Tavros Labour Houses

What I can see

Many refugee neighbourhoods of Athens were gradually integrated into the city in terms of urban planning (e.g. Ampelokipi). The Tavros refugee and labour residences are among those that retain their distinct characteristics to this day. Today, there are a total of 88 apartment buildings. Their design is simple, as emphasis has been given on the ergonomics of the buildings and the utilization of the spaces. The first two-storey apartment buildings included 100 apartments between 39-45sqm each and the first 2 three-storey buildings included 36 apartments between 35-56sqm each. Four-storey, seven-storey, ten-storey and eleven-storey buildings followed in the following decades. The layout of the buildings ensures the best natural lighting and ventilation of the apartments. As in most labour housing complexes, priority has been given to the common areas, the distances between the buildings, greenery, children’s activities and the dialectic between the common areas and the residences. Today, we see many illegal interventions by residents to maximize their living space, by, for example, “covering” their balconies. Nearby, there is a memorial to the fallen Roma, who fought in the Resistance or were executed by Nazi troops.

What I can't see

The refugee settlement was first created in the 1920s in an area that was not in the city plan. The refugees were from Asia Minor, mainly from Izmir, Iconium and Antalya. The name “Tavros” probably comes from the Tavros mountain range of Antalya. The population was organized into groups or parishes such as “Panagitsa”, “Germanika” (wooden houses as compensation from Germany for World War I), the former Syngrou prisons and other groups. The concentration of refugee population -and therefore cheap labour force- attracted factories of various categories around Pireos Street. During the civil war, internal migrants arrived in Athens to find a job. Unable to live elsewhere, they lived in the area of the former Syngrou prisons, provoking the reaction of the refugees already living in the district. Over time, there have been serious degradations of common areas and residences. The residents’ intervention and decisiveness overcame bureaucratic obstacles and finally restoration works were implemented. At the same time, 8 apartment buildings were upgraded with an area of 67-102 sqm per apartment. Today, Greek internal migrants live here, some of whom are descendants of the old ones. Foreign immigrants are 13% of the residents population, contrary to the widely-held belief that they constitute a majority. Higher education graduates and those employed in the tertiary sector are fewer, while menial workers are more than the rest of Tavros municipality and other municipalities.

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