The first park in Athens created after demolition has been open to the public for a few days now. The “Koropouli” factory was lost in Sepolia for 30 years, but now it is still a valuable green lung for the Athenians.

It is an area of ​​4,350 sq.m., where in 1893 the cork, metal caps and aluminum processing industry “Aristos Koropoulis SA” began its activities. Since the company moved its activities to Kryoneri, it began a long journey of bureaucratic procedures, but also of claims by the residents. Finally, the area passed to the municipality of Athens in 2018 and was immediately designated as a common green space, sports facilities and cultural activities hall.

The shaping of the area includes the planting of 87 trees, 1,278 shrubs, 726 herbaceous perennial plants, 720 sq.m. lawn and, in total, 1,616 sq.m. planting surfaces. The plants chosen are hardy and easy to maintain to ensure the sustainability of the park, while among other things, an irrigation system was created, water features and watering cans were added, nesting structures for insects and birds of the urban fauna were placed. It is worth noting that the construction waste resulting from the demolition of the old factory was used in the new constructions.

Green interventions throughout the city

In addition, just last week, the renovation of the “Elena Venizelou” park in Kountouriotika and the “Eleftherias” park in Vasilissis Sofias were handed over to the public. In particular, 85 new trees, 5,300 bushes and 625 square meters of lawn were planted in the “Elena Venizelou” park, reshaping an area that largely remained indifferent and unused for many years. Now, 7,000 sq.m. are offered to the densely populated Ampelokipi. greenery and rest, very close to several school complexes.

“Every park that is born in Athens, a big breath for those of us who live in the gray of the city. The park in Kountouriotika becomes part of our everyday life again and a valuable outlet for anyone who wants to escape from the stress and noise of the city. A green point of reference that supplies the densely populated neighborhood of Ampelokipi with more oxygen”, the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, said in a statement, after his visit to the site.

In the historic “Eleftherias” park, five themed gardens with new plantings have now been created, spanning 2,000 sq.m. In addition, the Athens Book Space, a modern open-air reading room inspired by the Athenian Agora, with covered and open arcades extending across along the walls of the buildings, where visitors have free access to printed and digital books, to podcasts, but also to cultural events centered on the book.

As of 2019, 516,580 plantings were carried out throughout Athens, of which 4,800 trees, 296,751 seasonal plants and 215,029 shrubs. Among others, total renovations were made in the following places: Larissa Station, Obrenovic, Lambraki Hill, Thisiou Square-Boutier Park, Liosion and Daglis Park, Nathanael Square, Cyprus Square, Karamanlakis Square, Next Gen Goudi, Gendarmerie Grove, Elena Venizelou Park. To date, 13 pocket parks have also been delivered, from Neo Kosmos to Patisia and from Pagrati to Sepolia.

For example, in Nathanael Square in Patisia, on an area of ​​3,150 sq.m., 10 new trees, 3,790 new bushes, and 580 sq.m. lawn. In the Obrenovic Park in Neos Kosmos on an area of ​​3,020 sq.m., 2,230 new bushes were planted, 110 sq.m. permeable flat land and joined the city’s first dog park with corresponding equipment. In fact, as part of the interventions in the city, a Japanese garden was created at the site of the Neriides park in Pagrati where 101 new trees and 5,788 new bushes were planted, adopting elements of Japanese technique and creating a different aesthetic oasis in the center of Athens.

In total, the Directorate of Greenery and Urban Fauna of the municipality of Athens is responsible for the maintenance of public green areas of a total area of ​​3,942 acres and an area of ​​clean green area of ​​approximately 3,347 acres, while the city’s arboretums include 93,891 trees.