Kallithea (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a suburb in
Athens agglomeration and a municipality in
south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth largest municipality in Greece (97,616 inhabitants, 2021 census), as well as the fourth biggest in the Athens urban area (following municipalities of
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 ...
,
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
and
Peristeri
Peristeri (Greek language, Greek: Περιστέρι, meaning "pigeon/dove" in Greek) is a city and a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration, Greece. With 133,630 inhabitants (2021 census), ...
).
[ Additionally, it is the 2nd most densely populated municipality in Greece and one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with . The municipality has an area of .]
Location
The center of Kallithea (Davaki Square) lies at a distance of to the south of the Athens city center (Syntagma Square) and to the north-east of the Piraeus (photo 1). Kallithea extends from the Filopappou and Sikelia hills in the north to Phaleron Bay
Phalerum or Phaleron ( ' ; ''()'', ) was a port of Ancient Athens, 5 km southwest of the Acropolis of Athens, on a bay of the Saronic Gulf. The bay is also referred to as "Bay of Phalerum" ( '').''
The area of Phalerum is now occupied by ...
in the south; its two other sides consist of Syngrou Avenue
Andrea Syngrou Avenue () is a major road in Athens, linking the city centre with Poseidonos Avenue near the Bay of Faliro. It was planned and built by, and later named for, Andreas Syngros. It runs southwest to northeast. The Syngrou–Fix ...
to the east (border to the towns of Nea Smyrni
Nea Smyrni (, ''Néa Smýrni'', "New Smyrna") is a municipality and a town in South Athens, Greece. At the 2021 Greek census, 2021 census, it had 72,853 inhabitants. It was named after the former Greek city Smyrna (today's İzmir in Turkey), whe ...
and Palaio Faliro
Palaio Faliro (, ; Katharevousa: Palaion Faliron, Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning "Old Phalerum") is a town on the Saronic Gulf coast and a municipality in the southern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. At the 2021 census it had ...
), and the Ilisos
The Ilisos or Ilisus (, ) is a river in Athens, Greece. Originally a tributary of the Kifisos, it has been rechanneled to the sea. It is now largely channeled underground, though as of June 2019 there were plans to unearth the river. Together w ...
River to the west (border to the towns of Tavros
Tavros (, which means "bull"), is a town and a suburb in the southwestern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Moschato-Tavros, of which it is a municipal unit.
Geograph ...
and Moschato
Moschato () is a town and a suburb in the southwestern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Moschato-Tavros, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.
Geography
Mosch ...
) (photo 2).
The site on which the city was developed covers the biggest part of the area to the south of Athens city center, protected in ancient times (5th century BC) by the Long Walls
Although long walls were built at several locations in ancient Greece, notably Corinth and Megara, the term ''Long Walls'' ( ) generally refers to the walls that connected classical Athens, Athens' main city to its ports at Piraeus and Phalerum, ...
to the west and the Phalerum
Phalerum or Phaleron ( ' ; ''()'', ) was a port of Ancient Athens, 5 km southwest of the Acropolis of Athens, on a bay of the Saronic Gulf. The bay is also referred to as "Bay of Phalerum" ( '').''
The area of Phalerum is now occupied by ...
Wall to the east (photo 3). Somewhere within this area the ancient town of Xypete lay. The town and its citizens are mentioned, among other places, in Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
's Dialogs.
1896 and 2004 Athens Olympics
The plans for the establishment of the new city of Kallithea were officially approved in December 1884. On the longitudinal axis of the town (Thiseos Avenue), the Athens to Phaleron tramway once ran, from the beginning (1850) to (1955) and the end of its operations. Near the center of the town the Shooting Range (Skopeftirion) was built to house events of the first modern Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competiti ...
, the 1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad () and commonly known as Athens 1896 (), were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), wh ...
, and these first modern games took place in three venues: the refurbished ancient stadium of Athens (Panathinaiko Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium (, ) or ''Kallimarmaro'' ( , ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
A stadium was built on the site o ...
