Zografou

Geography

Zografou is a landlocked suburb of Athens, located about 4 km east of Athens city centre. The municipality has an area of 8.517 km2. Towards the east the municipality extends to the forested Hymettus mountain. The built-up area of Zografou is continuous with that of municipality of Athens. A large campus of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is situated in Ano Ilisia, the easternmost quarter of Zografou. Ano Ilisia derived its name from the river Ilisos, which starts at St Eleousa, now in the University campus. Another quarter of Zografou is Goudi, in the northwestern part of the municipality. The main church of Zografou is consecrated to Agios Therapontas (Greek: Άγιος Θεράποντας). With Zografou having been built on the hills of Hymettus, a common sight around the suburb are some very steep uphill streets.

Climate

Zografou has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification). It has hot dry summers and relatively mild winters.

|Jan record high C = 22.6 |Feb record high C = 22.0 |Mar record high C = 30.3 |Apr record high C = 29.9 |May record high C = 38.4 |Jun record high C = 42.6 |Jul record high C = 42.5 |Aug record high C = 43.4 |Sep record high C = 38.3 |Oct record high C = 32.9 |Nov record high C = 27.1 |Dec record high C = 23.6 |Jan record low C = -4.3 |Feb record low C = -7.1 |Mar record low C = -2.3 |Apr record low C = 2.4 |May record low C = 8.7 |Jun record low C = 11.4 |Jul record low C = 16.8 |Aug record low C = 17.0 |Sep record low C = 11.9 |Oct record low C = 6.2 |Nov record low C = -0.3 |Dec record low C = -1.9

Transport

Zografou is served by bus lines 140 (Polygono - Glyfada), 220 (Ano Ilisia - Akadimia), 221 (Panepistimioupoli - Akadimia), 230 (Akropoli - Zografou), 235 (Zografou - Akadimia), 250 (Panepistimioupoli - Evangelismos station), 608 (Galatsi - Akadimia - Nekr. Zografou), 622 (Goudi - Ano Galatsi) and 815 (Goudi - Tavros). The A62 Hymettus Ring Road (formerly the A64 until 2024) passes through the municipality.

At summer of 2029, Zografou will have 3 metro stations at Ilissia, Zografou (Gardenia Place) and Goudi.

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 to 1854, and Leonidas Vournazos.

In 1902, Eleni Vournazos, widow of Leonidas, sold 1,250 stremmata (1 stremma equal to 1000 square meters ) of the Kouponia/Goudi area to Ioannis Zografos (died 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. Therapon were erected.

In 1929, the area, now known as Zografou, was split from the municipality of Athens and became an independent community. It was elevated to a municipality in 1947, its first president being Sotirios Zografos, the son of Ioannis. In 1935, the area of Kouponia (now Ano Ilisia) was incorporated into the community.

Scientific Centers, Museums and others

• Dimitri Kitsikis Public Foundation"
• Gounaropoulos Museum, dedicated to the works of painter Giorgios Gounaropoulos. It was founded in 1979.
• Marika Kotopouli Museum, a museum of modern art, founded in 1990 and housed in the 1926 villa of actress Marika Kotopouli

Sports

Zografou hosts the local sport teams Asteras Zografou, a football club founded in 1965 and EFAO Zografou B.C. (formerly Filathlitikos B.C.), a basketball club founded in 1986. In addition, the sport club Ilisiakos AO, founded in 1927, is based in Ilisia a district that is shared between Municipalities of Athens and Zografou.

Historical population

| 1981 | 84,548 | 1991 | 80,490 | 2001 | 76,115 | 2011 | 71,026 | 2021 | 69,874

Notable people

• Dimitri Kitsikis (1935–2021) Royal Society of Canada
• Marika Kotopouli (1887–1954) actress
• Nikos Kourkoulos (1934–2007) actor
• Luciano de Souza (1972-) football player

Gallery

File:Attica 06-13 Zografou 01 Papagou.jpg|Papagou Avenue in Zografou File:Attica 06-13 Zografou 04 StThomas Church.jpg|Church of St. Thomas File:Attica 06-13 Zografou 05 StTherapont Church.jpg|Church of St. Therapon File:Attica 06-13 Zografou 02 Mansion.jpg|Villa Zografou

References

References

1. [https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9190/ Municipality of Zografos, Municipal elections – October 2023] {{Webarchive. link. (2024-05-08 , Ministry of Interior)
2. "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)". National Statistical Service of Greece.
3. "[https://archive.today/20110721084847/http://www.zografou.gr/Default.aspx?pid=79&la=1 Νεότερη ιστορία - ο Δήμος μας]", zografou.gr, accessed 31 August 2008.
4. "[http://indy.gr/newswire/apo-tin-ekdlosi-sto-zografoy Aπό την εκδήλωση στο Ζωγράφου για την βίλα] {{webarchive. link. (November 8, 2008 ", indymedia.gr, accessed 31 August 2008.)
5. "NTUA Zografou".
6. "Passing Lines for Munisipality ZOGRAFOY".
7. "Δ. Ζωγράφου".