Psychiko

Psychiko Ψυχικό
Psychiko
Location within Athens 250x250px
Coordinates:
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Attica
Regional unit	North Athens
Municipality	Filothei-Psychiko
• Municipal unit	2.776 km2 (1.072 sq mi)
Elevation	190 m (620 ft)
Population (2011)
• Municipal unit	9,529
• Municipal unit density	3,400/km2 (8,900/sq mi)
Community
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	115 xx, 154 xx
Area code(s)	210
Vehicle registration	Z
Website	www.psychiko.gr

Psychiko (Greek: Ψυχικό, [psiˈçiko]) is a suburb of Athens, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Filothei-Psychiko, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.

Overview

Psychiko is located 5 km northeast of Athens city centre. It is a strictly residential suburb of Athens, with commercial businesses allowed only within two small designated zones, the "Nea Agora" (New Market) and the "Palaia Agora" (Old Market), with current regulations also restricting buildings to full detachment, and a maximum of 3 floors. Psychiko was historically the home of aristocrats, members of the Greek royal family, and generally old money people. The area remains one of the wealthiest suburbs of Athens, with very high land value, and a number of embassies, particularly of rich Middle Eastern countries, to be found located in Psychiko, Neo Psychiko and neighbouring Filothei. This was once home to Queen Frederika of Greece, until the military coup d'état of 1967. Andreas Papandreou and his wife Margaret also lived in Psychiko before the dictatorship. Later, when he became Prime Minister he left Psychiko and moved to Ekali. In recent decades however, many prominent families choose to build their houses in the southern, seaside suburbs, like Glyfada or Lagonisi. A number of Greek private schools are located in the area: the Athens College, the Moraitis School, the Arsakeio, and the area's most historic public school, the Varvakeio, in Neo Psychiko is also the prestigious Greek/French School "Ursulines". Public municipal facilities, for their part, include a very active cultural center, a 6-court tennis club, an indoor basketball/volleyball stadium, an outdoor basketball and volleyball venue, and a rollerskating rink.

Name

The name literally means "an act of charity". A popular legend about the battle of Marathon and the Marathon run was recorded by Andreas Karkavitsas in the 19th century, and also by Linos Politis.

On the plain of Marathon a major battle was once fought; Persians with large fleets came to enslave the land and from there pass to Athens...the blood turned to a river, and reached from the roots of Vranas to Marathon on the other side; it met the sea and painted the waves red. Much lamentation and evil took place. Finally the Greeks won... and two men ran to bring the news to Athens; one travelled on horseback and the other on foot in full gear. The rider headed towards Chalandri and the messenger of foot towards Stamata; swift-footed he ascended Aforesmos and down towards the village. As women saw him, they ran towards him:

"Stop", they shouted, wanting to know the outcome of the battle. He stopped a moment to catch his breath and then took the road again. Finally, he reached Psychiko; there he was almost near death, his feet were shaking, he felt like falling down. But he composed himself, took a deep breath, continued, and finally reached Athens.

"We won," he said, and immediately fell down dead. The rider had yet to come. But there where the foot runner stopped and took a breath his act was recorded. The first village remained a 'stop' (Stamata) and the second Psychiko.

File:POT-Psychiko.JPG

Office, stores and open air cinema building in Psychiko

Historical population

Year	Population
1981	10,775
1991	10,592
2001	10,901
2011	9,529

Notable people

• Constantine II of Greece, former King of the Hellenes; also competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal.
• Sofía de Grecia, Queen of Spain, sister of Constantine II.
• Nikos Dimou, writer.

Embassies and consulates

Psychiko is home to many embassies.

• Bulgaria
• China
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Georgia
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Libya
• Morocco
• Philippines
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Syria
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Vatican City State
• Venezuela

Consulates

• Iceland
• Libya
• Poland
• Turkey

See also

• List of municipalities of Attica

External links

• Municipal Website (Greek)
• Psychiko Cultural Center (Greek)