Lord Byron Statue, Athens

Near the heart of Athens, at the entrance to the National Garden, stands a statue representing Greece personified as a woman, bestowing a laurel wreath upon the British Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824).

Back in 1809, when Athens' Psyrri neighborhood was notorious for its underground criminal activities and served as a gathering place for revolutionaries, Lord Byron took up residence there. During his stay, he explored the regions of Epirus and Attica in the company of his friend John Cam Hobhouse. It was in Athens that he penned 'The Maid of Athens', inspired by his affection for the daughter of his landlady, as well as portions of 'Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage'. These writings catapulted him to overnight fame, and upon his return to London in 1812, Byron famously declared, "If I am a poet, it is the air of Greece which has made me one".

Due to his ardent desire to support the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans, he was welcomed as a hero upon his return in 1823. Mementos of Byron's involvement in the struggle can be found at the National Museum and the Benáki Museum; alas, on Easter Sunday in 1824, he tragically fell victim to a fever in the cholera-ridden town of Mesolóngi, never witnessing the country's liberation.

Greece continues to hold Lord Byron in high esteem, with streets and even children named in his honor. The Greek version of "Byron," Βύρων ("Vyron"), remains a popular masculine name, and a suburb of Athens is named Vyronas in tribute to the revered poet.