Omonoia Square

The Omonia Square (Greek Πλατεία Ομονοίας, Platía Omonias, from Greek ομόνοια, Omonia, "unity ") is a square in Athens. It marks a corner of the so-called trade triangle in the center of Athens, where the streets begin Stadiou and Panepistimiou. The station Omonia Athens Metro under the square is an important traffic hub of the city; until the construction of lines 2 and 3, it was the only support of the underground in the center of Athens.

Although the roundabout was dismantled and the place is more accessible for pedestrians now, of course, has largely lost its importance as a meeting place of Athens, which he had taken from Syntagma Square for several decades. The place is now regarded as the entrance to the multi-cultural neighborhoods that are directly adjacent.

History

The course was laid out in 1833 and should Otto -Platz, after King Otto but a road was eventually named in Syntagma Square. There were plans in place, a monument to the 25 -year-old Jubilee set up, the place was also in discussion as the site for the construction of the cathedral. On the square are today two former hotels of the famous architect Ernst Ziller ( " Bagkeion ", " Megas Alexandros " ), but both are empty, despite renovation; only the ground floors are rented out as small shops. By 1890, the Piraeus train ended right on the square, after the transfer further out of town the old route was moved to the underground and the subway Piraeus -Athens.

The place was recognized in literature and music often. The painting with the Café Neon Yannis Tsarouchis is a prominent example of the art of the 1930s. The subway station was the first in Greece with escalators. The platform line 1 has been renovated and presents itself in a state of the first half of the 20th century, but the backlight is changed for security reasons.

At least with the better development of the city by more metro stations lost from about 2000 the place gradually in importance. An extensive refurbishment ( The sculpture by George Zongolopoulos ) and shut-off of the square -damaged retail addition. Just one block away from the square, the department store was located until 1998 Minion. On the square itself is the department store Hondo Center. Many of the buildings are empty, the situation is exacerbated by the collection of the square by immigrants living illegally in nearby buildings or staying in place.

The crime rate is considered high as for Athenian relations, the place during the day is considered safe and is lined with thousands of commuters. The mayor of Athens, Giorgos Kaminis, has recently warned that if the government does not intervene, the Omonia Square " similar in Beirut during the 1970s war zone " will transform into a. In German media the condition of the course of the economic crisis is attributed, while Greek media but also a connection with the increased influx of immigrants is produced in the neighboring districts.

Trivia

Unlike the Syntagma Square and the Kotzia place where held major political rallies, has become common in Omonia Square to celebrate sporting events, such as winning the European Basketball Championship in 2005.

620429
de