Julia and Alexander Diomedes".

Recently it was included in the Guardian list of the 10 best secret urban gardens in Europe.

The garden hosts more than 4,000 plant species. The Herbarium of the garden preserves 19,000 dried samples of plant species, most of which are from Natura 2000 protected areas.

The garden has an educational character and is organized in several departments such as: the historical plants, the pharmaceutical plants, the economical plants, the flower garden, the department of botanical systematics, the tree garden, the greenhouses and the plant nursery. The historical plants department includes plants whose presence has been documented since antiquity, such as the poison hemlock and the mandrake. The garden also has five olive trees which were cultivated urgently by professor of Botanics Konstantinos Mitrakos (1926 - 1996) from offshoots coming from an ancient olive tree in the Sacred Road of Athens, which was believed to be a survivor from the olive grove of Plato. The tree was destroyed when a bus crashed on it and the professor rescued its genome by growing these five olive trees in the botanical garden.

The garden includes plants that do not grow endemically in Greece. Specifically, it has departments with plants from Oceania, the Mediterranean and the non-Mediterranean Europe, Asia, South Africa and the Americas. Some of the hosted species have gone extinct in their endemic habitats, such as an extinct previously endemic plant of Korea.

The flower garden has 25 small lakes.

In the area where now the garden is located, 72 Greeks were executed by Nazi Germans on 8 September 1944. There is a memorial monument for them as you enter the garden.

The garden has taken very strict measures against the danger of fire, with water resources available across the entire area. It's thoroughly protected and guarded. People interested to visit it should know that they need an online no-fee ticket before entering because the garden does not accept more than 300 people at a time. Pets are not allowed in (the garden has its own fauna and an animal shelter) and children are not allowed to bring toys such as balls which could cause damage to the plants. Children parties are allowed but in full communication and co-operation with the people of the botanical garden. There is a cafeteria in the garden so it is discouraged to bring your own food and eat it in unsuitable locations inside the garden. Remember, the garden is open to all but it is a private property.

Sources:

Proto Thema

Athens Voice

Golden Ancient Greek Jewellery

Golden diadem from the Thessaly / Karpenisi Treasure, 3rd-2nd century BC. Benaki Museum

Necklace with semi-precious gemstones and the head of a lynx on one side, Athens, 1st century BC. Benaki Museum

Ring with the depiction of a young man about to throw a fishing net, Rhodes island, 350 - 325 BC. Archaeological Museum of Rhodes

Attic red-figure pelike depicting the gift giving custom to the embellished bride the day after the wedding. It is attributed to the painter hired for the wedding, 330 - 315 BC, Athens. National Archaeological Museum

Heavy golden diadem with a Heracles knot, Thessaly / Karpenisi Treasure, 3rd-2nd century BC. Benaki Museum

Earrings with bull heads and acorns, Ancient Lete (Derveni) of Thessaloniki, 330 - 300 BC. Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

Earrings with God Eros, Athens, late 4th century BC. Benaki Museum