You might know the connection between Athens and Socrates. You may have heard about Athens during the Golden Age of Pericles or the modern era of Andreas Papandreou and the respective political history. But what if we told you that Athens has always had another side? A more feminine one. For centuries, women have lived, worked, created, protested, cared for families, built communities and left their mark on the city. Yet when we think about Athens and its history, their stories often seem to sit somewhere in the background. We remember the philosophers, politicians, artists and heroes, while the women who shared their streets, homes and struggles are much easier to overlook.
An Athens we don’t usually see
So what happens when we change the way we look at the city? What if, instead of following the familiar routes through Athens, we tried to see it through her eyes? This is the idea behind a series of walking tours created by ExperienZ in collaboration with WHEN Hub: exploring Athens through the stories of women, stepping away from the obvious landmarks and discovering some of the hidden corners, voices and details that make the city what it is.
Of course, we cannot talk about the feminine side of Athens without going back to ancient times, when the Athens of Pericles was far from an equal society in the way we think about it today. Women did not enjoy the political rights of rich male citizens and much of their lives revolved around the household and family. Yet they were very much part of the life of the city. They participated in religious festivals and rituals, managed households, produced textiles and clothing and played important roles in family and community life. And, of course, the city itself was named after a female deity, Athena, one of the most powerful figures in the ancient Greek world! Also let’s note that even from ancient times women have always been inspiring ideas and art by being muses, the ultimate inspiration for statues, pictures, music pieces and more.
Athenian Art, Creativity and a Feminine Perspective
Walk through Athens today and you will start noticing things differently. Look at the walls, for example. Women appear throughout the city's murals and street art as portraits, memories and statements. Some are imagined, some are real, and some seem to be asking a very simple question: who gets to be seen in a city? At the same time, there is another, quieter way in which women have shaped the Greek artistic landscape, too, through the traditions and crafts that have travelled from one generation to another. And this is where Angeliki Chatzimichali becomes such an important figure in the city center of Athens. She was a pioneer in the study and documentation of Greek folklore at a time when traditional crafts and regional culture were often overlooked and women were not generally allowed to access school or other studies.
However, in those times of female oppression, she travelled across Greece by herself, studied local traditions and documented folk art, crafts, jewelry costumes and the everyday lives and customs of communities. Her work became an important contribution to the preservation and understanding of Greek folk culture and today anyone can experience a little piece of her work in the “Chatzimihali” museum in the beautiful neighborhood of Plaka. Perhaps this is what makes Athens so interesting to explore through women's stories. There isn't one single “feminine Athens”. There are many. There is the Athens of ancient women whose lives were largely lived away from political power. There is the Athens of artists and writers, of women who fought and organised and of the women whose everyday lives helped shape neighbourhoods and communities.
Athens through her Eyes and WHEN Hub collaboration
All these unseen parts of a busy capital lead to the point where our collaboration with the WHEN feels particularly natural. WHEN works for the professional and economic empowerment of women, as well as gender equality and inclusion. Its WHEN Hub, located on Socratous Street in the heart of Athens, is a space where women, femininities and people interested in gender equality can work, learn, connect and support one another.
That feels like the right place from which to start looking at the city differently. Our “Athens Through Her Eyes” series of walking tours follow this idea. They are not simply about adding a few female names to an existing history of Athens. They are about changing the perspective from which we explore the city. We walk through streets that many visitors and even many Athenians may have passed without really noticing. We look at murals and artworks, uncover stories of women who challenged their time, explore folklore and traditions, and pay attention to the small details that can reveal a very different side of the city.
And perhaps looking at Athens through her eyes is not about replacing one version of the city with another. It is simply about making the picture bigger and finally giving some of these stories the space they deserve. Walk with us. There is another Athens waiting to be discovered.
