Psiri

Psyrri square in Athens.

Psiri (Greek: Ψυρή, pronounced [psiˈri]; often misspelled as Psirri (Ψυρρή); formerly known as Ψύρα, Psyra or Ψυρίη, Psyrii) is a gentrified neighbourhood in Athens, Greece, today known for its restaurants, bars, live music tavernas, and small number of hotels.

Until the early 1990s, Psiri was still considered a dangerous area to visit by some, but it has now become one of the most fashionable and trendy choices in the centre of Athens for accommodation, entertainment and food hospitality.

Folklore

The plateia of Psiri is also called "plateia of Heroes" (πλατεία Ηρώων) after the names of the streets leading to it. In the era of the 'old Athens' (namely, during the last quarter of the 19th century), the nickname "plateia of Heroes" was a derisive reference to koutsavakides (κουτσαβάκηδες), who at the time used it as their resort.

References

• Καιροφύλας, Γιάννης. Η ιστορία της συνοικίας του Ψυρή, ed. Φιλιππότη, Athens, 2000 (Greek)
• Στασινόπουλος, Επαμεινώνδας. Η Αθήνα του περασμένου αιώνα (1830-1900), Athens, 1963 (Greek)
• Μπίρης, Κωνσταντίνος. Αι τοπωνυμίαι της πόλεως και των περιχώρων των Αθηνών, ed. Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού:Ταμείο Αρχαιολογικών Πόρων και Απαλλοτριώσεων, 2006 (reprint of the 1971 edition) (Greek)