It may today be one of the most prestigious districts in Athens but once upom a time, its image was completely different. Talking about Kolonaki district or Katsikadika as it was called. That’s because it used to be a large pasture under Lycabettus (ahill that is near Kolonaki district). The images that survive from that time are impressive and show an area completely different from what we are used to today. Where there are now shop windows, once the breeders went out to graze their animals.
Kolonaki area when it was a pasture
Until 1880 the area was sparsely populated. Above the Reservoir, on the slopes of Lycabettus hill, Lidorian (from the village of Lidoriki) milkmen grazed their goats. That’s why it was called “Katsikadika”. Once upon a time, the most prestigious district of Athens was not like today. On the contrary, there was a lot of bucolic and smelled of goat’s milk.
Over the years, however, it has become a densely populated urban center with a classy character, apparently due to its geographical location – in the center of the capital and at the foot of Lycabettus hill. But why did it end up being called Kolonaki?
It was renamed Kolonaki – from the ancient pole (kolonaki=little pole) located approximately in the center of the homonymous square. This column is said to have been an element that prevented diseases and natural disasters. It was originally located in the Reservoir, next to the Aqueduct of Adrianus (the Roman Emperor) and the ancients attributed it healing properties. They hung and tied sick peoples’ clothes with ribbons on it, in order for them to heal. The little pole was moved permanently to the square in 1938 and since then no one has been involved with its therapeutic actions again.
The change in the secular area of Athens
Gradually, however, the image of Athens began to change. Including Kolonaki district. Vasilissis Sofias avenue (one of the main avenues in the centre of Athens beginning from Syntagma square) sits as the first street-border of the neighborhood that began to be built in 1870, intended to house the rich and aristocratic class of Athens. The plots where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Egypt are currently located, were committed by Otto (the first king of Greece after its deliverance from the Turkish occupation) to become ministries. On the reign of George teh first they were eventually bought by private individuals – That is how the Syngros mansion (a banker and great benefactor during 1910), the Stathatou mansion (Athena Stathatos with her husband were great businessmen during 1850’s), the House of Venizelos (former prime minister during the 1922 when the disaster in Asia Minor took place and thecarnage of the Greek-Pontian People of Turky also took place) that his wife sold to the British public after his death, where the British Embassy was housed. The middle side of Kolonaki district followed shortly afterwards to be built on plots, most of which belonged to Petraki Monastery.
Kolonaki was ready to be transformed from pasture to the most chic and aristocratic area of Athens. Something which,of course, happened…
External photography source: Giorgos
What Athens was like when it had a population of less than 70,000
Frequently Asked Questions
Kolonaki was called 'Katsikadika' because until 1880, the area was a large pasture where Lidorian milkmen from the village of Lidoriki grazed their goats on the slopes of Lycabettus hill. The name literally means 'goat pasture' in Greek, reflecting its agricultural past before becoming Athens' most prestigious neighborhood.
Kolonaki was renamed after an ancient column (kolonaki meaning 'little pole' in Greek) located in the center of the square. This column was originally placed near the Reservoir and the Aqueduct of Adrianus, where people believed it had healing properties. The column was permanently moved to Kolonaki Square in 1938, giving the neighborhood its modern name.
Kolonaki began its transformation from pasture to an upscale neighborhood around 1870, when Vasilissis Sofias avenue was established as a street-border of the neighborhood, designed to house Athens' rich and aristocratic class. The development accelerated during the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the construction of mansions belonging to prominent families and government officials.
Several prominent historical figures had mansions in Kolonaki, including Syngros (a banker and benefactor around 1910), Athena Stathatos and her husband (wealthy businessmen from the 1850s), and Eleftherios Venizelos (former Prime Minister during 1922). Venizelos' wife later sold his house to the British public, which became home to the British Embassy.
Kolonaki became the most prestigious district in Athens due to its ideal geographical location in the center of the capital and at the foot of Lycabettus hill. This prime location, combined with planned urban development starting in 1870 to attract the aristocratic class, transformed it from a rural pasture into a densely populated urban center with a classy character.
