What I can see

The district of Petralona is divided into Ano (Upper) and Kato (Lower) Petralona based on the surface rails of Line 1 of the Athens Metro. Both these neighbourhoods have all kinds of shops and there are lots of anti-fascist slogans on the walls. Active residents and visitors give a special character to these “vibrant” neighbourhoods. Only a few old buildings of the district are preserved. Most of them are found in Ano Petralona. Many of the residents of Ano Petralona are artists and people of higher income. Kato Petralona is mainly a middle- class area and many students live here too. It is more densely built than Ano Petralona, ​​there are more apartment buildings and less open and green spaces. It reminds us more of the “explosive” construction of apartment buildings after 1960, unlike Ano Petralona (towards Philopappos Hill) where pre- 1950s Athens is more evident.

What I can't see

The old houses of the district have one floor and some of them are neoclassical. All of them had courtyards full of flowers and these were functional spaces and suitable for socializing. Many residents of Vrysaki district were moved here, when their houses were expropriated to excavate the Ancient Agora. Until the first half of the 20th century, the most famous events that took place in the district were the stone war (game) and the carnival. The name Petralona comes from the stone threshing floors of the area. Their previous name was “Varathro District”, from the ancient varathro that was a large pit, into which the Athenians threw those sentenced to death. Before the newer buildings were built, Kato Petralona was called “Katsikadika” (goat lands), because shepherds used to bring their flocks of goats here for grazing.

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