Athens: Plaka

Pláka (Greek: Πλακα) is the oldest section of Athens, just under the Acropolis. At one time it was the nightclub district, but most of these closed down when the government out-lawed amplified music in the area in the 70's. Its labryinthe streets, mostly claused off to the public, are now home to many restaurants, souvenir shops and taverans.

A reasonable explanation regarding the meaning and origin of the name of the place is that it comes from the word pliaka, meaning old, which was used by the Albanian soldiers in the Ottoman service to describe the place, who settled here later, in the 16th Century.