The Runner Athens

Thousands of jagged sheets of glass piled on top of each other create the dynamic shape of this striking sculpture of what really does appear to be a giant athlete running at speed. It took the artist Costas Varotsos six years to complete the 12m-high sculpture, which in 1994 was originally erected at Omonia Square; it was moved here when construction began on the subway station there. Also on the grassy traffic island take note of the 15th-century olive tree, replanted here in 2013 from its original home in the village of Eliaionas.