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Administrative Region : Attica
Regional unit : Central Athens

Zografou (Greek: Ζωγράφου) is a suburb in the eastern part of Athens, Greece. It is located about 5 km from downtown Athens, 2 km SW of Katechaki Avenue, 4 km from the Hymettus Ring (number 65) forming part of the Attiki Odos private superhighway network, and 3 km E of Kifissias Avenue. Olof Palme Avenue passes the city.

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History

After the departure of the Ottomans from the area in the 1830s, the area came into the ownership of Ioannis Koniaris, mayor of Athens from 1851–1854, and Leonidas Vournazos.

In 1902, Eleni Vournazos, widow of Leonidas, sells 1,250 stremma of the Kouponia/Goudi area to Ioannis Zografos (d. 1927), a Member of Parliament for the Nationalist Party and university professor. Dividing it into plots, he sold them for installments of 112 drachma per month. The first houses were erected in 1919. Within ten years, 100 had been built. At this time, the foundations of the Church of St. Theraponta were erected.

In 1929, the area, now known as Zografou, which also consisted of Goudi, gained the status of a community, its first president being Sotirios Zografos, the son of Ioannis. In 1935, the area of Kouponia (now Ano Ilisia) was incorporated into the community.

In 1947/48, Zografou became a municipality and encompassed the districts of Goudi and Ano Ilissia (formerly Kouponia, Κουπόνια). Ilissia derived its name from the river Ilissos, which starts at St Eleoussa, now in the University campus.[1][2]

Subdivisions

Goudi
Palio Zografou
Neo Zografou
Ano Ilissia

The area was once made up of farmland with forest also dominating the area ; farming was mixed including pastures, vegetables and groves. In the mid-20th century, suburban housing developments from Athens spread to the area and eliminated farmlands, leaving empty space to the northeast. The area's forests, which are made up of pines, are situated in the south, southeast and the east, and a small park lies to the north ; it is now made up of corporate buildings. The campus of the University of Athens is situated in the south, together with the private road linking Hymettus' communication towers, and Zografou's hospital is in the northeast, near Papagou. Much of the municipality is made up of grasslands and rocks, which are part of the Hymettus range, and much of the area is hilly in the west.

Zografou has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, post offices and squares (plateies). The main church and its surrounding square is consecrated to Agios Therapontas (Greek: Άγιος Θεράποντας).

The eastern bypass of Athens is in the east, and a number of mines can be found in the east.

Sites of Interests

Gounaropoulos Museum - A museum named after Gounaropoulos along with its street. It was founded in 1977.
Marika Kotopouli Museum - founded in 1990 and is named after Marika Kotopouli

Historical population
Year Population
1981 84,548
1991 80,492
2001 76,115

Notable people

Nikos Kourkoulos (1934–2007) actor

How to reach

You can easily reach Zografou by bus lines 608 (Galatsi - Nekrotafeio Zografou), 235 (Akadimia - Zografou), 230 (Akropoli - Zografou), 622 (Ano Galatsi - Goudi) and 815 (Goudi - Tavros). See website: [1]