) NE of Kallithea, the Neo Phaliron Velodrome
The Neo Phaliron Velodrome (New Phaleron) was a velodrome and sports arena in the Neo Faliro District of Piraeus, Greece, used for the cycling sport, cycling events at the 1896 Summer Olympics held in Athens.Quote from page 194/241: ''The bicycle ...
(currently Karaiskaki Stadium
The Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (), commonly referred to as the Karaiskakis Stadium (, ), is a football stadium in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, and the home ground of the Piraeus football club Olympiacos. It is named after Georgios Karaiskakis, a m ...
) SW of Kallithea, and the Kallithea Shooting Range (Skopeftirion).
Events of the Athens 2004 Athens 2004 may refer to:
* 2004 Summer Olympics
* 2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the Internati ...
Olympic Games were also sited in the district of Kallithea, notably handball and Taekwondo
Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
in the new Sports Pavilion (Faliro)
The Faliro Sports Pavilion Arena, which is part of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex, is an indoor arena in the suburban town of Palaio Faliro, Greece. It is nicknamed "The Little Peace And Friendship Stadium", due to its similarity in desi ...
by the bottom of Syngrou Avenue, and beach volleyball in the Olympic Beach Volleyball Center on Kallithea Bay (Tzitzifies).
Growth
Between the first modern games (1896) and the 2004 Olympic Games
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
in the city, Kallithea grew significantly. Initially the tramway depot and workshop were built here in 1910, followed by the Harokopios Graduate School (1925) and the Panteios Graduate School of Political Sciences (1928).
In the 1920s the town was flooded by thousands of refugees following the Greek genocide
The Greek genocide (), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia, which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914–1922) – including the T ...
, Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars:
* Orlov revolt (1770) Greeks' first major, organized Revolt against the Ottoman Empire with the support of Russia
*Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire
* First Greco-Turkish ...
, the Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922), and the Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne (, ) is a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923 and signed in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially resolved the conflict that had initially ...
(1923). These refugees arrived in Kallithea mainly from the south Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
(Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
), from ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
cities such as Sinope (now Sinop
Sinop can refer to:
* Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea
** Sinop Nuclear Power Plant, was planned in 2013, but cancelled in 2018
** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port
*** Russian ship ''Sinop'', Russian ships named after the ...
, Turkey), Sampsus (now Samsun
Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...
, Turkey), Kerasus (now Giresun
Giresun () is a city in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon. It is the seat of Giresun Province and Giresun District.[Trapezous
Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid Em ...]
-Trebizond
Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid Em ...
(now Trabzon
Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...
, Turkey), Tripolis (now Tirebolu
Tirebolu (from the Greek word "Τρίπολις" meaning "three cities"; old name Tripolis, formerly Ischopolis, from the Greek "Ἰσχόπολις") is a town in Giresun Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Tirebolu District. , Turkey), Argyroupolis (now Gümüshane, Turkey) and other remnants of the late Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
.
A few had arrived earlier (1919) from the north and east (Russian) coasts of the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, from places such as Odessos (Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
), Marioupolis (Mariupol
Mariupol is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius, Kalmius River. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was the tenth-largest city in the coun ...
, the Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov is an inland Continental shelf#Shelf seas, shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, and sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea. The sea is bounded by Ru ...
) and elsewhere, after the failed attempt of the western allies (Greece included) against the young Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
state during the Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
.
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
immigrants of Greek origin also settled in Kallithea in the 1930s, as a result of the change of Soviet policy toward ethnic groups
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...
. Their origins were mainly in the east coast of the Black Sea (Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...
, Sukhumi
Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...
, Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was
History
In antiquity, the shores of the ...
, Anapa
Anapa (, , ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. As of the 2021 Russian census, it had a population of 81,863. It is one of the largest ...
etc.)
