Kallithea

Kallithea (Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a suburb in Athens agglomeration and a municipality in south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth largest municipality in Greece (96,118 inhabitants, 2021 census), as well as the fourth biggest in the Athens urban area (following municipalities of Athens, Piraeus and Peristeri). Additionally, it is the 2nd most densely populated municipality in Greece and one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with . The municipality has an area of . Location The center of Kallithea (Davaki Square) lies at a distance of to the south of the Athens city center (Syntagma Square) and to the north-east of the Piraeus (photo 1). Kallithea extends from the Filopappou and Sikelia hills in the north to Phaleron Bay in the south; its two other sides consist of Syngrou Avenue to the east (border to the towns of Nea Smyrni and Palaio Faliro), and the Ilisos River to the west (border to the towns of Tavros and Moschato) (photo 2). The site on which the city was developed covers the biggest part of the area to the south of Athens city center, protected in ancient times (5th century BC) by the Long Walls to the west and the Phalerum Wall to the east (photo 3). Somewhere within this area the ancient town of Xypete lay. The town and its citizens are mentioned, among other places, in Plato's Dialogs. 1896 and 2004 Athens Olympics The plans for the establishment of the new city of Kallithea were officially approved in December 1884. On the longitudinal axis of the town (Thiseos Avenue), the Athens to Phaleron tramway once ran, from the beginning (1850) to (1955) and the end of its operations. Near the center of the town the Shooting Range (Skopeftirion) was built to house events of the first modern Olympic Games, the 1896 Summer Olympics, and these first modern games took place in three venues: the refurbished ancient stadium of Athens (Panathinaiko Stadium) NE of Kallithea, the Neo Phaliron Velodrome (currently Karaiskaki Stadium) SW of Kallithea, and the Kallithea Shooting Range (Skopeftirion).