Pagkrati Grove

What I can see

Pagkrati Grove is a small park of 30 acres, which is developed at different levels, due to its steep slopes. It is a place of relaxation and refreshment during summer months, it attracts all ages and various activities take place. It includes paved paths, a playground, a basketball court, old fountains, an outdoor gym and a marble sculpture of a woman. It is reminiscent of a garden from the interwar period in several spots. At first, it only had pines, but gradually other species were planted, such as cusps, gazias, acacias and various types of bushes.

What I can't see

During the first years of the grove’s operation, a plant nursery was hosted, whose plants would be transplanted to the hills of Athens. Before World War II, it operated as a zoo, but was later destroyed by the Germans. During the war, the grove was almost completely destroyed due to logging, as the Athenians had no other way to keep themselves warm. In the 1950s, there was a summer cinema and a garden theatre that burned down in 1974. Between the two buildings, one of the city’s first dance clubs operated. During the 1970s, the “Free Theatre” theatrical group was active here, with whom the dictatorship’s censorship was cruel. Artists found alternative ways to communicate what they wanted, mostly through innuendos. Eventually, many artists were imprisoned by the regime.

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