The Temple of Hephaestus may be the best preserved ancient temple in Greece. It is located about 500 meters northwest of the Acropolis in Athens and was dedicated to Hephaestus, the ancient god of fire and Athena, the goddess of pottery and crafts. It is believed to have been built around 450 B. C.  

The Temple has 6 columns on the short side measuring almost 14 meters and 13 columns on the long side measuring almost 32 meters. Most of the decorations on the exterior have been damaged over the centuries but there are a few remaining in poor condition.

There is an interior structure with more columns and decorations that are in better condition. These are shown in the next two photos.

The Temple of Hephaestus can only be viewed from the outside but the area around the temple has some remains that can be seen and there is lots of greenery giving it a park like atmosphere.

A short distance from the temple is the Stoa of Attalos. It was built around 200 B. C. as a commercial center but it is now a two story museum. There is a nice view of the Temple of Hephaestus from the balcony of the museum shown in the next photo and the museum has some nice artifacts that are interesting to see.

The Acropolis is very near the Temple of Hephaestus so I have included a photo of the Acropolis taken from the temple and a photo of the temple taken from the Acropolis.

The Dust on My Shoes

I enjoyed visiting the Temple of Hephaestus. The temple is a little smaller than the Acropolis but it is in much better condition. The building is completely intact including the roof. The Acropolis is more famous and is a tourist magnet but the Temple of Hephaestus provides a more complete view of this type of structure and there is comparatively no people at this site.

The park environment around the temple is relaxing and it is nice to leisurely walk around and see some of the remnants of the area. While I am not normally a museum visitor, the museum on the site of the actual location make seeing some of the artifacts more meaningful. It was nice to see the museum displays and then walk out on the balcony and see the location where these items once were part of the society.

“Traveling to see famous places is a great experience but don’t overlook other places to visit just because they are not famous.”

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