Omonia

What I can see

The area of Omonia is called “modern Babel”, due to the fact that all social classes, ethnic groups and ages pass through. West of the square, the “dark side of the city” dominates, as characterized by Walter Siebel (2003), with degraded buildings, petty street crime and cases of sex work, both on Omonia Square and around Lavriou Square. East of the square, however, the area is more crowded, there are bigger stores and cases of delinquency are milder. Therefore, Omonia Square becomes the limit, the ground zero. Around the square and in many narrow streets, there are some historical restaurants, cafes and patisseries. The dense buildings leave a suffocating feeling. The square, however, combined with the view of the Acropolis through Athenas Street, and a similar perspective of Aeolou Street, allow the area to “breathe”. The mixture of neoclassicism and modernism in the buildings is indicative of the architectural phases of the area.

What I can't see

Haftia used to be at the beginning of Stadiou Street, where small hotels operated and in which travelers, mainly from the countryside, stayed. They came to Athens either to work or to visit relatives or to receive services that the countryside did not allow them to have. The hotels of Omonia Square were luxurious before the war. After the war, they declined and for many decades were for short stay or completely abandoned. This situation is gradually reversing in recent years.

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