Palaio Faliro

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Statistics
Prefecture: Attica
Metropolitan Area: Athens
Location:
Latitude:
Longitude:

37.929 (37°55'47') N lat.
23.696 (23°41'42') E long.
Area:
-Total
-Water
-Rank

-5 km²
Population: (2001)
 - Total
 - Density¹
 - Rank

 64,759

 about 12,951/km²
Elevation:
 -lowest:
 -centre:

Saronic Gulf and the Faliro Bay
10 m(centre)
around 60 to 70 m
Postal code: 175
Area/distance code: 11-30-210 (030-210)
-970 through 989
Municipal code: 0136
Car designation: Y (prev.)
Z pres.
3-letter abbreviation: PFL (Palaio Faliro)
Address of administration: 70 Mega Alexandrou St.
Palaio Faliro 175 61

Palaio Faliro or Paleo Faliro (Greek, Modern: Παλαιό Φάληρο, Ancient/Katharevousa: Παλαιόν Φάληρον, meaning Old Faliro), older forms Palaio Faliron or Paleo Faliron is a suburb in the southern part of Athens, Greece. The area is famous for its beaches and is Athens' nearest beach and Piraeus' only beach. The city is linked by the famous Poseidonos Avenue (GR-89 to the west and the southwest along with a main unused road to the east central. The speed limit on the avenue is 70 km/h. Poseidonos Avenue has an interchange with Syngrou Avenue which link to Athens and, outside the suburban city, Kifissou Avenue. It is located SW of the Athens Hymettus Ring which opened in 2004 with the Katechaki interchange. It is also located SE of Athens W of Vouliagmenis Avenue, NE of Vouliagmeni, NW of Cape Sounio, SE of Piraeus and SE of Kifissou (GR-1/E75 and westbound GR-8/E94). The average speed limit on this main route ranges from 40 km/h to 50 km/h. Other main streets include the two one-way streets of Naiadon and Afroditis and Agiou Alexandrou (southbound) and Proteos (northbound) and, to the east, Amfitheas Avenue. The streets in the northwestern part are grid-patterned to the ENE. Neo Faliro ("New Faliro" in English), is a part of Faliro (ancient form: Phaleron or Phalerum) and lies to the northwest and is a quarter of Piraeus. Streets named after various mythological figures can be found in the western part of Palaio Faliro.

The area used to be made up mainly of farmlands. Mixed farming was common. Much of the agricultural production at the time was from various pastures and groves in the area. Urban development replaced much of the farmlands in the 1920s and the 1930s. Today, most of the municipality is urbanized or residential. The area is hilly to the north, and also has a few hilltops which run east to Mt. Hymettus. Much of the industrial buildings and businesses, along with shopping outlets, are aligned within Poseidonos Avenue and other main streets. Palaio Faliro 2004 is linked by a tramway which is not connected with any road and is the northernmost terminus. The streambed includes the Pikrodafni.

Palaio Faliro has beaches within the Saronic mainly in the western area. The yacht harbour (Marina Alimou) with several piers lies to the south east, while the Trokadero harbour lies to the northwest.

A 1.8 m tall marble torso of a young man was spotted on a Thursday night of January 25 2005 in the Pikrodafni streambed in the intersections of Pikrodafnis and Dimokratias Streets. The statue dates back to the 1st century A.D., and was a copy of a 4th century BC classical original that may depict Apollo Lykeios. Construction workers working on the site discovered the statue, but dumped it into the streambed, fearing that archaeologists might call for a stop to any construction work being done if something of archaeological or historical significance was discovered.

Recently, archaeologists in the capital’s southern coastal suburb of Palaio Faliro have uncovered what appear to be traces of ancient Athens’s first port before the city’s naval and shipping center was moved to Piraeus. This is a port associated with two myths — Theseus and the Argonauts — and an historic event, the Trojan War.

The site, some 350 meters from the modern coastline, contained pottery, tracks from the carts that would have served the port, and makeshift fireplaces where travelers waiting to take ship would have cooked and kept warm.


Other

Palaio Faliro has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, a post office and squares (plateies).

At Aiantos 26, corner of Aiantos and Spartis, is the 1st SeaScout Group of Paleo Faliro.

Palaio Faliro also has a A1 water polo team named AC Palaio Faliro.

Sites of interest

Neighborhoods

  • Amfithea, NE
  • Batis, south
  • Edem, south
  • Fleisvos, northwest

Historical population

Year Municipal population Change Density
1981 53,273 - about 10.655/km²
1991 61,371 8,098/15.20% about 12,274/km²
2001 64,759 3,388/5.5% about 12,951/km²

External links




Northwest: Faliro Bay and Kallithea North: Kallithea and Nea Smyrni
West: Saronic Gulf Palaio Faliro East: Agios Dimitrios
South: Alimos