‘The last fortress’: historic Athens cafe closes as countercultural area gentrifies

The Guardian World Saturday 31 October 2026, 08:00 UTC By Helena Smith in Athens 1 min read

Key Points

Mouria coffeehouse unable to renew lease in Exarchia, known for leftwing solidarity, resistance and radicalismIt has been the hangout of writers, artists, poets and politicians, doctors and lawyers, radicals and revolutionaries for as long as anyone can remember. And for 44 years, Christos Vanas, the proprietor of Mouria, has let them all in. Every day at 7am, the taciturn former waiter has been the first man to step inside the historic cafe in Exarchia, the heart of leftwing Athens.

Mouria coffeehouse unable to renew lease in Exarchia, known for leftwing solidarity, resistance and radicalism

It has been the hangout of writers, artists, poets and politicians, doctors and lawyers, radicals and revolutionaries for as long as anyone can remember. And for 44 years, Christos Vanas, the proprietor of Mouria, has let them all in.

Every day at 7am, the taciturn former waiter has been the first man to step inside the historic cafe in Exarchia, the heart of leftwing Athens. It is a ritual he has kept punctiliously, opening up the famous gathering place before he himself has had his first coffee.

Athens (LOCATION) Mouria (ORG) Exarchia (PERSON) Christos Vanas (PERSON)

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‘The last fortress’: historic Athens cafe closes as countercultural area gentrifies

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