A look at the beautiful Perama of today and a review of "yesterday" (vid)

It was the beginning of the 20th century when the erstwhile ferry point to Salamina with the few fishermen who lived in the area, was a place of escape for the Piraeus and the Athenians who arrived in their carriages for a walk in nature. The wonderful air of the sea and the green and the simple way of life of the few people was the best combination.

But in 1922 the change begins ..

With the Asia Minor Catastrophe, refugees from Asia Minor and the Pontus settled in Perama, at the western end of the city, around Fanarakiou Street and Neorion Street, while a few years later, the widening of the main port in Agios Dionysios brought to the shores of the city and the well-known "tarsanades" (traditional shipyards) together with the families of the shipwrights.

In 1934 the first oil tanks were built by Shell, in the area of ​​Neo Ikoni and two years later the operation of the well-known tram of the city begins. The Perama train connected the port of Piraeus with the Naval Station, and for many years was the trademark of the city. The change was intense for the citizens who until that day moved around using as their main mean for transport, the sea.

In 1939, by decision of the state, Perama was characterized as a tourist area, resulting in its further development. Seaside folk nightclubs and taverns gave new life to the area, while a decade later many of the well-known names of folk song of the time such as Zagoraios, Dounias, Rita Sakellariou, Giota Lydia and many others, were hosted in these clubs. At the same time, many films of the time were being shot there . Aliki Vougiouklaki, Xanthopoulos, Vengos and others starred in the films of that era shot in Perama, while in many of the well-known musicals, young men of the city dance with images of Perama and its shipyards in the background. At that time, the "Aura" cinema also made its appearance.

In the 60's, the great development of the shipbuilding and repair zone brought many new jobs, with the result that a large number of people from all over Greece arrived in the city. With the rapid increase of the population, Perama is now recognized as a municipality. This decade, however, will be the catalyst for the final form of the image of Perama. The Piraeus Port Authority encloses a large part of the beach, cutting off the city from the sea.

And then comes the year of 1977 when the only connecting element of the past with the present ceases to function. On the afternoon of Holy Monday 1977 the train made its last route, leaving in the past the carefree and genuine Perama ... leaving in nits stead the 60 (then) brand new Volvo SB 756 green buses with a chassis made by "Sarakakis", which until 2002 moved the workforce of Piraeus with speed and accuracy and were loved more than any other urban line.

The rapid reconstruction, the modern houses and the intense rhythms of the city of today, do not remind at all what Perama really was several years ago, but they continue to be the dominant elements of a living city of many thousands of people, who with their own in their own way they loved the Perama of yesterday and today and continue to love it at all costs.