Athens market hall

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The hall seen from Athenestraße
The future President Konstantinos Karamanlis visits the market hall in the 1960s

The Athens market hall ( Greek Δημοτική Αγορά Αθηνών Dimotikí Agorá Athinón ; colloquially also Βαρβάκειος Αγορά Varvákios Agorá "Varvakios market") is the municipal market hall in the center of the city of Athens at 42 Odos Athinas Street. Meat is offered in the corridors around the street (the covered alleys Armodiou, Aristogitonos and Filopimenos), fish in the central hall and nuts, dried fruits and spices in the shops facing the facade. Opposite is the fruit and vegetable market. Spices, pulses, sausage products, cheese, regional specialties and household goods are also traded there and in the surrounding streets.

From the previous three taverns that were open around the clock in the market, only one is open until the early evening. There are also smaller cafés and snack bars in the market as well as several taverns at the entrance from Sofokleous Street. Analogous to the earlier Parisian halls , the market hall is also referred to as the belly of Athens ("το στομάχι της Αθήνας").

history

The construction work on the market hall, which was to replace the old bazaar from the Turkish era on the site of Hadrian's Library near Monastiraki train station, began in 1878 according to plans by the architect Ioannis Koumelis. After a major fire destroyed the old market in 1884, the building was inaugurated in 1886. A clock tower that was added in 1906 and was located in the center of the front of the building is no longer preserved. Opposite, on the site of today's vegetable market, was the building of the well-known Varvakion High School, a foundation of the Russian- Greek Ivan Varvakis , which also gave the market its name. The schoolhouse burned down during the Battle of Athens in December 1944 at the start of the Greek Civil War and was later demolished.

Until the 1970s, the market hall was an important trading center for the wholesale and retail trade in food. This importance was transferred to specialized wholesale markets (meat market, fruit and vegetable market, etc.) on the outskirts of the city center, in retail to the supermarkets; nevertheless, the market is still well attended and the supply or the average prices are given as an indicator in the press. This is especially the case in the run-up to Easter and Christmas business (prices for lamb, turkey, etc.). The “traditional” visit to the market hall is still considered a ritual in Athens' local politics. During the Greek military dictatorship (1967–1974) there were plans to replace the halls with a high-rise building.

The significance of the hall is now limited to the supply of the core city of Athens, its gastronomy and retail trade. Repeated attempts to transform the hall into a chic delicatessen mile or to outsource the traditional trade failed because of the resistance of the traders.

  • The meat market

  • Athens central market 1 2017-02-07.jpg

  • Wide range on the fish market

  • Legumes and wheat

  • Empty market hall after closing time

Web links

Commons : Athens Market Hall  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Σπάνιο ντοκουμέντο από τη Βαρβάκειο αγορά τον καιρό του εμφυλίου. Το κτίριο - στολίδι του 19ου αιώνα "επέζησε" από πολέμους και καταστροφές και απειλήθηκε εαε κατεδά (στησε) . In: ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ . September 29, 2016 ( mixanitouxronou.gr [accessed February 14, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Σπάνιο ντοκουμέντο από τη Βαρβάκειο αγορά τον καιρό του εμφυλίου. Το κτίριο - στολίδι του 19ου αιώνα "επέζησε" από πολέμους και καταστροφές και απειλήθηκε εαε κατεδά (στησε) . In: ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ . September 29, 2016 ( mixanitouxronou.gr [accessed February 14, 2018]).
  3. ↑ iefimerida.gr: Ολοι οι δρόμοι οδηγούν στη Βαρβάκειο Αγορά: Η απίστευτη ιστορία του « στομαχιού της Αθήνας " [ εικόνες ] . In: iefimerida.gr . April 26, 2013 ( iefimerida.gr [accessed February 14, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Σπάνιο ντοκουμέντο από τη Βαρβάκειο αγορά τον καιρό του εμφυλίου. Το κτίριο - στολίδι του 19ου αιώνα "επέζησε" από πολέμους και καταστροφές και απειλήθηκε εαε κατεδά (στησε) . In: ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ . September 29, 2016 ( mixanitouxronou.gr [accessed February 14, 2018]).

Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 49.5 "  N , 23 ° 43 ′ 39.4"  E