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A de facto state, center of the anarchists, “an order within an order”, square of the idle people, hang-out of the artists and intellectuals. All these define an area in Athens, Exarhia, the (one-time) disreputable but most beloved area by particularly the young. |
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People have sung praises of Exarhia as well as accused it for the “atmosphere” created and for the people that gather in its square, which is the center of the area. |
The current character of the area has been formed in the past by the long-haired, dressed in black young people that wore earrings, and gathered in the square to drink beers and do drugs. Exarhia was somehow the area that gathered those who had problems with the law.
The area was named after a merchant named Exarhos, who had opened in the area a big general trade shop.
| Exarhia was at the same time though the residence of many intellectuals and people of the Art in general who prefer to stay in the area of Exarhia than in any other area because of the atmosphere of freedom, the culture that characterizes the area, the sense of old neighborhood it still has and the absence of fake glamour. In general, however stays or hangs around Exarhia is characterized by a spirit of “anarchism”. |
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In the mid ´80s the state decided that the area had to change character and life and applied the “virtue operation”. Two squads gathered in Exarhia with a prison van and arrested whoever looked suspect. The basic characteristics of a suspect was long hair, beard and black clothes. And it was not only that, they entered the shops and arrested the customers and took them in the police station to ask them “what were you doing over there?” The self-evident reply was a wrong reply. For many years, Exarhia was the “center” of the state control and of the anti- authority groups.
The ´90s are characterized by an effort to beautify, and “recreate” the area. A new square and sidewalks were constructed, cafes and a proper square were created. Today, the area and its famous square frequenters do not enjoy the air of illegality of the past. Young men in black are much fewer now, all the cafes of the square are crammed with people, modern music can be heard all over the place, the taverns are crammed with families, and couples and group of friends go to the open-air cinemas; the rhythm of life is similar to the normal rhythm of any other square.
Exarhia is a small, densely populated area, with many small shops: grocery shops, haberdasheries, coffee shops, cafes, gift shops and cloth shops and many book shops. There are also many printing houses. There are also theatres, small bars, taverns, souvlaki shops, like the famous “Kavouras”, but also classy restaurants for every purse.
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The nights in Exarhia are beautiful and cool and the most important of all, safe. You can go to all the bars in the neighboring area, see a movie in one of the two open-air cinemas in the streets around, while in the winter, AN club, the hangout of the rock fans, invites you for a rock concert.
If you walk on the streets over the square, you will find small alleys that are characterized by calmness and peacefulness. The only thing that reminds of the past are the slogans and the graffiti on the walls. You will read many slogans on the walls of Exarhia. Many of them address politics, while others express more artistic or/ and emotional anxieties. All of them however are characterized by a sense of humor. For example, on Stournara street, we laugh with the slogan “Don’t wait everything from the police cops. You can beat yourselves up” or the more erotic -revolutionary “Baby, do you want us to live the sexual revolution?”
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| If you take Emmanouil Benaki street you will end at Strefi Hill, a small but very beautiful forest where you can relax and breath fresh air. There is a playground and a cafe. From the top of the hill, you can enjoy a magnificent view over Athens and Lykavitos. |
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The area of Exarhia is behind the National Archaelogical Museum, if you take Stournara street you end up to the square, as well as Themistokleous street from Panepistimiou (El. Venizelou). You can also take Ippokratous, Ch. Trikoupi, Zoodochou Pigis and Em. Benaki and turn left at Valtetsiou Street, which takes you straight to Exarhia square. Get off at “Panepistimio” and “Omonoia” stations.
It is strange this thing with Exarhia square. While one would expect that such an area, with such a past, would be out of the city, secluded, on the contrary, Exarhia square is in the heart of Athens, within walking distance from offices of political parties, nearly next to the police station and adjacent to Kolonaki, the most classy area of Athens. In between, one can find the University of Athens, Law School!! It is not grotesque that one can find so close by the two sides of a coin?
What is sure is that the frequenters of Exarhia will never change. For those people, Exarhia is an alternative way of life. The visitors, so I guess, would yearn to get something of the area’s authenticity.
| Stella Stylianou, stelstylATigogreece.com |
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