Galatsi
Encyclopedia
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 lie in the center of the Athens agglomeration
. It is one of the most densely populated areas of Athens, with a high percentage of its lands covered by flora though, as the hill of Tourkovounia
with its forests and the park Alsos Veikou are among the major "green lungs" within the centre of Athens.
word for the milk that the shepherds of the area's rangelands yelled hovering around in order to sell their products.
. The famous Grava school complex
is located there and many other educational foundations and public and private institutes.
Katharevousa
Katharevousa , is a form of the Greek language conceived in the early 19th century as a compromise between Ancient Greek and the Modern Greek of the time, with a vocabulary largely based on ancient forms, but a much-simplified grammar. Originally, it was widely used both for literary and official...
Galatsion , is a northern suburb 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....
, and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
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 lie in the center of the Athens agglomeration
Agglomeration
In the study of human settlements, an urban agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area. In France, INSEE the French Statistical Institute, translate it as "Unité urbaine" which means continuous...
. It is one of the most densely populated areas of Athens, with a high percentage of its lands covered by flora though, as the hill of Tourkovounia
Tourkovounia
The Tourkovounia formerly also known as Lykovounia and in Antiquity called Anchesmos , is a hill range in Attica...
with its forests and the park Alsos Veikou are among the major "green lungs" within the centre of Athens.
Etymology
Although several etymologies have been proposed about the origin of the name Galatsi, which already appears in the book of 1870, History of Athens, it originates from the surname of Symeon Galakis, a squire who purchased lands around the church of Agia Glykeria in 1851. Consequently the whole area was given his name, which, according to the phenomenon featuring the old Athenian phonology and known as tsitakism, was pronounced 'Galatsis', thus the name of the area was finally Galatsi. An alternative theory suggests that it derived from gala, the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word for the milk that the shepherds of the area's rangelands yelled hovering around in order to sell their products.
Other
In Galatsi there are many schools, banks, post offices, and plateiesPlateia
Plateia or platia is the Greek word for town square. Most Greek and Cypriot cities have several town squares which are a point of reference in travelling and guiding...
. The famous Grava school complex
Grava school complex
The Grava school complex in Athens, is one of the largest school complexes in Greece, where 24 different schools are located, from kindergartens to high-schools.- Location :...
is located there and many other educational foundations and public and private institutes.
Demography
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 50,096 |
| 1991 | 57,230 |
| 2001 | 58,042 |
Sites of interest
- Alsos Veikou, a beautiful leafy park
- Galatsi Olympic HallGalatsi Olympic HallThe Galatsi Olympic Hall is an indoor arena in Athens, Greece. It is located in Galatsi and it was the site of table tennis and rhythmic gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The arena was completed in May 2004 and officially opened on July 30, 2004, shortly before the beginning of the Olympics...
- where table tennis and gymnastics were played. It holds up to 4,500 seats Website: http://www.ana.gr/olympics/English/pages/OlympicVenues/Galatsi.html - OmorfoklissiaOmorfoklissiaOmorfoklissia is a Greek Orthodox church dedicated to Saint George and is located in Galatsi and considered one of the landmarks of the area.- History :...
, an area famous for its peace and calmness