Familiar with the tale of a railway sparked by a frustrated housewife? That’s partly the story of Strofyli. The Strofyli station once stood here. It was the northern end of a railway line connecting it to the heart of Athens.
Imagine Athens in the late 19th century. The Lavrion Square Strofyli railway began its journey on February 4 1885. This narrow gauge line linked Athens to Kifissia and Strofyli. It stretched 76 kilometers. The Attica Railways operated it.
The vision was grand. A railway connecting Athens to the marble quarries of Dionysos. The line ferried both passengers and freight. Marble blocks traveled from Strofyli to Athens. After 1900 the line extended to the English Marble Company quarries. Strofyli became a vital hub.
But life has its unexpected turns. Mrs Strefi played a key role. General Strefis owned the hill. His wife was tired of the red dust from the quarry. It ruined her laundry. She demanded the quarry be shut down. The hill was then forested. In 1963 the Strefi family donated the hill to Athens. It became a public park.
The Lavrion Square Strofyli railway changed hands in 1926. The Electric Transport Company took over. In 1929 the Piraeus Athens and Peloponnese Railways managed the Heraklion to Lavrion branch.
The vision was to electrify the line. World War II interrupted these plans. The line closed on August 8 1938. Electrification never fully happened.
After the war parts of the line were rebuilt. A standard gauge extension opened in 1949. The section to Nea Ionia reopened in 1956. Kifissia followed in 1957. But the Strofyli section was abandoned.
Strofyli station itself opened after 1900. It stood 16.5 kilometers from Lavrion Square. It also served as a starting point for a freight railway to Dionysos.
Today Strofyli station is gone. The railway is a memory. But the story of Strofyli remains. It is a reminder of industry ambition and a housewife’s laundry. It links Athens Kifissia and Dionysos. It is a story of a railway that shaped a community.