WDEC 2025 in Kifissia

The Municipality of Kifissia invites the public to a special themed guided tour at the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia, organised as part of this year’s Week of Discovering European Cemeteries.

About the event

On June 1, 2025, from 18:00 to 19:30, visitors are welcome to join a thematic guided walk through the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia (Greece).

This special event, titled "Remembrance: Pathways at the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia", will explore the cemetery’s rich historical and artistic value, with particular focus on the notable figures of Kifissia who are laid to rest there, as well as the architecture and sculpture of its funerary monuments.

In a unique effort to connect memory with the community, locals have been invited to share personal stories under the theme: "Kifissia through the Lives Buried Here". These narratives will be shared and written after the walk, preserving the voices of the community and deepening the connection between past and present.

The event is free of charge and open to all who wish to discover the cultural and historical layers of Kifissia through its cemetery.

Photos from the event

Insignia unveiling and peace tree planting at Kifissia Cemetery

From 6 to 8 September 2023, a series of special events that took place at the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia, Greece.

About the events

The Municipality of Kifissia (Greece) organised a series of special events that took place from 6 to 8 September 2023 to celebrate the inclusion of the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia in the European Cemeteries Route and joining the Peace tree project.

One of the main events was the ceremonial inauguration of the ASCE and European Cemeteries Route insignia at the cemetery's entrance. ASCE President, Lidija Pliberšek, and the Mayor of Kifissia, Georgios Thomakos, jointly unveiled the insignias, in the presence of esteemed dignitaries and key representatives of the city and the cemetery. This act symbolically marked the inclusion of the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia in the European Cemeteries Route and highlighted the town's dedication to preserving the cemetery's rich cultural heritage and historical legacy.

In addition, the Peace Tree Project, which started during the Week of  Discovering European Cemeteries 2023, took another step forward. Following the successful planting of peace trees in Maribor and Budapest, the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia became the proud home of the third peace tree. The purpose of the project is to plant a "peace tree" in as many different European cemeteries as possible, serving as a reminder of the importance of peace and reconciliation, while spreading the message “Live in peace to rest in peace!”.

Photos from the events:

Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia (Greece)

The Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia attracts attention due to its flora which makes it one of the greenest cemeteries in the entire Attica region.

Kifissia

The Municipality of Kifissia, situated in the northern part of Athens, 20km from downtown Athens, is one of the city’s oldest suburbs. It has a rich history that dates to antiquity and its neighbourhoods are adorned with 19th century villas. 

Kifissia has been home to many prominent Greek personalities – from the realms of politics, industry and culture. The long list of names includes Theodoros Diligiannis, five-times elected Prime Minister of Greece, businessmen and benefactors Emmanuel and Antonis Benakis and Andreas Sygros, the banker and politician Ioannis Pesmazoglou, poets, such as Georgios Drossinis and Aggelos Sikelianos and writers, such as Penelope Delta and Giannis Maglis.

The Municipal Cemetery

The Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia – Saint Tryphon was founded in 1890. The property was donated by the Petraki Monastery. The cemetery, which has doubled in size following the expansion of the Municipality’s population, currently covers an area of 22.000 square metres.

The Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia features numerous monuments belonging to leading personalities who left their mark over the past 150 years.

The cemetery is adorned with funerary monuments of various types and styles, as the craftsmen and later the architects who designed them were influenced by different aesthetic trends. Dominant material for the vast majority of these monuments is the white Pentelic marble, a material known from antiquity.

Historical personalities at the cemetery

Among the historical personalities buried in the Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia are:

• Georgios Drosinis - one of the best known Greek poets. His house is actually owned by the Municipality of Kifissia and hosts the Municipal Library.
• Tzannis Tzannetakis - former Prime Minister.
• Ioannis Zirinis - businessman and benefactor. The Municipal Stadium ‘I. Zirinis’ was established on an area donated by him.
• Ifestion Papadopoulos - benefactor. The proprietor of the land where the Town Hall is located.
• Spiros Skoutsos - fighter of the 1821 Greek War of Independence.
• Konstantinos Dimopoulos - professor and rector of the University of Athens.
• Dimitrios Deligiannis - professor of the University of Athens along with many other University teachers.
• Polychronis Enepekidis - professor of the University of Vienna.
• Ioannis Sarigiannis - professor of the Agricultural University of Athens and benefactor.
• George Zongolopoulos - an important sculptor, painter and architect.
• Kostas Mourselas - writer.
• Galateia Grigoriadou-Soureli - auther of many books for children and adolescents.
• Giorgos Koros - musician.
• Vasilis Korachais - journalist and President of the Union of Journalists of Athens (ESHEA).
• Kyriakos Mamidakis - businessman.
• Minos Kyriakou - businessman and owner of ANT1 private TV channel.

One of the grenest cemeteries

The Cemetery is distinguished by its particular flora, which makes it one of the greenest cemeteries in the capital. A wide variety of centenarian and younger trees, in some cases planted by family tomb owners for symbolic reasons, adorn its alleys.

There are many different kinds of pine trees and cypresses, such as Pinus halepensis, Pinus pinea, Cypressus sempervivens, Aesculus hippocastanum, Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus atlantica, Cedrus atlantica,. Lining the façade of the Cemetery there is a line of Tamarix hampeana, a tree characteristic of seaside areas, rather unusual in cemeteries.

The tree, which is the trademark of Kifissia's Cemetery and defines its central alley, though is Cypresus arizonica, thanks to the characteristic spherical shape that has been given by the gardeners of the Municipality for many decades.

Address

Municipal Cemetery of Kifissia
Kifisia 145 62
Greece

Contacts

Irene Politi, President of the Local Council of Kifissia
Email: irenepoliti@netscape.net

Basic data

Ownership: Municipality of Kifissia
Managing organisation: Dimotiki Enotita Kifissias
Size: 22.000 m2
Number of graves: approximately 1.000 family monuments and 1.000 graves of temporary use