Ελληνικό Δίκτυο ΦΙΛΟΙ της ΦΥΣΗΣ
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Haidari Estate, property of banker and
dilettante from Tinos island Nikolaos Nazos,
occupied 3,000 acres and stretched all the way
to Prophitis Elias church. The poet Georgios
Drossinis describes the area in 1938 “The garden
was very well attended and planted with fruit
trees and exquisite flowers…” (From the book
Γεώργιος Νάζος και το Ωδείο Αθηνών, p. 13).
The history of the estate is also related to the
fights for the liberation of Athens from the
Ottomans, like the big one between the Turks
under Reşid Mehmed Pasha (Kütahı) and the
Greeks under the leadership of Karaiskakis and
the French philhellene Charles Fabvier.
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Nicholaos Ghyzis Building, in Palataki area,
Haidari. The world renowned artist painted
here the “Four Seasons”, his only surviving
painting with the use of Fresco technique.
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Palataki Tower is a work of Ernst Ziller.
Changing many owners, it used to be a
house before turning into a psychiatric clinic
from 1957 to 1971. Afterwards the building
was vandalized and many pieces (marbles
from the fireplace, statues and the fountain)
were either sold or stolen. For example the
fountain, a work of art by sculptor Thomas
Thomopoulos is now found in Argentina
Square. In the 1990s the area became prop-
erty of the Municipality of Haidari and was
renovated by architect Giannis Igglesis.
Until 2019 it housed the library and Cultural
Center of the municipality.
The painting “Four Seasons” by Nikolaos
Ghyzis, the only surviving painting of the
artist with the fresco technique can be seen
in the Guesthouse.
Agios Georgios Church: St. George Church
was adorned by two frescoes by Nikiphoros
Lytras, depicting “The beheading of St. John”
and “St. George on a horse slaying the drag-
on”. Today, the original frescoes are in bad
shape due to decay and paint overs.
More Info
Read the Historical album, by Kostas Fotinakis «Χαϊδάρι – Τόπος και Άνθρωποι» (“Haidari –
Place and People”).