Exarchia:the hard core of Athens

Exarchia square is not a place that tourists usually visit. In fact, I've read dozens of tourists' instructions to avoid the whole area.

Exarchia is right next to Kolonaki and it is also a very vivid neighborhood but in another way.

Here it's not just the cafes, bars and young people that give life to the area.
It is not just the little stores selling guitars, used clothes, comics, old books and records that give the place this certain air. Artists, left winged intellectuals and anarchists are definitely part of it.

PETTY BOURGEOISIE
YOU'VE UNDERSTAND NOTHING
*Also, your kids are going to eat you

Nickos Romanos (theathenians.blogspot.gr/2013/02/terrorism-new-generation_6485.html ) stars in many slogans lately. He and his best friend -who was murdered by the police in the age of 15- are the new symbols of young Greek anarchists.

People still leave a flower on the spot Alexis was murdered, on Messologiou street.

Since that night gas masks turned into must-haves and this figure is all over.

Although the police rarely break the "avaton" and enter Exarchia, the whole area is circled by policemen. Riots between cops and anarchists take place quite often and fancy cars are always in danger. Except from policemen, mainstream journalists, politicians and of course nazis are not welcome too.

Many people say that "this neighborhood has a voice" because of the slogans and grafities all over.

The construction of the area started in the second half of 19th century and a little later got its name after Exarchos who was the owner of a big deli on Themistokleous street. Today, only some buildings still remind of that time.

On the left, the so-called 'blue building' was built in early 1930s and it's a typical sample of Bauhaus architecture.

Students, hipsters, immigrants, people of all social classes meet and mix up on Exarchia square where there's usually some event or concert taking place.

But is it dangerous being in Exarhia? Well, I've never felt like that but it could surely be adventurous. In this unique "free state" of Greece you could find yourself having lunch while anarchists set up cars on fire. It happens.