How Greece’s grittiest district swapped anarchy for culture
Exarcheia was once the scene of riots and political gangs, but now it’s a buzzing cultural hub, says Anastasia Miari
BATHED in spring sunlight, sipping on iced coffee and surrounded by young people playing backgammon, this hardly feels like anarchist central. Yet m a ny G re e ks still steer clear of Exarcheia, widely known for its politicised riots and Molotov cocktail-throwing far-Left gangs.
Neoclassical buildings with wroughtiron balconies are covered in a plague of graffiti. Tags from the inane to the profane mark each and every wall — a reminder of the area’s antiEstablishment ties.
To d a y, h o w e v e r , this central neighbourhood is a cultural must-visit in Athens. With a distinctly different vibe to any other part of town, Exarcheia has retained its old-world Greek charm while welcoming in a new artistic crowd. Galleries Hot Wheels (hotwheelsprojects.com) and CHEAPART (cheapart.gr) host a regular rotation of shows featuring local and international artists. With new openings every month and a handful of pop-up artists’ studios such as 3137 (3137.gr), this is the place to see t h e c i t y ’s burgeoning underground art scene.
Attracted by cheap rents and plenty of studio space, a new generation of creatives is giving Exarcheia its new buzz. “There are empty shops and abandoned buildings,” says artist David Robert Fenwick, who left London to open a studio here. “Exarcheia is in an important European city but it has the fe e l o f a mo re f a r-f l u n g g u e r r i l l a republic.”
Exarcheia has long been a symbol of opposition to the Establishment. It was here that, in 1973, theAthens Polytechnic uprising took place, when students demonstrating against the dictatorship were confronted with a tank that killed 24. More recently, in 2008, violent riots exploded here, with residents setting police cars alight in anger at the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy.
Today, graffiti tours of the area (try Magda’s through guruwalk.com) offer an alternative insight into Athens’ political and economic situation, while the lively kafeneion (café) and meze scene is a draw for those wanting to rub shoulders with city creatives in an authentic Greek setting.
Coffee culture is strong in Exarcheia, with a kafeneion on every street corner. Stroll down Koletti Street in central Exarcheia on a Tuesday afternoon and you’ll find twentysomethings pouring out of trendy café-bars such as Cusco and Karagiozis, whiling away hours in the dappled shade of orange trees, nursing sludgy Greek coffees. Coffee shops here aren’t sterile spots to plug in your MacBook; neither are they the preserve of old men smoking Camels as is the case in many a kafeneion.
At Chartés (facebook.com/hartes. exarhia), old-school jazz floats out of the open doors and into the street where young people smoke, sip coffee and play backgammon as their grandparents might have 70 years ago. Meanwhile, Mauros Gatos (facebook. com/MavrosGatosBluesBar) on Koletti serves as the sweet spot between an afternoon coffee slot (that’s 7pm-9pm on Athenian time) and cocktails in speakeasy surroundings.
If you can handle the cigarette smoke, the tiny Intriga Bar (intrigabar.gr) is a local favourite. Inconspicuously tucked off Exarcheia’s main square and open till late, it serves cheap drinks, plays classic rock and gives a glimpse of the anarchic side of the neighbourhood.
In the city centre but much more
Coffee shops here aren’t sterile spots to plug in your MacBook or the preserve of old men smoking Camels