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University of Athens Student Dorms
That massive 10-storey tower shooting up from Oulof Palme street isn't just any dorm – it's getting a makeover that costs more money than most small countries spend in a year! Forty million euros! That's enough to buy about 200 school buses! This concrete giant was built way back in 1975 by two famous Greek architects who loved creating super modern buildings that looked like they came from the future. Here's the cool part – it once squeezed over 400 students into its rooms, making it like a vertical student city! The whole neighborhood got its name from a smart guy called Ioannis Zografos who bought all this land over 120 years ago and turned it into a place where students could live and learn. Now they're turning it into the greenest, most energy-saving student home in all of Greece – it'll barely use any electricity at all!
Did You Know?
- One of the oldest student residence buildings in Athens, originally the home of architect Stamatios Kleanthis, later became the first home of the University of Athens (1837–1841) and now houses the Athens University History Museum—a treasure trove of rare books, manuscripts, and scientific instruments that offers families and children interactive tours and weekend learning programs.
- Despite the university’s long history and architectural grandeur (part of the famous Athenian Neoclassical Trilogy), many current student dormitories are plagued by chronic underfunding, leading to ‘third-world’ conditions—broken doors, non-functioning elevators, lack of heating, and even incidents where students had to carry water in containers due to damaged pipelines, highlighting a stark contrast between the university’s celebrated past and the challenging realities faced by today’s students.
- The main university building’s forecourt, known as the Propylaeum, has served for generations as a gathering place for political rallies and demonstrations, making it not just an architectural landmark but a living symbol of student activism and social change in Greece, with a history that continues to inspire new generations of students and visitors.