Avdi Square
Encyclopedia
Avdi Square is a public gathering place located in the Metaxourgeio
neighbourhood of Athens
, Greece
, bounded by Leonidou, Kerameikou, Giatrakou and Germanikou streets. On the edges of the square stand the Municipal Gallery of Athens
, several cafes, theatres, businesses and residential buildings. The City of Athens renovated the square in 2008, increasing the amount and quality of greenery, improving lighting and renewing tile surfaces.
Since then, the square has also begun to bear signs of the neighbourhood’s steady revitalization by its residents through anonymous artwork, guerrilla gardening
, festivals, and performances of dance, music and other artistic expression.
The square’s 2008 overhaul was part of the city’s “We're Taking Note and Taking Action" program, which aimed to solve everyday problems in Athens' neighbourhoods. In Avdi Square, the city added 39 trees, 112 bushes, 500 flowers, 1,000 square metres of grass, and 271 square metres of new tile surface. On 21 July 2008, following the completion of the renovation, Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis held a public ceremony to hand over the square to the area's citizens for caretaking and use as a recreational oasis. "This square will become the heart of culture and recreation in your neighbourhood,” he said during the launch of the revamped space.
The square is named for Leon Avdis (1937–2000), a Greek lawyer and public servant who enjoyed wide respect across the political spectrum. In 1994 he was elected Municipal Councilor of Athens as head of the party "Agonistiki Together for Athens" or "Fighting Cooperation for Athens." Avdis was elected to Parliament in 1996 on the Greek Communist Party (KKE) ticket, then resigned in 1997 to run for mayor of Athens. His platform including improving living conditions in run-down areas and creating bicycle lanes in the capital.
Metaxourgeio
Metaxourgeio or Metaxourgio is a neighborhood of Athens, Greece. The neighborhood is located north of the historical center of Athens, between Kolonos to the east and Kerameikos to the west, and north of Gazi. Metaxourgeio is frequently described as a transition neighborhood...
neighbourhood of Athens
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...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, bounded by Leonidou, Kerameikou, Giatrakou and Germanikou streets. On the edges of the square stand the Municipal Gallery of Athens
Municipal Gallery of Athens
The Municipal Gallery of Athens is a museum in Athens, Greece. It houses a rich collection of nearly 3,000 works from leading 19th- and 20th-century Greek artists. Formerly located on Peiraios Street on Eleftherias Square, in October 2010 the gallery moved three blocks northwest to the corner of...
, several cafes, theatres, businesses and residential buildings. The City of Athens renovated the square in 2008, increasing the amount and quality of greenery, improving lighting and renewing tile surfaces.
Since then, the square has also begun to bear signs of the neighbourhood’s steady revitalization by its residents through anonymous artwork, guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla gardening
Guerrilla gardening is gardening on another person's land without permission. It encompasses a very diverse range of people and motivations, from the enthusiastic gardener who spills over their legal boundaries to the highly political gardener who seeks to provoke change through direct action. It...
, festivals, and performances of dance, music and other artistic expression.
The square’s 2008 overhaul was part of the city’s “We're Taking Note and Taking Action" program, which aimed to solve everyday problems in Athens' neighbourhoods. In Avdi Square, the city added 39 trees, 112 bushes, 500 flowers, 1,000 square metres of grass, and 271 square metres of new tile surface. On 21 July 2008, following the completion of the renovation, Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis held a public ceremony to hand over the square to the area's citizens for caretaking and use as a recreational oasis. "This square will become the heart of culture and recreation in your neighbourhood,” he said during the launch of the revamped space.
The square is named for Leon Avdis (1937–2000), a Greek lawyer and public servant who enjoyed wide respect across the political spectrum. In 1994 he was elected Municipal Councilor of Athens as head of the party "Agonistiki Together for Athens" or "Fighting Cooperation for Athens." Avdis was elected to Parliament in 1996 on the Greek Communist Party (KKE) ticket, then resigned in 1997 to run for mayor of Athens. His platform including improving living conditions in run-down areas and creating bicycle lanes in the capital.