Technopolis

Technopolis Review

Gazi, the neighborhood surrounding this former 19th-century-foundry-turned-arts complex, takes its name from the toxic gas fumes that used to spew from the factory's smokestacks. Today Gazi is synonymous with the hippest restaurants, edgiest galleries, and trendiest nightclubs in town. The smokestacks now glow crimson with colored lights, anchoring a burgeoning stretch that runs from the central neighborhood of Kerameikos to the once-decrepit neighborhood of Rouf. The city of Athens bought the disused foundry in the late 1990s and helped convert it into Technopolis, a city of arts and culture. The transformation preserved all the original architecture and stonework, and includes six exhibition spaces and a large courtyard open to the public. The spaces regularly host shows on a range of topics—war photography, open-air jazz, comic-book art, rock and theater performances, rave nights, and parties. It is also the home of the biannual Athens Fashion Week.