Ekali facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ekali Εκάλη
The church of Agia Marina
Ekali Location in Greece
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Attica
Regional unit	North Athens
Municipality	Kifisia
• Municipal unit	4.332 km2 (1.673 sq mi)
Elevation	330 m (1,080 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Municipal unit	5,574
• Municipal unit density	1,286.70/km2 (3,332.5/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	145 78
Area code(s)	210
Vehicle registration	Z

Ekali (Greek: Εκάλη) is a beautiful neighborhood in the northern part of Athens, Greece. It's known for its many green spaces and is home to some of the country's important business and shipping families. Since 2011, Ekali has been part of the larger Kifisia area, acting as one of its local sections.

The Name of Ekali

Ekali was once an ancient community in Athens, belonging to a group called the Leontida tribe. People from this area were known as Ekalios. The name "Ekali" is believed to come from an old story about a woman named Ekali.

According to the story, the hero Theseus was on his way to Marathon to catch a famous bull that was causing trouble. The weather was very bad, so Theseus found shelter in the small home of an old woman named Ekali. She promised Theseus that she would pray to Zeus, the king of the gods, for his mission to succeed.

When Theseus caught the bull and returned, he found that the old woman had passed away. To show his thanks for her help, Theseus later created a special place of worship dedicated to "Ekaliou Dios" (Ekali's Zeus). He also named the whole area Ekali, creating the community we know today.

Where is Ekali?

Ekali is located at the western edge of the green Penteli mountain range. This area covers about 4.3 square kilometers. A small river called Kifisos flows along Ekali's western side.

Ekali is about 4 kilometers northeast of Kifisia and 16 kilometers northeast of the center of Athens. The main road through Ekali is Thiseos Avenue, which connects it to Kifisia and central Athens. A major highway, the A1 motorway, also passes close by to the west of Ekali.

Ekali is mostly a residential area, meaning it's mainly for homes. You won't find many shops, businesses, or offices here.

Famous People from Ekali

Many well-known people have lived in Ekali. Here are a few:

• Panagiotis Bitros: A businessman who owns Bitros Holdings.
• Kostas Crommydas: An actor.
• Fostiropoulos family: A family known for owning ships.
• Menios Fourthiotis: A person known from TV.
• Adonis Georgiadis: A Greek politician who has served as a minister.
• Dimitris Giannakopoulos: The owner of a company called Vianex S.A. and the Panathinaikos basketball team.
• Nikos Hadjinikolaou: A journalist and publisher.
• Liana Kanelli: A journalist and a member of the Communist Party of Greece.
• Marianna Latsis: The daughter of a very wealthy businessman, Yiannis Latsis.
• Stefanos Manos: A politician.
• Andreas Papandreou: A former Prime Minister of Greece.
• Giannis Poulopoulos: A singer.
• Giannis Spyropoulos: A Greek painter. His former home is now the Spyropoulos Foundation.
• George Tragkas: A journalist and entrepreneur.
• Tzirakian family: Another notable family.
• Vardis Vardinogiannis: An entrepreneur and a major shareholder in Motor Oil.
• Andreas Vgenopoulos (businessman): A financier and major shareholder in Marfin Investment Group.
• Anna Vissi: A very popular and best-selling singer.

Places to Visit

• Giannis Spyropoulos Museum: This museum is dedicated to the famous Greek painter Giannis Spyropoulos.
• Agia Marina Church: A local church in Ekali.