Neos Kosmos
In classical antiquity, the area of Neos Kosmos has been the location of a famous temple
of Herakles and public gymnasium Cynosarges, a surrounding grove located just outside the
walls of Ancient Athens. It was large open space dedicated to athletic and military training.
In the modern times Neos Kosmos has actually begun as a refugee shantytown in the 1920s.
Occupied by Armenians and refugees of the Asia Minor catastrophe of 1920, Neos Kosmos –
which name means “New World”, held out the promise of a new beginning.
From the 1950s onwards, Neos Kosmos started gradually erected to provide better conditions for
its residents. Small parks of green separate the buildings, ceramic studios and community
workshops, murals on neighborhood walls, the streets of Neos Kosmos are brimming with
creative fertility. This neighborhood continues experiencing a renaissance as hip art spaces,
eateries, theatres and bar sprout amongst repair shops and apartment buildings, considered to
be the new cultural stop in Athens. A happy coexistence of past and present are the perfect
recipe of our beloved Neos Kosmos.
