Asyrmatos or Attaliotika or Petrina | The Dream District Today ...
Near the historical center of Athens are Petralona, a picturesque area that looks more like a village. It was called Petralona, because once there were stone threshing floors in place of the apartment buildings. Over the years, it got various names that determined the situation that prevailed in the area in each period of time.
Asyrmatos or Attaliotika or Petrina is the district that stretches below the district of Filopappos in Ano Petralona and stubbornly retains the charm of the old Athenian neighborhood.
In 1908 it was called Melitis-Varathron, probably because it was in close proximity to the ancient Varathron, a pit where in ancient times the bodies of those condemned to death were thrown.
A second name was Katsikadika and referred to the area that extended over Kato Petralona. Its name was due to the stables and cowsheds that existed in the area.
The area was originally called Wireless and took its name from the Department of Telegraphs - Wireless Operators of the Naval War School, which was located west of Filopappou Hill.
After the Asia Minor disaster of 1922, 800 refugee families settled in the old quarry, behind the hill of Filopappos in Petralona. Most of them came from Antalya and Alaia in Asia Minor, which is why the settlement became known as Attaliotika.
Also known as the "dream district" from the movie of the same name, in which the dreams for a better life, for a new beginning of the refugees of 1922, who settled in the area were captured. Today, for completely different reasons, it remains a dream district.
During the Decembers in 1944 the War School together with its characteristic Wireless was burnt to the ground, which then prompted the government to take the initiative to build stone houses in its place as well as a block of apartment buildings to relocate some of the refugees who until then lived in slums. At the initiative of Queen Frederika, stone houses were built, known as "Frederika's Stone Houses".
The historic slum of Asyrmatos was the setting for the filming of the famous film "The Dream Neighborhood" in 1961 by Aleks Alexandrakis. The film went down in history for the censorship it suffered and the efforts of Alexandrakis to manage to show it in the cinema.
The protagonists were Alekos Alexandrakis, Aliki Georgoulis and Manos Katrakis. The story was unfolding in the area of Asyrmatos and the main characters were trying in every way to escape from their poverty. The refugees provided their homes for the filming and participated as extras themselves.
Since the 170 stone houses were not enough to house the large number of inhabitants of the area, the solution to the housing problem was finally provided by the construction of an apartment building directly opposite the hill of Filopappos on Stisikleous Street. The apartment building of Asyrmatos is an architectural attraction in a historic district of the center. Over 800 refugee families settled in Asirmato in 1922 and for decades it was considered one of the most infamous areas of Athens.
The apartment building of Asyrmatos was built in 1967 according to the plans of Elli Nikolaidis Vasilikiotis. The plot belonged to the municipality and the construction of the massive apartment building was initiated by a decision of the Settlement Service of the Ministry of Public Works. The aim was to house refugees from Asia Minor who for decades lived in shanties and shacks in the area. The main aim was for the complex to accommodate as many families as possible and Elli Nicolaidi Vasilikiotis achieved this even more. He designed an apartment building of large size, which, however, was integrated harmoniously into the entire landscape.
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4 апр 2024
