Psychiko ( el, Ψυχικό ) is a suburb 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 a ...

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 wi ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Filothei-Psychiko Filothei–Psychiko ( el, Φιλοθέη-Ψυχικό) is a municipality in the North Athens regional unit, Attica, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Psychiko. Municipality The municipality Filothei–Psychiko was formed at the 20 ...

, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. The municipality has an area of .

Overview

Psychiko is located 5 km northeast of Athens city centre. It is a strictly residential suburb of Athens, with commercial businesses allowed only within two small designated zones, the "Nea Agora" (New Market) and the "Palaia Agora" (Old Market), with current regulations also restricting buildings to full detachment, and a maximum of 3 floors. Psychiko was historically the home of aristocrats, members of the Greek royal family, and generally

old money Old money is "the inherited wealth of established upper-class families (i.e. gentry, patriciate)" or "a person, family, or lineage possessing inherited wealth". The term typically describes a social class of the rich who have been able t ...

people. The area remains one of the wealthiest suburbs of Athens, with very high land value, and a number of embassies, particularly of rich Middle Eastern countries, to be found located in Psychiko, and neighbouring Filothei. This was once home to Queen Frederica of the Hellenes, until the military coup d'état of 1967.

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou ( el, Ανδρέας Γεωργίου Παπανδρέου, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek economist, politician and a dominant figure in Greek politics, known for founding the political party PASOK, ...

and his wife Margaret also lived in Psychiko before the dictatorship. Later, when he became Prime Minister he left Psychiko and moved to

Ekali Ekali ( el, Εκάλη) is an affluent suburb of Athens, Greece. Located to the north of the city centre, it is a green and lush area home to many of the country's most powerful business and shipping families. Since the 2011 local government refo ...

. In recent decades however, many prominent families choose to build their houses in the southern, seaside suburbs, like

Glyfada Glyfada ( el, Γλυφάδα, ) is a suburb in South Athens located in the Athens Riviera along the Athens coast. It is situated in the southern parts of the Athens' Urban Area. The area stretches from the foot of the Hymettus mountain to the S ...

Vouliagmeni Vouliagmeni ( el, Βουλιαγμένη, meaning "sunken") is a seaside suburb and former municipality 20 km south of Athens city centre. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which ...

. A number of private schools are located in Psychiko:

Athens College and Psychiko College Athens College ( el, Κολλέγιο(ν) Αθηνών; formally Hellenic-American Educational Foundation (HAEF)) is a co-educational private preparatory school in Psychiko, Greece, a suburb of Athens, part of the Hellenic-American Educational ...

Moraitis School The Moraitis School ( el, Σχολή Μωραΐτη, Scholi Moraiti) is a co-educational private school in Athens, Greece. It is located in Psychico, a suburb north of the Greek capital. In student population terms, the Moraitis school is one ...

, the

Arsakeio Arsakeion (Greek: Αρσάκειον), or Arsakeio (Αρσάκειο), is the name of a group of co-educational independent schools in Greece, administered by the ''Philekpaideutikē Etaireía'' (Φιλεκπαιδευτική Εταιρεία, "So ...

, and the

Varvakeio The Varvakeio High School ( el, Πρότυπο Γυμνάσιο & ΓΕ.Λ Βαρβακείου Σχολής) is a public Greek junior high school and high school located in Psychiko. It was founded by Ioannis Varvakis, who donated a big part of ...

Name

The name literally means "an act of charity". A popular legend about the

battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. The battle was the culmination o ...

and the

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

run was recorded by

Andreas Karkavitsas Andreas Karkavitsas or Carcavitsas (Greek: Ανδρέας Καρκαβίτσας; Lechaina, 1866 – Marousi, October 10, 1922) was a Greek novelist. He was a naturalist, like Alexandros Papadiamantis. Biography He was born in 1866 in the nort ...

in the 19th century, and also by

Linos Politis In Greek mythology, Linus ( Ancient Greek: Λῖνος ''Linos'' "flax") may refer to the following personages: ''Male'' * Linus, an Arcadian prince as one of the 50 sons of the impious King Lycaon either by the naiad Cyllene, Nonacris Apollo ...

Historical population

Notable people

Constantine II of Greece Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Constantine is the only son of King Paul a ...

, former King of the Hellenes; also competed in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, winning a gold medal. *

Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

, later Queen Sofía of Spain, sister of Constantine II. *

Nikos Dimou Nikos Dimou ( el, Νίκος Δήμου), born in 1935 in Athens, is a Greek writer and columnist. He started out as a copywriter and went on to become one of the best-known Greek intellectuals. Biography He graduated from Athens College an ...

, writer. *Bobolas family, editor and co-owners of

EllaktorELLAKTOR Groupis the largest infrastructure group in Greece and one of the leading in Southeastern Europe, with an international presence and a diversified portfolio of activities, focusing on construction, concessions, environment, renewable energy ...

* Babis Vovos, former billionaire and owner of the construction group Babis Vovos S.A..

Embassies and consulates

Psychiko is home to many embassies.Ministry of Foreign Affairs: GTP Business directory
/ref> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * State *

Consulates

* * *

References

External links

Municipal Website

Psychiko Cultural Center
{{Authority control Battle of Marathon Populated places in North Athens (regional unit)