Kaisariani ( el, Καισαριανή) is a suburb and a municipality in the eastern part of the
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 ...
agglomeration in
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 ...
.
Geography
Kaisariani is located about southeast of
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 ...
city centre, and of the
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. Th ...
. The municipality has an area of 7.841 km
2.
Towards the east the municipality extends to the forested
Hymettus
Hymettus (), also Hymettos (; el, Υμηττός, translit=Ymittós, pronounced ), is a mountain range in the Athens area of Attica, East Central Greece. It is also colloquially known as ''Trellós'' (crazy) or ''Trellóvouno'' (crazy mountain) ...
mountain, where the 11th century
Kaisariani Monastery
The Kaisariani Monastery ( el, Μονή Καισαριανής) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery built on the north side of Mount Hymettus, near Athens, Greece.
History
The monastery was probably established in Byzantine times in ca. 1100, whi ...
is situated.
The built-up area of Kaisariani is continuous with that of the center of Athens and the suburb
Vyronas
Vyronas ( el, Βύρωνας) is a suburban town and a municipality in the southeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. The town is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national h ...
to the southwest. The main thoroughfare is Ethnikis Antistasis Avenue, which connects Kaisariani with the center of Athens and the eastern beltway
Motorway 64.
History
The town was founded in 1922 as a refugee camp for
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. driven from Asia Minor, most of whom coming from
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
.
Formerly part of the municipality of
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 ...
, Kaisariani was created as a municipality in 1933.
The name was derived from Caesarea, the historical capital city of
Cappadocia
Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde.
According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
, Asia Minor (now
Kayseri
Kayseri (; el, Καισάρεια) is a large Industrialisation, industrialised List of cities in Turkey, city in Central Anatolia, Turkey, and the capital of Kayseri Province, Kayseri province. The Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality area is comp ...
, Turkey).
The Kaisariani rifle range is notable as the site of the
execution of 200 communists on 1 May 1944 by the
Nazi occupiers as a revenge for the death of German general
Franz Krech Major General (''Generalmajor'') Franz Krech (died 27 April 1944) was the German commander of the 41st Fortress Division of the Wehrmacht during the World War II Axis occupation of Greece. He was ambushed and killed by a platoon of the Greek Peopl ...
, who had been killed in a guerrilla ambush near
Molaoi
Molaoi ( el, Μολάοι) is a town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Monemvasia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipal unit has a ...
a few days before.
In the early hours of June 17, 1944, 10 men of the
United Panhellenic Organization of Youth
The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth, abbreviated EPON ( el, Ενιαία Πανελλαδική Οργάνωση Νέων (ΕΠΟΝ)), was a Greek resistance organization
that was active during the Axis Occupation of Greece in World ...
and guerillas of the
National Liberation Front were killed, when trapped by the Nazi forces at the Monastery of Kaisariani, where they had been hiding.
Historical population
Sports
Kaisariani has its own
Greek A2 League basketball team, named
Near East Kaisariani, which was founded in 1927. The team plays in the Near East Indoor Arena.
Notable people
*
Themis Adamantidis
Themis Adamantidis ( gr, Θέμης Αδαμαντίδης), born 28 September 1957) is a Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a br ...
, singer
*
Christos Dantis
Christos Dantis ( el, Χρήστος Δάντης; born Christos Vlahakis, 26 September 1966), is a Greek multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, lyricist, and record producer best known for his hits such as "To Palio Mou Palto" and "Ena Tra ...
, singer and songwriter
*
Anna Fonsou, actress
*
Stelios Giannakopoulos
Stylianos "Stelios" Giannakopoulos ( el, Στυλιανός "Στέλιος" Γιαννακόπουλος; born 12 July 1974), popularly known as Stelios, is a Greek football manager and former player. During his playing career, Giannakopoulos p ...
, footballer
*
Antonis Kalogiannis
Antonis Kalogiannis ( el, Αντώνης Καλογιάννης; 3 August 1933 – 11 February 2021) was a Greek singer.
Biography
In 1966, Kalogiannis met with composer Mikis Theodorakis, who helped launch his career. During the Greek junta, he ...
, singer
*
Evangelos Kouloumbis, politician
*
Domna Samiou
Domna Samiou ( el, Δόμνα Σαμίου; 12 October 1928 – 10 March 2012[List of municipalities of Attica
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...](_blank)
References
External links
Photos of KaisarianiCity of Kaisariani official websiteKesariani Online
{{Authority control
1922 establishments in Greece
Populated places established in 1922
Municipalities of Attica
Populated places in Central Athens (regional unit)