Who doesn't love a glazed orange metro station? The old electriko Green Line 1 that opened in the 1800s and travels between Piraeus and Kifissia is all the Athens had till the opening of the modern metro in 2000. The station at Omonoia Square was redone in the 1930 and outfitted with the most vibrant orange tiles that had been produced in Germany.

On 11 December 2001 this station was declared a preserved monument by the Central Council of Newer Monuments and so the redevelopment of the new line that runs underneath was done while maintaining its original architecture and the original circular lamps (ceiling lamps) were also preserved on the roof. But because some of the original orange tiles on the walls were broken due to age and it was not possible to find tiles of the same orange color shade (the factory in Berlin that had then built them no longer existed, while a related international survey carried out in 2002 did not yield result finding the same tiles), so some sad replacements were added. Neverless the station is a masterpiece and worth a visit. Take the time to put you hand on the old tiles as they also have a beautiful texture. And admire the original signage which was also created in Germany in the 1930s.

The re-opening of the current format of the station took place on March 19, 2003. And on January 15, 2002, the next northbound station, Victoria, was declared a listed monument because it has similar tiles on the walls, albeit in bright green instead of orange. Also worth a visit.

‍