Zappeion Palace Introduction: Zappeion Palace (Zappeion) is located in the National Garden of Athens in the city center and is used for official and private meetings and ceremonies. It is named after its patrons, Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy Greek philanthropist living in Romania, and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas. Major events or activities such as the fencing field of the 1896 Olympic Games, the Olympic Village of the 1906 Olympic Games, the signing of the documents to join the European Union in January 1981, and the press center of the 2004 Olympic Games all took place here.