Amarousio - Amarousio

Amarousio (in Greek Μαρούσι, also known as Maroussi or Amaroussi, also Marousi is Amarousi) is a suburb of Athens in Greece, important from a tourist point of view because there are the stadiums that hosted the games of the 2004 Olympics and continue to host important international competitive events.

To know

Amarousio is also an area of ​​large hospitals and private clinics. The Ygea hospital (Υγεία) is located within the municipal boundaries on Kifisia avenue and nearby is the "Mitera", a large maternity hospital. Also in Marousi is the "Iatrikò Kentro Athinòn" (Athens Medical Center) [1], famous and salty private clinic owned by prof. Giorgos Apostolopoulos who has opened branches in various Balkan states and one also in Moscow thanks to the mediation of Mikhail Gorbachev.

The district also has its headquarters Hellexpo, the fair of Athens.

Geographical notes

It is a suburban town 11 km northeast of center of Athens, Greece and it is one of the largest districts of the capital.

Background

The origins of the city are not certain but they certainly date back to very ancient times. Today Amaroussi is the financial district of Athens and hosts the Greek headquarters of many multinationals such as Kodak, Bayer, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and many others.

How to orient yourself

• The municipal area of ​​Amaroussi has a large green area to the north-east, the rest of the territory is occupied by residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
• The stadium area - Takes the official name of "Athens Spiros Luis Olympic Athletic Center" (O.A.K.A.) [2] and it is dedicated to the memory of the Greek athlete who won the marathon race at the Athens Olympics in 1896 and who was a native of Marousi. The foundation stone of the Athens Olympic Center was symbolically laid on January 8, 1980 by Constantine Karamanlis and Andrea Papandreou, then president and 1st minister of Greece respectively. The inauguration of the center took place two years later. The contract for the works was entrusted to the German company Weidleplan based on a project by architects H. Stalhout, Fr Herre and Dimitris Andrikopoulo. In 1991 the Olympic stadium was inaugurated which hosted the European Athletics Championships. In 1995 the indoor gym and the water polo stadium were completed and finally in 2004 the tennis stadium. The Olympic stadium itself had been renovated to a design by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

How to get

On the train

The city is served by two suburban railway stations and four ISAP railway stations.

How to get around

What see

• Olympic Stadium (Κεντρικό Ολυμπιακό Στάδιο). Inaugurated in 1982 and renovated in view of the 2004 Olympics. The polycarbonate roof designed by architect Santiago Calatrava has been added. It can accommodate over 70,000 spectators. 
• Tennis Stadium (Ολυμπιακό Κέντρο Αντισφαίρισης). 
• Museum of Shadows, Kastalias Square, ☎ 30 210 6127245. Dedicated to the shadow theater and its main hero "Karaghiozis", symbol of the oppressed Greek. 

Apart from the stadiums and this small museum there is nothing else to see in Marousi. An "en passant" look can be thrown, along the avenue Kifisià, at the modern building of the "OTE", the largest telephone company in the country (Hellenic Telephone Organization)

Events and parties

What to do

• Village Roadshow (The Mall Athens), 10, via Fragoklissias. A complex with 14 cinemas with a capacity of 2754 people, futuristic bars and a megastore of music CDs. Opened in November 2005. 

Shopping

• The Athens Mall. One of the largest shopping centers in the capital Greek. 

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Amarousio has very few hotels. You can stay in the center (Omonia or Syntagma) or in one of the hotels in the nearby suburb of Kifisià where there are also two good campsites.

Moderate prices

• Maroussi, 8, via Olympias, ☎ 30 210 6898191, 30 210 6198191, fax: 30 210 6197697. Cat "C" hotel with 17 rooms, open all year round. Perhaps a hotel to avoid as there are indications that it also functions as a hotel by the hour. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

Around

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Amarousio
• Commons contains images or other files on Amarousio

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