Ampelokipoi, Athens

Ampelokipoi Αμπελόκηποι
Neighborhood
Athens Tower in Ampelokipoi
Ampelokipoi
Coordinates: 37°59′23″N 23°45′53″E / 37.98972°N 23.76472°E / 37.98972; 23.76472Coordinates: 37°59′23″N 23°45′53″E / 37.98972°N 23.76472°E / 37.98972; 23.76472
Country	Greece
Region	Attica
City	Athens
Website	www.cityofathens.gr

Ampelokipoi or Ampelokipi (Αμπελόκηποι, "vine gardens") is a large, central district of the city of Athens. Ampelokipoi is in the centre of Athens, near Zografou, Goudi, Psychiko and Pagkrati. The area is famous for hosting Panathinaikos's home ground since it was inaugurated in 1922.

Two metro stations are located in the district.

Before the Greek independence, at the beginning of the 19th century, Ampelokipoi was a village a few kilometers north-east of Athens. The village Ampelokipoi is noted in the maps of this period. In the late 19th century, the village still remained outside the boundaries of Athens agglomeration. Then some cottages of rich Athenian were built in this area. Due to its healthy climate, many hospitals were built in Ampelokipoi in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. Today in this area there are the hospitals Erythros Stavros Hospital (Red Cross), Errikos Dynan Hospital, Ippokrateio Hospital, Elpis Hospital and Agios Sabbas Hospital. The population explosion in Ampelokipoi happened after the Asia Minor Disaster, in 1922, when many refugees settled in this area. For the residence of the refugees, the government had originally chosen the area of the stadium of Panathinaikos that had been built in the same period. So a conflict broke out between refugees and Panathinaikos fans and finally the government changed the place for the settling of refugees. The new district was named Kountouriotika and was located around of Panathinaikos stadium. Few years later the government built a new neighbourhood for the refugees opposite of Panathinaikos stadium, known as prosfygika of Alexandras Avenue. These houses were built between 1933 and 1935 and today some of them have proclaimed monuments of historical heritage.

Ampelokipoi is where Panathinaikos' ground lies today. It as also the home to Ampelokipoi B.C., a basketball club founded in 1929.