The Greek capital of Athens and the US city of Boston are to become ‘Sister Cities’ after a decision reached by Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis and the mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, according to greekreporter.com.
The two mayors met in Boston where Bakoyannis participated in a special ceremony at which he presented four gold wreaths awarded to the winners of the Boston Marathon.
He also invited Boston’s mayor to visit Athens in November in order to watch the 39th Authentic Marathon in the Greek capital.
“We’re already late. Boston, the ‘Athens of America’, is home to a very large and active Greek-American community. It is a city with which I have strong personal ties. But above all, Athens and Boston are linked with a strong tradition, which is a reminder of our common principles and values,” noted Bakoyannis.
“The twinning will create a new, modern and solid bridge of cooperation which will also contribute to the strengthening of economic ties with a positive impact on tourism. Athens can offer unique experiences to American travelers,” he added, sending out an invitation to Bostonians to visit the Greek capital.
Why is Boston called the Athens of America?
A nickname for Boston is “The Athens of America,” used chiefly in literary circles during the first half of the 20th Century. The origin is believed to stem from a letter written in 1764 by Samuel Adams, as quoted in History of the United States, in which Adams wrote “Boston might become a Christian Sparta.”
In 1819, William Tudor also wrote a letter describing the town: “[Boston] is perhaps the most perfect and certainly the best-regulated democracy that ever existed. There is something so impossible in the immortal fame of Athens, that the very name makes everything modern shrink from comparison; but since the days of that glorious city I know of none that has approached so near in some points, distant as it may still be from that illustrious model.”
On the western slope of Beacon Hill, at Louisburg Square, is a statue of Ancient Greek general and statesman Aristides the Just. Aristides led the army in a great victory against the Persians at the Battle of Plataea (479 BC). In 478 BC, he was a prominent leader in the formation of the confederacy of Greek city-states known as the Delian League.
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