Metaxourgeio, Athens

Metaxourgeio is an Athens neighbourhood whose name refers to a silk mill. After years of neglect, it has developed an artistic and fashionable reputation through galleries, museums, restaurants and cafés. Avdi Square is the neighbourhood’s social focal point, with theatres, an art gallery, festivals and gatherings bringing activity into the area.

The ground beneath this neighbourhood carries an older history: Metaxourgeio was built on the Dimosio Sima, an ancient cemetery for eminent Athenians. During the city’s expansion, a factory helped draw the area into the urban fabric, and the district grew into a working-class quarter of craftspeople, traders and small-business owners. The contrast is the point: a place shaped by industry and urban change, now animated by culture around Avdi Square.