Thiseio

The National Observatory of Athens is conducting tours in English, offering the public the opportunity to explore the night sky from the Hill of the Nymphs, opposite the Acropolis, through the 8-meter dome of the Doridis telescope. The refracting telescope was built by the French company P.F. Gautier in 1902 and is housed in a building designed by Ernst Ziller.

A 1.55-million-euro project by the Region of Attica will highlight and upgrade the facilities of the National Observatory of Athens on the Hill of the Nymphs, in the Thissio neighbourhood of central Athens, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported on Thursday.

The City of Athens is reportedly on the brink of ordering the demolition of nine abandoned dilapidated buildings deemed to be dangerous. 

The decision is expected in the wake of the collapse of two buildings over the last three days - one in Gazi on Sunday which crushed two adjacent cars and another on Tuesday in a part of Thiseio popular with tourists. 

The financial gloom has given way, albeit temporarily, to a festive atmosphere in the Greek capital, and city residents and visitors were treated on Saturday to a performance of Christmas music by the City of Athens Philharmonic orchestra in central Asomaton Square in the Thiseio district.

Pioneering electronica composer K. Bhta will be presenting a special program of soundscapes inspired by the forces of the universe to celebrate the Winter Solstice at the National Observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs, in a concert organized by the City of Athens on Friday, December 21. Admission to the event is free of charge, with priority coupons that will be distributed from 11 a.m.

Police in Athens and Thessaloniki were looking for clues on Thursday with regards the identity and cause of death of two men whose bodies were discovered in unrelated circumstances.

In the capital, police on Thursday said they are investigating the death of a man who was found near the Thiseio ISAP railway station on central Ermou Street earlier in the day.

Opera Chaotique is a Greece-based drummer and opera singer duo whose sound embraces "jazz grooves and African vibes, arias and punk growls, tender lullabies and gothic nightmares" and who compare their shows to "a Dionysian cabaret." The duo will be performing at the National Observatory of Athens on Thursday, July 12. The show starts at 9.15 p.m. and doors open at 8.30 p.m.

In partnership with the Danish Institute at Athens, the National Observatory of Athens will be hosting a night of music and dance in the garden of the historical Sina building on Thursday, June 28, under the light of the full moon.

Acclaimed Greek jazz musicians and composers Stavros Lantsias and Petros Klampanis will perform pieces from their respective oeuvres as well as work they have created together inspired by traditional Greek folk music at the Athenaeum Cellar. They will be joined by Thomas Constantinou on the oud and vocals, and Panos Dimitrakopoulos on the quanun. Shows start at 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 p.m.

The Herakleidon Museum pays tribute to the inquisitive spirit of the ancient Chinese that led them to the invention of printing, bookbinding, the compass and the seismograph, among other fascinating achievements, with the exhibition "Ancient Chinese Science and Technology," running through April 29 at both its venues in the downtown Thiseio district.