Kypseli, Athens
Encyclopedia
Kypseli is a neighbourhood which forms much of the 6th municipal department in the centre of Athens
, the capital of Greece
. The population of the area is 147,500.
Municipality at the north and by Pedion Areos park at the south. Extensions of Kypseli are Nea Kypsli which ends at Gyzi
neighbourhood and Ano Kypseli ("Upper Kypseli") which borders with Attiko Park, G. Papandreou neighbourhood and Galatsi.
The clearly urban development of Kypseli began in the 30s with the construction of family houses and of the first modern apartment buildings in Athens. The development was contemporary with Kolonaki
and other central areas with influences of the era such as Bauhaus
and Art Deco
. Near large green areas such as Pedion Areos and Fokionos Negri Street pushed Kypseli to become a rich and upmarket district with many apartment buildings built during the 30s, 50s and 60s that addressed to the upper class.
The apartments of Kypseli were always considered to be privileged residences as the they were spacious and provided many comforts. Moreover, the shops by the streets helped Kypseli become a major shopping centre. Shopping districts were Kypselis Square, Patission Street, Kypselis Street, Fokionos Negri Street and Amerikis Square.
However, Kypseli started to degrade in the 80s as Athens had expanded extensively and was even aggravated by the coming of immigrants who used the basements and the small apartments of the buildings as cheap residences. Consequently, the value of real estate decreased even if high apartments on Fokionos Negri Street can be sold much more expensively in comparison to the rest of the district. Several areas have remained commercial such as Patission and Fokionos Negri Streets the latter of which does not allow Kypseli to degrade further.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, the capital of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The population of the area is 147,500.
Boundaries
The boundaries of Kypseli are set by Patission Street at the west, by Tourkovounia hill at the east, by GalatsiGalatsi
Galatsi , called in Katharevousa Galatsion , is a northern suburb of Athens, Greece, and a municipality of the Attica region. Until the mid-20th century, the area was mainly made up of farmlands but due to the continuous expansion of the Greek capital, Galatsi was rapidly urbanised and has come to...
Municipality at the north and by Pedion Areos park at the south. Extensions of Kypseli are Nea Kypsli which ends at Gyzi
Gizi
Gizi, gyzi, gkyzi, gkizi is a neighborhood of Athens, Greece. It was inhabited around the 1960s - 1970s. The nearest metro stations are Ampelokipoi and Panormou. Gyzi is popular in the Greek people because there is the old stadium of the best team in the Greek sport history Panathinaikos F.C. and...
neighbourhood and Ano Kypseli ("Upper Kypseli") which borders with Attiko Park, G. Papandreou neighbourhood and Galatsi.
History
Kypseli was bounded differently than today in 1908 after a study by the county engineer Athanasios Georgiadis.The clearly urban development of Kypseli began in the 30s with the construction of family houses and of the first modern apartment buildings in Athens. The development was contemporary with Kolonaki
Kolonaki
Kolonaki , literally "Little Column" is a neighborhood in central Athens, Greece. It is located on the southwestern slopes of Lycabettus hill.Kolonaki is a wealthy, chic and upmarket district, and a fashionable meeting area...
and other central areas with influences of the era such as Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
. Near large green areas such as Pedion Areos and Fokionos Negri Street pushed Kypseli to become a rich and upmarket district with many apartment buildings built during the 30s, 50s and 60s that addressed to the upper class.
The apartments of Kypseli were always considered to be privileged residences as the they were spacious and provided many comforts. Moreover, the shops by the streets helped Kypseli become a major shopping centre. Shopping districts were Kypselis Square, Patission Street, Kypselis Street, Fokionos Negri Street and Amerikis Square.
However, Kypseli started to degrade in the 80s as Athens had expanded extensively and was even aggravated by the coming of immigrants who used the basements and the small apartments of the buildings as cheap residences. Consequently, the value of real estate decreased even if high apartments on Fokionos Negri Street can be sold much more expensively in comparison to the rest of the district. Several areas have remained commercial such as Patission and Fokionos Negri Streets the latter of which does not allow Kypseli to degrade further.