Galatsi

Galatsi (Greek: Γαλάτσι, [ɣaˈlatsi]), called in Katharevousa Galatsion (Greek: Γαλάτσιον), 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.

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 Greek word for the milk that the shepherds of the area's rangelands yelled hovering around in order to sell their products.^[1]

Neighborhoods

• Kypriadou
• Lamprini

Other

In Galatsi there are many schools, banks, post offices, and plateies. The famous Grava school complex is located there and many other educational foundations and public and private institutes.

Demography

Sites of interest

• Alsos Veikou, a beautiful leafy park
• Galatsi Olympic Hall - where table tennis and gymnastics were played. It holds up to 4,500 seats Website: [1]
• Omorfoklissia, an area famous for its peace and calmness

References

External links

• Official website (Greek)
• G-Magazine (Greek)
• Galatsinews (Greek)