The first refugees settled originally near the site of the first Olympic shooting range (1896), until they were gradually transferred to new dwellings. After its evacuation the building bound with the shooting range served as a school, until the Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
Occupation of 1941, when it was converted to a prison. The prison of Kallithea was demolished in 1966; among others, fighters of the Greek Resistance and victims of the Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...
had been jailed there, such as Nikos Beloyannis
Nikos Beloyannis (; 1915 – 30 March 1952) was a Greece, Greek resistance leader and leading cadre of the Greek Communist Party.
Biography
Beloyannis was born in Amaliada (Peloponnese, Greece) in 1915. He came from a relatively prosperous fa ...
.
In the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, a new wave of Greek immigrants arrived in Kallithea from the east coast of the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, from the Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
highlands in Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, as well as from distant Greek settlements in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
and Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
where their Black Sea Greek ancestors were expelled during Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
's regime in the 1930s.
Historical population
Climate
Kallithea has a hot semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
(''BSh'') bordering a hot-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
(''Csa'' in the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
). It has very hot dry summers and mild winters. During the summer of 2024 the National Observatory of Athens
The National Observatory of Athens (NOA; ) is a research institute in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest List of research institutes in Greece, research foundation in Greece. The Observatory was the first scientific research insti ...
station in Harokopio University
Harokopio University of Athens, HUA () is a public research university based in Kallithea, Athens, Greece.
Founded in 1990, the 18th state University established in Greece, as the successor of the Harokopios Higher School of Home Economics () th ...
reached a stunning summer mean maximum temperature of .
Culture
Kallithea's main cultural center is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) ( (ΚΠΙΣΝ)) is a cultural center complex in the municipality of Kallithea in Athens, Greece. It includes new facilities for the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National O ...
. South Kallithea (Tzitzifies), is associated with the development of Greek folk music, particularly rebetiko
Rebetiko (, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used to designate previously disparate kinds of urban Greek music which in the 1930s went through a process of musical syncretism and develope ...
and later laïkó. Popular composers and singers once performed here; Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris (; 10 May 1905 – 8 February 1972), was a Greek musician of ''rebetiko'', universally referred to by ''rebetiko'' writers and fans simply by his first name, Markos. The great significance of Vamvakaris for the rebetiko is als ...
, Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis ( 18 January 1915 – 18 January 1984) was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetiko and Laiko music. Tsi ...
, Yannis Papaioannou, Marika Ninou
Marika Ninou (; born Evangelia Atamian []; 1922 – 23 February 1957) was an Armenian-Greek rebetiko singer.
Biography
She was born in 1922 on the ship "Evangelistria" that brought her mother, her two sisters and her eight-year-old brother, Ba ...
, Sotiria Bellou
Sotiria Bellou () (August 22, 1921 – August 27, 1997) was a Greek singer and performer of the ''rebetiko'' style of music. She was one of the most famous ''rebetisa'' of all, mentioned in many music guides, and a contributor to the 1984 Briti ...
, Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis (Greek: Μανώλης Χιώτης; March 21, 1921 – March 21, 1970) was a Greek rebetiko and laiko composer, singer, and bouzouki player.English translation He is considered one of the greatest bouzouki soloists of all time. H ...
, Mary Linda, Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas (Pronounced 'Zabetas', , sometimes romanized as George Zambetas / George Zabetas / Giorgos Zabetas; 25 January 1925 – 10 March 1992) was a Greek bouzouki musician. He was born in Athens, where he also died, but his origins were ...
, Stelios Kazantzidis
Stelios Kazantzidis (Greek: Στέλιος Καζαντζίδης; 29 August 1931 – 14 September 2001) was one of the most prominent Greek singers. He was of Pontian and Asia Minor roots. A top artist of Greek music, or Laïkó, he collaborat ...
, Marinella
Kyriaki Papadopoulou (; born 19 May 1938), known by her stage name Marinella (), is a Greek singer whose career has spanned several decades. She is well regarded due to her impressive vocal range.Dragoumanos, Petros (2009). ''Elliniki Diskogr ...
