Kifisia

Kifisia Κηφισιά
The Villa "Atlantis" the wirk o airchitect Ernst Ziller (1837-1923)
Kifisia Location within the region
Coordinates: 38°5′N 23°49′E / 38.083°N 23.817°E / 38.083; 23.817Coordinates: 38°5′N 23°49′E / 38.083°N 23.817°E / 38.083; 23.817
Kintra	Greece
Admeenistrative region	Attica
Regional unit	North Athens
Govrenment
• Mayor	Níkos Chiotákis (ND)
Area
• Municipality	34.03 km2 (13.14 sq mi)
• Municipal unit	25.937 km2 (10.014 sq mi)
Elevation	290 m (950 ft)
Population  (2001)[1]
• Municipality	70600
• Municipality density	2,100/km2 (5,400/sq mi)
• Municipal unit	47332
• Municipal unit density	1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	145 xx
Aurie code(s)	210
Vehicle registration	Z
Website	www.kifissia.gr

Kifisia (Greek: Κηφισιά, pronounced [cifiˈsja]; Auncient Greek: Κηφισία; Laitin: Cephisia) is ae o the maist expensive^[2] northren suburbs o Athens, Greece. It is mainly accessed via Kifisias Avenue, runnin aw the wey fraem central Athens up tae Theseos Avenue in the suburb o Nea Erythraia. It haes tradeetionally been hame tae the major Greek poleetical faimilies. It is hame tae the Athens Metro Line 1 terminal station. The Cephissus river runs tae the wast o Kifisia; hauf o the municipality is taken up bi pairt o the Penteli muntain; the rest is made up o elegant urban auries tae the wast, surroondit bi popular an upmercat auries sic as Kefallari an Politeia tae the north, an Nea Kifisia tae the sooth-wast. Kifisia is a famous recreational neebourheid for fowk o aw ages (but maistly teenagers) frae aw ower Athens, acause o its mony available forms o entertainment; the Cinemax Cinemas, the Kifisia Bowlin Centre, numerous mair fashionable shoppin maws, as well as mony smawer designer shops an upmercat restaurants, bars an nichtclubs. It is hame tae the Kefalari Pairk an aw, a popular place for young fowk tae socialize.

The municipality Kifisia wis formit at the 2011 local govrenment reform bi the merger o the follaein 3 umwhile municipalities, that became municipal units:^[3]

• Ekali
• Kifisia
• Nea Erythraia

• Adames
• Ano Kifisia
• Kato Kifisia
• Kefalari
• Nea Kifisia
• Politeia

Kifisia, as Cephissia, dates back tae auncient times, alang wi the auncient municipality o Epicephesia. It wis the hame o the famous dramatist Menander (circa 342-291 BC).^[4] Kifisia haed acome a famous retreat o filosofers durin the reign o the Roman emperor Hadrian, whan the walthy Herodes Atticus o Marathon, Greece biggit the Villa Kifisia. In his Attic Nichts, Aulius Gellius descrieves the sindry ambiance o intellectual ferment an aristocratic leisur in an idyllic settin which he creatit thare. It wis the practice o Herodes tae provide free instruction in filosofie for selectit youths frae Athens an aw. The remains o the some o his faimily funeral monuments lee at the centre o the toun in Platonas Square. He bonnifee'd a sanctuar tae the Nymphs in the ravine o Kokkinara an aw, in the nearbi destrict o Kefalari.^[5]

The history o Kifisia durin the medieval period is obscur, but the remains o a monastery kirk dedicatit tae the Virgin o the Swallae (Panaghia Chelidonas) is associatit wi a story aboot a battle focht thare atween local fowk an unspecifee'd "invaders". This chapel is a rare example o a monastery kirk oreeginally providit wi a fireplace, for the chimney remains.^[6]

Durin Ottoman period, in 1667, Kifisia wis visitit bi the Turkis traveler Evliya Tchelebi. He describit a smaw kintra toun set in a fertile plain o paradisaic brawness, wi three hunder tile-roofit hooses. Hauf the indwallers o the toun wur Muslims an hauf wur Christian. He records that thare wis a single mosque, athoot a minaret, an mony smaw Christian chapels - some o thaim survive the day.^[7]

The temperatur in Kifisia tends tae be significantly lawer than that o the ceety,^[8] sae follaein the unthirldom o Greece, it quickly became a simmer resort o the rulin cless o the new state.

Its popularity fadit somewha durin the middle o the Nineteent Century when the danger o raids bi brigands who infestit the nearbi muntains wis vera real. Housomeivver, the suppression o brigandage, an the arrival o the railwey in 1885, led tae the dramatic development o the aurie.

It became the fashion for walthy Athenian faimilies tae big simmer hooses in Kifisia, an keen social competeetion led tae the creation o a unique airchitectural ambiance, as villas in iver mair exotic styles proliferatit. For those unable tae afford a simmer hoose, mony hotels wur biggit, whaur the slichtly less affluent coud spend the holiday months rubbin shoulders wi thair social betters.

The heyday o Kifisia wis probably durin the inter-war period, when the leaders o the twa main rival poleetical pairties frequentit different hotels in the toun thegither wi thair maist important supporters.^[9]

Follaein the leeberation o Greece frae German occupation in 1944, the Breetish Ryal Air Force ill-advisedly made its heidquairters in Kefalari, takkin ower several hotels. Wi the ootbreak o the Greek Ceevil War, the RAF personnel wur first besiegit, then forcit tae surrender, an mairchit athort the muntains intae northren Greece; bein released in Trikala anerly efter a truce haed been arrangit.^[10]

The day, Kifisia is an upmercat shoppin centre, awtho mony villas hae been preservit.

In Julie 2007, residents panickit as Kifisia wis struck bi a bush fire the oreegins o which are said tae be arson relatit. The fire destroyed hintle o the eastren, pairtially forestit pairts o the aurie. It several hooses an biggins that haed been biggit near the forest boondaries but did no cause as hintle damage as the fire in the Penteli region. The fire lastit several oors, feenally bein put oot at aboot midnicht. Firefechters made uise o helicopters as well as airplanes tae battle the blaze.

Accenture, Aegean Airlines, Eurobank, Eltrak an Metaxa hae thair heid office in Kifisia.^[11]

• Offeecial wabsteid (in Greek)