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THE SLAUGHTERHOUSES OF PIRAEUS

The graveyard of Piraeus, the brothel of Vourla and the public slaughterhouses situated at the same bay were three essential public “services” for the city of Piraeus that however did not fit at the visible residential core, and that is why they were housed at the nearby, almost desolate, land of Drapetsona.

The operation of the Slaughterhouses since 1881 most likely led to the way-making of the central road artery of the same name in Drapetsona (afterwards named Ν. Kanelopoulou, today Ethnikis Antistaseos) and defined the operations of the wider area. The Public Slaughterhouses operated until the first interwar years, when the expansion of the Fertilizer Company and the operation of the new slaughterhouses in the region of Tavros led to their closure. The most famous employee of the public slaughterhouses was Markos Vamvakaris who worked as a skinner.

The space was bought by the Fertilizer Company. The ammonia tanks were created next to the central building of the slaughterhouses that operated as storage space while the bay was used for the transportation of raw materials and commodities. Nowadays only the central building and the bases of the tanks are rescued and with lots of degeneration.

Αφηγήσεις
Text Credits
  • Eleni Kyramargiou, Historian, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation
Photo Credits
  • Urban Environment Laboratory Archive, School of Architecture, NTUA and National Bank of Greece Historical Archive.

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