, Poly Panou, and Viki Moscholiou.
Education
Kallithea houses two universities (Harokopio University
Harokopio University of Athens, HUA () is a public research university based in Kallithea, Athens, Greece.
Founded in 1990, the 18th state University established in Greece, as the successor of the Harokopios Higher School of Home Economics () th ...
and Panteion University
The Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (PUSPS; , ΠΠΚΠΕ), usually referred to simply as the Panteion University (Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο), is a university located in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1927, it is the ...
). An even more notable school in Kallithea is Sivitanidios School, one of the oldest technical school in Greece.
Sports
Until 2004, south Kallithea (Tzitzifies) housed the only horse track in Greece (Ippodromos - Hippodrome), which later moved to Markopoulon, near Eleftherios Venizelos Airport
Athens International Airport ''Eleftherios Venizelos'' , commonly initialised as AIA, is the largest international airport in Greece, serving the city of Athens and region of Attica. It began operation on 28 March 2001 (in time for the 2004 Su ...
. Kallithea houses numerous cultural associations and several sport clubs, the most well known of which are Athens Kallithea F.C. (soccer), Esperos (basketball, volleyball, handball, and also soccer in an earlier period) and Ikaros Kallitheas, a multisport club founded in 1991, originally as Ikaros Nea Smyrni. Kallithea had another important club, Esperides Kallithea
Esperides Kallitheas is a women's basketball club, based in Kallithea, Athens. Esperides was founded in 1995, and at the end of 2012, changed its name and its emblem, and restarted as GS Ikaros kallitheas. This was because since Esperides faced fi ...
with many titles in women basketball. This club merged to Ikaros Kallithea in 2012.
Transportation
The main roads of Kallithea are Andrea Syngrou Avenue
Andrea Syngrou Avenue () is a major road in Athens, linking the city centre with Poseidonos Avenue near the Bay of Faliro. It was planned and built by, and later named for, Andreas Syngros. It runs southwest to northeast. The Syngrou–Fix ...
towards eastern Athens and Poseidonos Avenue
Poseidonos Avenue (), also known as Paraliaki (), is the main coastal road of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It runs from new Faliro in Piraeus to Glyfada and beyond, traversing all the coastaline of Athens; thus it is the major highway in the ...
towards Piraeus and the other southern suburbs. Kallithea is served by metro line 1 stations Kallithea
Kallithea (Greek language, Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a suburb in Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration and a municipality in South Athens (regional unit), south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth larges ...
and Tavros
Tavros (, which means "bull"), is a town and a suburb in the southwestern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Moschato-Tavros, of which it is a municipal unit.
Geograph ...
, by the tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
stations Kallithea and Tzitzifies, and numerous bus and trolley-bus linesconnect Kallithea to almost every destination in metropolitan Athens.
Sites of interest
* Harokopio University
Harokopio University of Athens, HUA () is a public research university based in Kallithea, Athens, Greece.
Founded in 1990, the 18th state University established in Greece, as the successor of the Harokopios Higher School of Home Economics () th ...
* Panteion University
The Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (PUSPS; , ΠΠΚΠΕ), usually referred to simply as the Panteion University (Πάντειο Πανεπιστήμιο), is a university located in Athens, Greece. Founded in 1927, it is the ...
* Municipal Gallery, housed in the Laskaridou building, one of the first dwellings in the city.
* Aghia Eleousa church of the late Byzantine period.
* Kallithea monument, a fourth-century BC family tomb, one of the most impressive exhibits of the Piraeus Archaeological Museum.
* "Argonauts
The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...
-Comnenus
The House of Komnenos ( Komnenoi; , , ), Latinized as Comnenus ( Comneni), was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first reigning member, Isaac I Komnenos, ruled from 1057 to 1059. Th ...
" (Argonaftes-Komnini) fraternity of the Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
Greeks, aiming at the study and preservation of the history and traditions of their fatherlands.
