Starting in the 18th Century ancient Athens regained in peoples' minds its historical glory and significance as a consequence of the great revival of interest in classical Greek antiquity in Europe as well as America - a revival which found its expression in the movement known as Romantic Philhellenism.

It was to this rekindled memory of "the glory that was Athens" that in 1833, at the successful conclusion of the Greek War of Independence, Athens, at the time a small insignificant town of a few hundred houses, was chosen to be the capital of the new nation state. Plans were laid to build a capital worthy to bear the name of Athens and though these plans were never realized as a whole, a new era for the city had opened.