Elaionas (, , sometimes Anglicized as Eleonas) is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

in Central

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. It is an industrial area and one of the most deprived areas of the municipality of Athens.

History

The area was named for the fact that in antiquity it was covered in an abundance of

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

s, a feature that it retains even today but to a smaller extent. The olive tree was a basic symbol of

Athenian democracy Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. Although Athens is the most famous ancient Greek democratic city- ...

as a prize for the winners of the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. ...

. By extension, its oil was a valuable commodity and the only Athenian product that was allowed to be exported and this gave impetus to the development of Elaionas. During the Byzantine years, a large number of churches were built in the area, while the occupation of most of the inhabitants remained agricultural.

Modern era

Today, Elaionas is an area of 9,500 acres consisting of generally unregulated buildings, with many abandoned craft industry buildings, some actively polluting companies, vacant or unused land and few inhabitants. Elaionas's factories employ up to 30,000 workers. The upgrading and regeneration of the area has been a matter of concern to the Greek government many times, with the main proposals concerning opening new roads that will facilitate the establishment of enterprises and general de-industrialization. Elaionas is the site of a large refugee camp for those fleeing Africa and the Middle East. An important plan is also the provision for the creation of a

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

new stadium in

Votanikos Votanikos ( el, Βοτανικός, ) is a neighborhood located 3 km west of the downtown part of the Greek capital of Athens. The area is named after a nearby botanical garden situated to the southwest (Athens Botanical Gardens). The easter ...

and the creation of a metropolitan park. At the same time, the creation of a new intercity bus agency in the area and its connection to the

Athens metro The Athens Metro ( el, Μετρό Αθήνας, Metro Athinas, translit-std=iso) is a rapid-transit system in Greece which serves the Athens urban area and parts of East Attica. Line 1 opened as a conventional steam railway in 1869 and electrif ...

is being examined, which would replace the existing Kifissos Bus Terminal and Liosion Bus Terminal. The area is served by the metro station of the same name on Line 3 of the

References

{{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Athens