Omonia Square
The Omonia Square ( Greek Πλατεία Ομονοίας , Platía Omonias ; from Greek ομόνοια , Omonia , "Unit" ) is a place in Athens . It marks a corner of the so-called trade triangle in the center of Athens, where the streets Stadiou and Panepistimiou begin . The Omonia station of the Athens Metro under the square is a major transport hub for the city; until lines 2 and 3 were built, it was the only subway stop in central Athens.
Although the roundabout has been dismantled and the square is now more accessible to pedestrians, it has largely lost its importance as a meeting place in Athens, which it had taken over from Syntagma Square for several decades . It is now considered the entrance to the multicultural districts that are directly adjacent.
history
In its layout (1833) it should be called Otto-Platz; A street on Syntagma Square was named after King Otto . There were plans to erect a memorial for the 25th anniversary of the throne on the square, and the construction of a cathedral was also under discussion. The current Piraeus Railway ended there until 1890, after its expansion out of town, the old route was relocated underground and became the Piraeus-Athens subway. To this day there are two former hotels by the well-known architect Ernst Ziller (“Bagkeion”, “Megas Alexandros”), but both of them are empty despite renovation; small shops are only rented on the ground floors.
The place has been widely recognized in literature and music. The painting with the Café Neon by Yannis Tsarouchis is a prominent example of the art of the 1930s . The metro station was the first in Greece to have escalators. The platform of Line 1 has been renovated and is in the state of the first half of the 20th century, only the lighting has been changed for safety reasons.
At the latest with the better development of the city through more underground stations, the square gradually lost its importance from around 2000. A comprehensive renovation (installation of the sculpture by George Zongolopoulos ) and its cordoning off damaged the retail trade very much. Until 1998, the Minion department store was just one block away . The Hondos-Center department store is located on the square itself . Many buildings are empty, the situation is exacerbated by the occupation of the space by immigrants who illegally live or stay in nearby buildings.
The crime rate is high by Athens standards, but during the day the site is considered safe and is used by thousands of commuters. The Mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, recently warned that if the state fails to intervene, Omonia Square will turn into a "war zone similar to that in Beirut during the 1970s". In the German media, the state of the square is attributed to the economic crisis, while in the Greek media, however, a connection is made with the increased influx of immigrants into the neighboring districts.
Trivia
While major political rallies take place on Syntagma Square and Kotzia Square, it has become common practice to celebrate sporting events on Omonia Square, for example winning the 2005 European Basketball Championship.
Individual evidence
- ^ Refugees in Bulgaria - Criminalized Immigrants. In: Süddeutsche-Online. January 13, 2012.
Coordinates: 37 ° 59 ′ 2.7 ″ N , 23 ° 43 ′ 42 ″ E