Nikos Vatopoulos

The demolition of one- and two-story historical houses from the interwar period in Athens' old districts, such as Agios Nikolaos Street in Koukaki, in the center of the capital, is taking on worrying proportions. The reason is the possibility provided by new building regulations allowing greater heights and covering plots in narrow streets.

Upgrading the dense, occasionally appalling, urban fabric of Athens with its mazes of gray, multistory concrete blocks and bare party walls standing even next to world-famous archaeological sites, is no doubt a daunting task - albeit one that is exigently called for.

Curated by Nikos Vatopoulos and Iris Kritkou, "Polykatoikia" is a mixed-media event focusing on the Athenian apartment building, a bane or a boon, depending on the point of view, that transformed the Greek capital.

Defined by Athens, Nikos Vatopoulos has certainly worked hard to give something back to the city where he was born and raised. His prolific work as a journalist, writer, amateur photographer and urban activist has influenced contemporary perceptions of the Greek capital.

On November 25, the Goethe-Institut Athen is organizing a city tour exploring German influences in famous buildings in Athens, in English. The city tour will be led by Nikos Vatopoulos and accompanied by the mobile app "Γερμανικά Ίχνη" (German Traces), which can be downloaded from www.goethe.de.

By Marialena Spyropoulou

British author Victoria Hislop is a resident of Athens these days. She had been passionately trying to develop her ties with Greece ever since I met her some years ago – at the time her first book, “The Island,” had just been published by Dioptra Publications in Greek. I recall her saying to me back then that she wished she had some kind of Greek roots.