Elaionas (, , sometimes Anglicized as Eleonas) is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

in Central

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It is an industrial area and one of the most deprived areas of the municipality of Athens.

History

The area was named for the fact that in antiquity it was covered in an abundance of

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

s, a feature that it retains even today but to a smaller extent. The olive tree was a basic symbol of

Athenian democracy Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Ancient Greece, Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Classical Athens, Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica, and focusing on supporting lib ...

as a prize for the winners of the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (, ''ta Olympia''.), or the ancient Olympics, were a series of Athletics (sport), athletic competitions among representatives of polis, city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held at ...

. By extension, its oil was a valuable commodity and the only Athenian product that was allowed to be exported and this gave impetus to the development of Elaionas. During the Byzantine years, a large number of churches were built in the area, while the occupation of most of the inhabitants remained agricultural.

Modern era

Today, Elaionas is an area of 9,500 acres consisting of generally unregulated buildings, with many abandoned craft industry buildings, some actively polluting companies, vacant or unused land and few inhabitants. Elaionas's factories employ up to 30,000 workers. The upgrading and regeneration of the area has been a matter of concern to the Greek government many times, with the main proposals concerning opening new roads that will facilitate the establishment of enterprises and general de-industrialization. Elaionas is the site of a large refugee camp for those fleeing Africa and the Middle East. An important plan is also the provision for the creation of a

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos (, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club based in the City of Athens. Panathinaikos is one of the mos ...

new stadium in

Votanikos Votanikos (, ) is a neighborhood in Athens, Greece. The area is named after a nearby botanical garden situated to the southwest (Athens Botanical Gardens). The eastern part is residential; the western part is forested and industrialized. The s ...

and the creation of a metropolitan park. At the same time, the creation of a new intercity bus agency in the area and its connection to the

Athens metro The Athens Metro () is a rapid transit system serving the Athens urban area in Greece. Line 1 opened as a single-track conventional steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904. Beginning in 1991, Elliniko Metro S.A. constructed and ext ...

is being examined, which would replace the existing

Kifissos Bus Terminal Athens "Kifissos" Bus Station, also known as KTEL Kifissos Bus station, is the busiest intercity bus station in Athens. It is the largest bus terminal in Athens and the second-largest in Greece, the largest being the Thessaloniki "Macedonia" Inte ...

and Liosion Bus Terminal. The area is served by the metro station of the same name on Line 3 of the

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Athens