Pláka ( el, Πλάκα) is the old historical neighborhood 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 ...

, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighborhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.

Name

The name ''Plaka'' was not in use until after the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. Instead, the Athenians of that time referred to the area by various names such as ''Alikokou'', ''Kontito'', or ''Kandili'', or by the names of the local churches. The name ''Plaka'' became commonly in use in the first years of the rule of King Otto. The origin of the name is uncertain: it has been theorized to come from

Arvanite Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a bilingual population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They traditionally speak Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded as settlers ...

''Pliak Athena'', meaning 'Old Athens', from

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

''plak'' 'old', or from the presence of a plaque (Greek: πλάκα; romanized: ''plaka'') which once marked its central intersection.

Location

Plaka is on the northeast slope of

, between Syntagma and Monastiraki square. Adrianou Street (running north and south) is the largest and most central street in Plaka and divides it into two areas: the upper level, - Ano Plaka - located right under the Acropolis and the lower level - Kato Plaka - situated between Syntagma and Monastiraki.

History

Plaka was developed mostly around the ruins of

Ancient Agora of Athens The ancient Agora of Athens (also called the Classical Agora) is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill kn ...

in an area that has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. During the years of Ottoman rule, Plaka was known as the "Turkish quarter of Athens", and the seat of the Turkish Voevode (Governor). During the

, Plaka like the rest of Athens, was temporarily abandoned by its inhabitants because of the severe battles that took place in 1826. The area was repopulated during the first years of King Otto's rule. Plaka had a sizable

community till the late 19th century, which led some to refer to it as the

quarter of Athens. At the same period the neighborhood of Anafiotika, featuring traditional

Cycladic The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name ...

architecture, was built by settlers from the Aegean island of

Anafi Anafi or Anaphe ( el, Ανάφη; grc, Ἀνάφη) is a Greek island community in the Cyclades. In 2011, it had a population of 271. Its land area is . It lies east of the island of Thíra (Santorini). Anafi is part of the Thira regional unit. ...

. In 1884 a fire burned down a large part of the neighborhood which gave the opportunity for the archaeologists to conduct excavations in the Roman Market and Hadrian’s library. Excavations have been taking place continuously since the 19th century.

Modern neighbourhood

Plaka is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, as the only neighborhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunneling. Museums in Plaka include: *

Acropolis Museum The Acropolis Museum ( el, Μουσείο Ακρόπολης, ''Mouseio Akropolis'') is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built to house every artifact found on ...

* Athens University Museum *

Frissiras Museum Frissiras Museum is a contemporary painting museum in Plaka Athens, 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 ...

Jewish Museum of Greece The Jewish Museum of Greece ( el, Εβραϊκό Μουσείο της Ελλάδος) is a museum in Athens, Greece. It was established by Nicholas Stavroulakis in 1977 to preserve the material culture of the Greek Jews.Plaut, Joshua Eli, Gree ...

Museum of Greek Folk Art The Museum of Greek Folk Art is a museum in Athens, Greece. The museum was founded in 1918 as the Museum of Greek Handicrafts in the Tzistarakis Mosque in Monastiraki, which later became the National Museum of Decorative Arts and in 1959 it obta ...

, an annex of which is the Old Public Baths building *

Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments ( el, Μουσείο Ελληνικών Λαϊκών Μουσικών Οργάνων), is a museum and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology in the Lassanis Mansion, Plaka, Athens, Greece. It displays abo ...

Museum of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulou The Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum is a museum of antiquities in Athens, Greece. It is situated in the north slope of Acropolis, in the district of Plaka (12 Theorias street). Founded in 1976, it houses the collection of Paul and Alexand ...

Cinema

Many movies of the

Greek cinema The cinema of Greece has a long and rich history. Though hampered at times by war or political instability, the Greek film industry dominates the domestic market and has experienced international success. Characteristics of Greek cinema include ...

were filmed in the area. Some of them include: *''

And the Wife Shall Revere Her Husband ''And the Wife Shall Revere Her Husband'' ( el, Η δε γυνή να φοβήται τον άνδρα) is a 1965 Greek comedy film. The film won the best director award in 1st Chicago International Film Festival. Plot Antonis and Eleni are an u ...

'' *'' The Drunkard (film)'' *'' What If...'', Christoforos Papakaliatis movie *''

Woe to the Young ''Woe to the Young'' (Greek: ''Αλίμονο στους νέους'') is a Greek 1961 film loosely based on the myth of Faust. Plot The story concerns a rich old man named Andreas, who wants to be young again so as to marry a young girl, that m ...

Gallery

File:Choragic Monument of Lysicrates 00.JPG,

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the ''choregos'' Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the prize in the dithyramb contest of the City Diony ...

File:Entaulament i dues columnes, barri de Plaka, Atenes.JPG, Ancient Roman columns Image:Karolos Koun Theatre, Plaka.jpg, "

Karolos Koun Karolos Koun ( el, Κάρολος Κουν; September 13, 1908 in Bursa – February 14, 1987 in Athens) was a prominent Greek theater director, widely known for his lively staging of ancient Greek plays. Biography Koun was born in Bursa, Ottom ...

" theatre File:Μουσείο Ιστορίας Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών.jpg, Athens University Museum File:20100410 athina092.JPG, Polygnotou street File:Plaka district-Athens 12.JPG, Neoclassical houses File:Plaka district-Athens 55.JPG, Detail of a building File:Άγιος Νικόλαος Ραγκαβά 9767-9.jpg, Agios Nikolaos Ragava Byzantine church File:Αρχοντικό Μπενιζέλου 6545.jpg, The Benizelos mansion Image:Typical shop in Plaka.jpg, Typical souvenir shop

References

External link

{{Authority control Tourist attractions in Athens Neighbourhoods in Athens Arvanite settlements