Kotzia Square

Platia Kotzia, also called Platia Ethnikis Andistaseos, lies in the Omonoia district of Athens and has been one of the capital's most important civic squares since 1874. It bears the name of mayor Kostas Kotzias and is flanked by the neoclassical City Hall, built in 1874 by Panagiotis Kalkos, and the former National Bank of Greece. During building works in the 1990s, sections of the ancient city wall of Athens and a Roman road laid out under Hadrian were uncovered here. The excavations are now visible at the centre of the square beneath an open glass canopy, a rare glimpse of the antique topography of the city below the modern street level. Cafes line the square, which lies just off the bustle of the nearby Omonoia traffic hub.