Ipsilon Alonion Square

Psilon Alonia square is located on the elevated plateau south of Gounari Street that crosses Patras vertically and parallel to the slope which divides it below the upper city.

Its name came from the place and use it had as a raisin that was higher than the raisins of the plain.

In ancient times and especially in Roman times, the area was a place where luxury villas were built due to the location and the view to the sea, the remains of which were brought to light in recent years by the archaeological dig.

The leveling of the square began in 1857 and became a square on the town hall of Benizelos Roufos, which was named after him in 1882, when the retaining wall of the slope was being built.

Until then and from 1861 it was called Areos Square.

Initially there were five fountains in the square and later a music platform was built in the center.

In 1905 there were four cafes around the square and over the years it became a place for walking and entertainment in Patras with cafes and centers where there was live music, while until the '80s there were three summer cinemas.

In the area of ​​high Alonia, battles took place between the Greek and Turkish revolutionaries in 1821 and 1822, while in 1944 the German occupiers hanged patriotic resistance fighters.

Around the square, very few of the beautiful buildings that surrounded it survive, most notably the house of Golfinopoulos in the southwest corner of the square.

The square is adorned with the bronze statue of Germanos of Old Patras, work of the sculptor Antonis Sohos, whose unveiling took place on March 20, 1923 and the marble bust of Kostis Palamas that was unveiled on March 24, 1953.