Technopolis Gazi - [Athens]

The City of Athens Technopolis, that spreads in an area of about 30.000 m2, is a vigorous industrial museum, of incomparable architecture, one of the most interesting of its kind in Europe. It is lodged in the old Athens Gasworks, widely known as Gazi, next to Keramikos and very close to the Acropolis.

The Gazi (Gaz) Factory was founded in 1857. It started functioning in 1862 and closed down its furnaces in August 1984. It was the last factory in Europe that was functioning in a traditional way until the day it closed.

It has been operating since 1999 and it is dedicated to the memory of the great Greek composer Manos Chatzidakis. In honor of Greek poetry, the eight buildings operating within the “Technopolis” premises, bear the names of great Greek poets: Andreas Embirikos (Room D1), Angelos Sikelianos (D4), Yannis Ritsos (Amphitheater "Athina 9 ,84" radio station), Kostis Palamas (D10), Takis Papatsonis (D6), Constantine Cavafis (D7) and Kostas Varnalis (D8).

Within its architectural space, one can see a real community, autonomous and self-reliant. The carpenter's shop, the melting-works, the machine-works, the garage for car repair, the restaurant, the barber-shop, the community clinic, were just some of the facilities offered by a well organized closed economy.

sources:
Structurae
City of Athens
Greece-Athens
Flickr-Panoramas
AthensInfoGuide
PaesiOnLine