‘The last fortress’: historic Athens cafe closes as countercultural area gentrifies
Summary
Mouria, a historic cafe in Athens’ Exarchia district, is closing after its lease expired and the building’s owners declined to renew it. The cafe has served as a gathering place for generations, while the neighborhood undergoes gentrification.Key Facts
- Owner Christos Vanas has run Mouria for 44 years.
- Vanas has opened the cafe at 7 a.m. every day.
- On Saturdays, he arrives at 5 a.m. to serve street-market stallholders.
- The cafe will close on Sunday after a farewell gathering.
- The closure followed the expiry of the premises’ lease last summer.
- More than 7,500 people signed an online campaign asking Greece’s culture ministry to protect the cafe as a heritage site.
- The culture ministry did not intervene.
- Exarchia is known for its leftwing and countercultural history and is undergoing gentrification.
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