The
district of Gazi, about a mile west of Athens city center is nowadays one of the
main entertainment / nightlife hubs of Athens. This was initially the site of a gasworks factory
(hence the name), planned by a certain French businessman named Francis Feralde
in 1857, outside of city borders of the time, and constructed in various phases.
It remained in operation in various forms from 1860 till 1984.
The area around the factory was a neighborhood of laborers employed in the factory as well as connected
businesses, living, even till today, in small, one-floor houses, more reminiscent of a village than a city neighborhood.
In the last 30 years, a
number of events have transformed the area: the closing of the factory, its
designation as an historic landmark and subsequent transformation into an
exhibition / concert space operated by the City of Athens, the (initial) fall
of property prices and subsequent opening of various bars, pubs, restaurants,
etc. with various loft apartments and architectural offices joining the party in the last 10-15 years. A major
boost was given in 2007 with the opening of the "Kerameikos" Metro Station
in the center of the district. Connection with other major pedestrian streets further enhances the area's attractiveness.
Here, I present you some photographs from an afternoon walk a couple of years ago. This is the quiet time of the day at Gazi, before the throngs of party-goers and club-revelers start pouring in...
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| Persefonis St., Gazi, Athens |
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| An old-time coffee shop at Orfeos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Tapas bar at Dekeleon St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Lots of abandoned buildings and graffiti, Gazi, Athens |
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| Graffiti for all..., Gazi, Athens |
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| Even more abandoned buildings and graffiti, Gazi, Athens |
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| Entrance of a modern apartment building, Gazi, Athens |
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| Old-timers, chit-chatting and painting the house at the same time, Gazi, Athens |
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| Old, one-store houses and DIY greenery, Gazi, Athens |
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| Bright red house, Gazi, Athens |
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| One of many bars, at Konstantinoupoleos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Even more space for street art and graffiti, Gazi, Athens |
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| Old lady crossing the railroad tracks [currently not in use], parallel to Konstantinoupoleos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| More bars, at Konstantinoupoleos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Harley-Davidson Greek Club, at Konstantinoupoleos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Crossing the railroad tracks [currently not in use], parallel to Konstantinoupoleos St., Gazi, Athens |
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| Entrance of the Kerameikos Metro Station, Gazi/Kerameikos, Athens, Greece |
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| View from inside Kerameikos Metro Station, through a glass roof, to the Athens sky, Gazi/Kerameikos, Athens, Greece |
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| Bar at Sofroniou St., Gazi, Athens |
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| One of the buildings of Technopolis-Gazi in the background, the entrance of the Metro Station in the foreground, Kerameikos-Gazi, Athens, Greece |
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| Buildings of Technopolis-Gazi in the background, with the outer area of Kerameikos
Metro Station in the foreground, Kerameikos-Gazi, Athens, Greece |
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| A building of Technopolis-Gazi in the background, with the small square / meeting point at the entrance of Kerameikos Metro Station in the foreground, Kerameikos-Gazi, Athens, Greece |
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| The entrance of Kerameikos Metro Station, on Gazi central square |
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Lovely series of photos. That red house is gorgeous. I see that we here in Montreal, Canada are not the only ones that have graffiti in many places.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. You may rest assured that Athens has more than its "fair share" of graffiti!
ReplyDelete