Gyzi ( el, Γκύζη ); is a

neighbourhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural a ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

Etymology

The area was named around 1925 after famous painter

Nikolaos Gyzis Nikolaos Gyzis ( el, Νικόλαος Γύζης ; german: Nikolaus Gysis; 1 March 1842 – 4 January 1901) was considered one of Greece's most important 19th century painters. He was most famous for his work '' Eros and the Painter'', his first ...

. By all rights, the neighbourhood should have been called Γύζη (). However, due to the fact that he signed his paintings using the Latin alphabet (as he lived in Germany for a time period), this was reabsorbed into the Greek language with the current spelling and pronunciation.

History and amenities

Gyzi was rapidly urbanised during the 1960s and 1970s. On 15 May 1985 a shootout between

Christos Tsoutsouvis Christos Tsoutsouvis ( el, Χρήστος Τσουτσουβής; 1953 – 15 May 1985, Athens) was a Greek far-left militant, or "urban guerilla" fighter. Tsoutsouvis was killed in 1985 during an exchange of fire with police officers. Biogra ...

(a far-left militant) and one of his accomplices on the one side and the police on the other side took place in the neighbourhood of Gyzi, resulting in four deaths. The nearest metro stations are Ampelokipi and Panormou ( line 3) and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

( line 1). It is popular among Greeks for having a strong base of Panathinaikos fans, one of the most historical Greek athletic clubs. This is mostly due to its geographical proximity to the

Leoforos Alexandras Stadium Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium ( el, Γήπεδο Απόστολος Νικολαΐδης), commonly known as Leoforos Alexandras Stadium or Leoforos Stadium, is a football stadium and multi-sport center in Athens, Greece. It was inaugurated in ...

, the traditional home field of

Panathinaikos FC Panathinaikos Football Club ( el, ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός Α.Ο. ), known as Panathinaikos, or by its full name, and the name of its parent sports club, Panathinaikos A.O. or PAO (; ''Panathinaïkós Athlitikós Ómilos'', "All-Athenian ...

. Gyzi used to have a small river, the Vafeiochori, which was situated where Vafeiochoriou street is today. Local teams include Gyziakos,

Panellinios Panellinios G.S. ( Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γ.Σ.), full name, Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos ( Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος), is a Greek multi-sport club that is located in Athens and was founde ...

and Anagennisi Gkyzi-Polygono. There are two primary schools and four high schools in the area.

References

Neighbourhoods in Athens {{Athens-geo-stub