SPECIAL REPORT

A Journey Through Time | Athens | February 11-18
SPECIAL REPORT

In celebration of the Hotel Grande Bretagne’s 150th anniversary, the pioneering exhibition “A Journey Through Time: The Immersive Experience” is set to go on display in the hotel’s striking ballroom.


Kypseli and its third youth
ATHENS

Pedion tou Areos park to the south, the Tourkovounia hills to the east, Galatsi and Alepotrypa Hill to the north and Patission Street to the west: These form the boundaries of Kypseli, a neighborhood that was part of the countryside until Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834.

The apartment block phenomenon
ATHENS

The Athenian apartment building is a living organism whose evolution reflects broader social and economic shifts, more recently from the decade-long financial crisis, followed by Athens’ emergence as a popular tourism destination, the advent of short-term leasing, the Golden Visa program and the ensuing influx of foreign capital, before the pandemic brought a pause in – though not a halt to – some fascinating developments.


Athens: A capital in transition
OPINION

A string of unexpected events have changed Athens in the 21st century, from the economic crisis in 2008 to the pandemic in 2020, and from its new human geography and the redistribution of its population around the suburbs to the tourism rebound.

Athens: A city that cannot be redrawn overnight
HELLI PANGALOU

“A comprehensive plan for Athens is not something that can be done overnight. It’s a long-haul proposition that demands prioritized and orchestrated urban interventions, which then need time to mature.

Athens: Wise, grumpy, happy and fragile
CULTURE

When I asked journalist and author Bruce Clark whether there is one thing about Athens that has remained unchanged through time, he immediately answered, “The Acropolis.” 


A Greek’s escape from Taliban-run Kabul
SPECIAL REPORT

Just a few hours before abandoning the “green zone” and heading for Kabul airport Panagiotis Koumoutsakos and the executives of the multinational security firm he was working with received a visit from the local Taliban chief.

‘We fought man-to-man’ to hold the Evros border
FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT

A year after a failed attempt by thousands of undocumented migrants and refugees to force their way into Greece through its northeastern land border with Turkey, the Evros frontier has evolved into an almost impenetrable European fortress.

The assassination of Richard Welch
IN-DEPTH

In December 1975, the death of a “non-random” American employee of the US Embassy in Athens triggered the subsequent development of Greek terrorism.



A shift in Sotiria’s ‘red zone’
SPECIAL REPORT

Kathimerini visited the Sotiria Hospital in the northern Athenian suburb of Holargos for a glimpse into what goes on during a shift at the Covid-19 clinic.