Agios Nikolaos Square

The Agios Nikolaos Square, one of the three squares of the original refugee settlement and perhaps the most central one, might appear to the casual observer like a typical example of the squares commonly found in the refugee neighbourhoods of Piraeus. However, a more discerning eye can identify a mosaic of successive population movements that took place through this square over the course of a century.

How many people have stood where you are standing now over the course of time? How much has the view around you changed over the years? What do you look at and what do you look past when you wander around the city?

Welcome to the historical walk organised by the 100memories research project. Whether you choose to walk with us physically or digitally, you will get a chance to visit places where the city’s residents live their everyday lives. They might seem insignificant, but it is in these insignificant spaces that we can discover histories of movement, settlement and residence, involving both natives and newcomers, during the 20th century. By tracing these histories, we will also be tracing the development of Nikaia’s urban fabric, society, economy and culture.

The Agios Nikolaos Square, one of the three squares of the original refugee settlement and perhaps the most central one, might appear to the casual observer like a typical example of the squares commonly found in the refugee neighbourhoods of Piraeus. However, a more discerning eye can identify a mosaic of successive population movements that took place through this square over the course of a century. The church of Agios Nikolaos, after which the square is named, was built in 1923 and its ecclesiastical items came from churches in Asia Minor. The most famous among them is the temple’s wood-carved winged altarpiece which came from Nigdi (Niğde) in Cappadocia. But it’s not just the church that has had an uninterrupted presence on and around the square throughout this time. Douras’ bakery has been in operation continuously since 1930. In contrast, the Nikolaidis distillery on the opposite side of the square has shut down. Kostakis’ abandoned photo store at the corner bus stop still stands at the same site where the Dirdilians, two Armenian brothers, had their own photo store. They are the ones who took the first photographs of the settlement and its residents, preserving their memory to this day. Over the past century, the buildings surrounding the square have changed: floors have been added to some of the shorter buildings, others have been torn down to make way for new ones. However, one element remains the same: the building facades are always narrow, regardless of the height of the building;  a trace in the urban fabric left behind by the minuscule properties granted to refugees at the beginning of the previous century. The stores around the square have also changed along with the houses, as the more recent migrants and refugees living in the area are in turn trying to rebuild their life in a new country. An Albanian café, a Pakistani mini market, a barber shop run by migrants and a cell phone shop are all pieces composing the square’s mosaic. The opening of a metro station and the urban regeneration of the historic Okto [Eight] Street have changed the appearance of the square and the whole neighbourhood, a place where, to this day, the newly arrived migrants of the past century settle, live, and meet.  

Map