Central Athens streets purged of graffiti, posters

A City Hall initiative aimed at purging Athens of unsightly posters and graffiti has focused on the capital’s central Patission Street over the past 10 days and was to shift to Athinas Street, between Monastiraki and Omonia Square, on Wednesday night.

The drive, dubbed “Adopt your City,” aims to clean tag-style graffiti off buildings, electricity pylons and shop shutters, as well as stripping off layers of decaying posters, though some of the more creative murals are to be preserved.

In most cases, spray paint can be removed with water, Deputy Mayor Nikos Avramidis told Kathimerini. However, acrylic paints are harder to remove and more of challenge for municipal teams who use special hot-water pressure washers to clean surfaces before applying an anti-graffiti and hydrophobic coating that make new graffiti easier to remove.

The anti-graffiti campaign, one of the biggest in recent years, began in the capital’s historic center last month.