What I can see

Kokkinia is one of the first refugee settlements of Greek refugees of 1922. It includes the neighbourhoods of Karavas, Armenika (under Petrou Ralli St.) and Germanika (around the cemetery). Few of the first refugee residences have survived. The shape of the buildings always varied and most of them were detached. That is why there are no free green spaces, but the residents always ensured their balconies were full of flowers, as is the case today. The orthonormal system was applied in the street plan. Refugee houses (mainly apartment buildings) are distinguished by abstraction, economy of means, functionality and lack of decoration. This typology was spontaneous, as a result of needs, rather than as a deliberate reference to the modernist movement.

What I can't see

The mass arrival of refugees after the exchange of populations with Turkey (1923) created a major humanitarian problem and all public spaces and many buildings were occupied. Sheltering this population was a huge challenge, and approximately 5,000 houses were built every year. The selection of settlements was based on the existence of free expropriated sites in the outskirts of the city. A part of Kokkinia was a dump before it became a settlement. The name comes from the red colour (Kokkino: red in Greek) of the soil, which was suitable for brick construction. The settlement began with hangars, evolved into wooden houses, then two-storey houses, and finally blocks of flats. Nine three-storey apartment buildings (1934-5, Kimon Laskaris) of Petrou Ralli St. were considered dangerous after the earthquake of 1981, and they were demolished, thus creating the courtyard of the hospital in Nikea. The refugees brought a folk tradition that led to the development of an interesting cultural identity and an active social life of this large refugee settlement with cafes, pastry shops, cinemas, cultural clubs, public services, churches of various denominations, schools and other facilities.

Info

• Address: Agriniou & Ag. Anargyron St.

Bibliography