It is extremely impressive how the various areas of Attica and the center of Athens like Kallithea have changed over the years (centuries, to be exact).

If you look at old black and white photos, you'll find that for most of the 19th century, Attica was essentially large tracts of land - pastures with scattered houses and other buildings here and there. A very different place than today. There were settlements and neighborhoods, but not densely populated areas, apartment buildings and such a developed urban fabric. It is said that when looking at old photos, some areas are very hard to recognize.

An area that was so sparsely populated in the last decade of the 19th century that one can actually speak of a pasture. Only a few families lived there and there was no drinking water from a normal water supply system. Conditions and images that today have nothing to do with the bustling area of Attica that we know.

This area was once an unknown place for many Athenians. They did not know that people lived there, but thought that they were only grazing animals. And yet, in 1905, Kallithea was primarily a place for shepherds. In fact, you had to walk a lot to get to the Acropolis.

But gradually the area became more and more populated, until especially after the mass settlement of refugees. First in 1922 from Asia Minor and then in 1964 from Constantinople. They had all chosen to live outside the city center. And that made an impression, because they were respected members of Athenian society, that is, the bourgeoisie of the time, with kinship ties to one another.

Kallithea was thus once unknown and without any water. At that time, Georgios Filaretos, Dr. of Law, journalist and its first resident, applied to the Athenian Municipality for a water supply. The official who received the request wondered where it was located, and because he did not know, he denied the request on summary judgment. Filaretos was disappointed but did not give up and despite the architect Ziller's technical instructions to open a well, he pursued a different method and eventually fetched water from Athens with lead pipes.

Today, of course, the pictures we have are far away. Kallithea stretches across a plain, almost an area of 4,500 acres. You won't see sheep and a few families, but organized neighborhoods, homes, shops and dozens of restaurants. Squares, sports centers and main streets. And you definitely can't admire the view of the sea and the Acropolis anymore. Besides, the buildings don't allow it.