Tatoi
Encyclopedia
Tatoi, located 5 km north of Athens's suburbs
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, and 27 km from the Athenian Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...

 was the summer palace and 10,000 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...

 estate of the former Greek Royal Family
Greek Royal Family
The Greek Royal Family was a branch of the House of Glücksburg that reigned in Greece from 1863 to 1924 and again from 1935 to 1973. Its first monarch was George I. He and his successors styled themselves "Kings of the Hellenes"...

, and the site of George II of the Hellenes
George II of Greece
George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...

's birth. The area is a densely wooded southeast-facing slope of Mount Parnitha
Parnitha
Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m and a summit known as Karavola...

, and its ancient and current official name is Decelea
Decelea
Decelea , modern Dekeleia or Dekelia, Deceleia or Decelia, previous name Tatoi, was an ancient village in northern Attica serving as a trade route connecting Euboea with Athens, Greece. The historian Herodotus reports that its citizens enjoyed a special relationship with Sparta. The Spartans took...

.

Climate

European Temperature Record

Tatoi along with Elefsina currently hold the record for the highest ever recorded temperature in Europe according to WMO, with 48.0°C, based on measurements made by the use of minimum/maximum thermometers.

Court Rulings

The estate was confiscated in controversial circumstances some years after the declaration of the Hellenic Republic. Its confiscation, and the confiscation of other property of the deposed and exiled King, Constantine II
Constantine II of Greece
|align=right|Constantine II was King of Greece from 1964 until the abolition of the monarchy in 1973, the sixth and last monarch of the Greek Royal Family....

, without any compensation, led to a court case in the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...

. The king's argument centered on the claim that the property in question was acquired by his predecessors by legal means and was therefore subject to regular personal inheritance. The Greek
Politics of Greece
The Politics of Greece takes place in a large parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Hellenic Parliament...

 state argued that the property was either used by the royal family by virtue of its sovereign status or obtained by taking advantage of that status, and therefore, once the monarchy was abolished, the property should revert to public ownership automatically. The Court struck a midway course in reaching its verdict and ordered the Hellenic Republic
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 to pay the exiled king compensation, of a small fraction of less than 1% of its worth, while allowing the Greek state to retain ownership of the property. In June 2007, the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 government said it intended to turn the former palace and grounds into a museum.

Buried at Tatoi

Buried in the Tatoi Royal Cemetery are:
  1. Princess Olga of Greece and Russia (March 26, 1880 – 21 October 1880)
  2. Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess of Russia (August 30, 1870 – September 24, 1891) - (wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
    Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
    Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia was the eighth child of Tsar Alexander II of Russia by his first wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna. His birth was commemorated by the naming of the city of Pavlodar in Kazakhstan...

    )
  3. George I, King of the Hellenes
    George I of Greece
    George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...

    (December 24, 1845 – March 18, 1913)
  4. Alexander I, King of the Hellenes (August 1, 1893 – October 25, 1920)
  5. Constantine I, King of the Hellenes
    Constantine I of Greece
    Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...

    (August 2, 1868 – February 6, 1923)
  6. Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, Queen of the Hellenes (September 3, 1851 – June 18, 1926) - (wife of George I, King of the Hellenes
    George I of Greece
    George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...

    )
  7. Princess Sophia of Prussia
    Sophia of Prussia
    Princess Sophie of Prussia was Queen of the Hellenes as the wife of King Constantine I.-Princess of Prussia:...

    , Queen of the Hellenes (June 14, 1870 – January 13, 1932) - (wife of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes
    Constantine I of Greece
    Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...

    )
  8. Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark , of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the fourth child and third son of George I, King of the Hellenes, and of Queen Olga. He was known as "Greek Nicky" in the family to distinguish him from his cousin Czar Nicholas II of Russia...

     (January 22, 1872 – February 8, 1938)
  9. Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Royal House.-Family background:...

     (August 10, 1888 – January 21, 1940)
  10. Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess of Russia (March 3, 1876 – December 14, 1940) - (wife of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
    Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (1863-1919)
    Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a first cousin of Emperor Alexander III. He was a General in the Russian army in World War I...

    )
  11. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He was a grandson of Christian IX of Denmark.He began military training at an early age, and was...

     (January 20, 1882 – December 3, 1944)
  12. George II, King of the Hellenes
    George II of Greece
    George II reigned as King of Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947.-Early life, first period of kingship and exile:George was born at the royal villa at Tatoi, near Athens, the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia...

    (July 19, 1890 – April 1, 1947)
  13. Princess Françoise of Orléans
    Princess Françoise of Orléans (1902–1953)
    Princess Françoise of Orléans was born a Princess of Orléans and was a Princess of Greece and Denmark by marriage. She was thus a member of the Greek royal family...

     (December 25, 1902 – February 25, 1953) - (wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Royal House.-Family background:...

    )
  14. Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
    Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
    Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia 17 January 1882 – 13 March 1957, sometimes known as Helen, Helena, Helene, Ellen, Yelena, Hélène, or Eleni, was a Russian grand duchess as the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin...

     (January 17, 1882 – March 13, 1957) - (wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
    Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark , of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the fourth child and third son of George I, King of the Hellenes, and of Queen Olga. He was known as "Greek Nicky" in the family to distinguish him from his cousin Czar Nicholas II of Russia...

    )
  15. Prince George of Greece and Denmark
    Prince George of Greece and Denmark
    align=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II...

     (June 24, 1869 – November 25, 1957)
  16. Princess Marie Bonaparte
    Princess Marie Bonaparte
    Princess Marie Bonaparte was a French author and psychoanalyst, closely linked with Sigmund Freud. Her wealth contributed to the popularity of psychoanalysis, and enabled Freud's escape from Nazi Germany....

     (July 2, 1882 – September 21, 1962) - (wife of Prince George of Greece and Denmark
    Prince George of Greece and Denmark
    align=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II...

    )
  17. Paul I, King of the Hellenes
    Paul of Greece
    Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....

    (December 14, 1901 – March 6, 1964)
  18. Aspasia Manos
    Aspasia Manos
    Aspasia Manos , was a Greek commoner who became the wife of Alexander I, King of the Hellenes. Due to the controversy over her marriage, she was styled Princess of Greece and Denmark rather than Queen Aspasia of Greece.-Princess of Greece and Denmark:On 4 November 1919, at Tatoi, Aspasia Manos...

    , Princess of Greece and Denmark (September 4, 1896 – August 7, 1972) - (wife of Alexander I, King of the Hellenes)
  19. Princess Frederica of Hanover, Queen of the Hellenes (April 18, 1917 – February 6, 1981) - (wife of Paul I, King of the Hellenes
    Paul of Greece
    Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....

    )
  20. Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Queen of Yugoslavia (March 25, 1921 – January 30, 1993) - (wife of Peter II, King of Yugoslavia
    Peter II of Yugoslavia
    Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...

    )
  21. Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark
    Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark
    Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark was the third daughter and sixth child of King Constantine I of Greece and Queen Sophie .-Early life:Her paternal grandparents were King George I of Greece, child of King Christian IX of...

    , Lady Brandram (May 4, 1913 – October 2, 2007)

External links

  • Tatoi Royal Palace Photo Archive
  • Tatoi Palace Picture Gallery by photographer Christos Gorezis
  • http://www.pbase.com/dead_poet/tatoi_estate
  • http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=79164
  • http://www.sawf.org/newedit/edit12052005/places.asp
  • http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/news/content.asp?aid=79163
  • http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070614/lf_afp/greecespainroyalshistory_070614052305
  • http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSL1285872420070612?feedType=RSS&rpc=22
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