The historic Plaka quarter, clustered around the north and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, was once known as the “neighborhood of the gods” due to its close proximity to the Acropolis.

Tourists would enjoy strolling through its labyrinthine alleys, discovering its hidden corners filled with monuments, churches and charming neoclassical buildings. These days, rubbish is sprawled everywhere but there is hope thanks to an initiative by the newly-created Organizations and Citizens Network for the Historic Center of Athens that aims to ensure that the region is kept safe, clean and beautiful.

The group brings together local community groups so that coordinated efforts can be made to improve and safeguard the standard of living in the heart of Athens. At a press conference held to present the organization, travel reporter Maya Tsokli said that “the network was born out of a very specific need, the people’s need to defend their quality of life in an environment that obeys certain rules.” She said that many attempts have been to no avail, hence a single network was created for the first time.

The new network will have a lot on its plate right from the outset as it will need to examine ways to ensure that laws are kept in the area so that the operation regulations are complied with as well as matters of noise pollution, garbage disposal and parking issues.

Apart from the obvious operational issues that the new group aims to tackle are cultural events, under the general title “Spring in the Historic Center of Athens”, with concerts, theater events, talks and guided tours.

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