* "Constantinopolitan Society" (Syllogos Konstantinoupoliton) of the Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
Greeks that settled in Kallithea forced to abandon Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
during the Greek Genocide
The Greek genocide (), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia, which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914–1922) – including the T ...
and after the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars:
* Orlov revolt (1770) Greeks' first major, organized Revolt against the Ottoman Empire with the support of Russia
*Greek War of Independence (1821–1830), against the Ottoman Empire
* First Greco-Turkish ...
as well as after the Varlik Vergisi, the Istanbul Pogrom
The Istanbul pogrom, also known as the Istanbul riots, were a series of state-sponsored anti-Greek mob attacks directed primarily at Istanbul's Greek minority on 6–7 September 1955. The pogrom was orchestrated by the governing Democrat ...
and generally in subsequent deteriorations of Greco-Turkish relations.
* Monument in memory of the Pontus
Pontus or Pontos may refer to:
* Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea)
* Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology
* Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...
Greeks in the center of the city (Davaki Square and Gardens).
* Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex
The Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Sports Complex is a complex in the coastal zone of Piraeus, Greece. It consists of two indoor arenas and a beach volleyball stadium, and it hosted Handball, Taekwondo, and volleyball events at the 2004 Summer Olym ...
on Kallithea beach from the Sports Pavilion (Faliro)
The Faliro Sports Pavilion Arena, which is part of the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex, is an indoor arena in the suburban town of Palaio Faliro, Greece. It is nicknamed "The Little Peace And Friendship Stadium", due to its similarity in desi ...
to the Olympic Beach Volleyball Center and the delta of the River Ilisos.
* Grigoris Lambrakis Stadium, home to Kallithea FC since 1972.
Emblem
The emblem of the Kallithea municipality is Theseus
Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
Theseus is sometimes desc ...
. According to the Greek Mythology, Theseus landed on the shores of Kallithea after returning from Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
, where he had killed the Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...
.
Notable people
* Demis Anastasiadis, singer and songwriter
* Foivos Delivorias, singer and songwriter
*Eleni Foureira
Eleni Foureira (; born Entela Fureraj, ; 7 March 1987) is an Albanian-born Greek singer. She began her music career in 2007 as a member of the Greek girl group Mystique, pursuing a solo career after the group disbanded in 2009. She has released ...
, singer, actress, dancer, and fashion designer
*Stamatis Kraounakis
Stamatis Kraounakis ( ; born 25 December 1955) is a Greek music composer, music producer, lyricist, writer and director. He was born and lives in Athens and has studied Political Science in Panteion University. He has composed music for more t ...
, composer
Gallery
Agia Eleousa Kallitheas.JPG, The church Agia Eleousa (Thisseos Avenue)
Attica 06-13 Kallithea 04 Church Metamorphosi Sotiros.jpg, The church Metamorphosi Sotiros
Attica 06-13 Kallithea 01 Metro station.jpg, Kallithea Metro station
20ο Δημοτικό Σχολείο Καλλιθέας 1.jpg, The building of the 20th Primary School of Kallithea
Προσφυγικές κατοικίες Ρεβελλάκη, Καλλιθέα 14.jpg, Old refugees' houses in Kallithea
Snow in Kallithea (February 2021).jpg, Snow in Davaki Square
Kallithea War Memorial.jpg, One of the Kallithea War Memorial
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre 01.jpg, View of the city from Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center
See also
* List of cities in Greece
Two thirds of the Greek people live in urban areas. Greece's largest metropolitan centers and most influential urban areas are those of Athens and Thessaloniki, with metropolitan populations of approximately four million and 990 thousand inhabitan ...
References
External links
Municipality of Kallithea homepage
Panteion University homepage
Harokopion University homepage
Kallithea FC homepage
Esperos sports club homepage
{{Authority control
Venues of the 1896 Summer Olympics
Venues of the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic shooting venues
Municipalities of Attica
Populated places in South Athens (regional unit)