Plaka (Athens)

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The Plaka from the Acropolis seen from
Monastiraki metro station next to Plaka
The Tower of the Winds at the Roman Agora

The Poster ( Greek Πλάκα Pláka ) is one of the oldest parts Athens at the foot of Acropolis . It is located between the Akropolis and Monastiraki metro stations and borders Psirri and today's city center.

Surname

The name "Plaka" was not in use before the Greek War of Independence . The origin of the name is unclear. Folk etymologically, it comes from the Arvanitic name pliak Athena ("old Athens") or it could refer to a plate ( Greek πλακα ) that marked a central point of the city. One should also think of an origin from an eponymous family in the district.

history

The following paragraph is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
With regard to the building fabric, evidence should definitely be added .-- Alboholic ( discussion ) 12:41, 9 Sep. 2017 (CEST)

The district and its building fabric can look back on a continuity back to antiquity. Many houses have foundations from antiquity, even if the facades mostly date from the 18th century. Until modern urban planning in the early 19th century, it formed the core of the city of Athens. In 1840 19,000 people lived in the old town. After that, Plaka turned into a tavern district that was equally popular in all social classes. During the junta era , the Buat were political and literary music venues in which food, entertainment and political criticism were mixed, and this was one of the reasons why the security police closed them occasionally. After the end of the junta in 1974, these previously important eateries lost their livelihood, and the Plaka turned into a tourist district with souvenir shops and restaurants serving Greek cuisine as fast food.

Plaka had a sizeable Arvanite community until the late 19th century, which is why it was also known as the "Arvanite quarter of Athens".

Since the 1990s, the district began to revive, many old houses were restored, and almost the entire district was traffic-calmed. The real estate prices are now approaching the most expensive parts of Athens.

Culture

With its small-scale structure, the Plaka is a counterpoint to modern Athens of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to the Frissiras Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Folk Art is also located here. The painter George Savakis, who died in 2004, painted the old structures. His pictures still hang in many taverns in the district.

The Lysikratesmonument and the Tower of the Winds are two landmarks of Plaka.

Web links

Commons : Plaka  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Demetrius J. Georgacas: Modern Nomenclature of Athens and Alleged Influences. In: Contributions to name research . Volume 4, 1953, pp. 128-159, here: pp. 139-142.
  2. ↑ Quarter of the Gods . In: Der Spiegel . No. 35 , 1977 ( online ).
  3. ↑ Richard Claverhouse Jebb, Robert B. Todd: Collected Works of Richard Claverhouse Jebb . Continuum International, 2002, ISBN 1-85506-933-4 , pp. 65 .
  4. ^ Hugh Poulton, Suha Taji-Farouki: Muslim identity and the Balkan State . C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd., 1997, ISBN 1-85065-276-7 , pp. 142 .
  5. ^ Prebendary Davies: Contemporary Books (Classical Literature) . In: The Contemporary Review (=  38 . No. 853 ). 1880.