Nikaia, Attica

Nikaia (Νίκαια, Níkaia), known before 1940 as Kokkinia (Κοκκινιά, Kokkiniá), is a town and a suburb of the Piraeus agglomeration, in Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Nikaia-Agios Ioannis Rentis in the regional unit of Piraeus, and it is the seat and a municipal unit of the municipality.

Geography
Nikaia is located 2.5 km north of Piraeus, and 7 km west of Athens. The municipal unit has an area of 6.649 km2. The main streets are Gregori Lambraki Street and Petrou Ralli Street.

Climate
According to the station of the National Observatory of Athens Nikaia has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh) with mild winters and hot summers.

Transport
Nikaia metro station of line 3 situated on the city. Also served by buses (OSY).

History
On August 17, 1944, took place the Executions of Kokkinia. It was the largest Nazi roundup and one of the largest-scale war crimes perpetrated during the German occupation of Greece.

Nikaia, like many other places around Greece, owes its population eruption to Greek refugees who were forced out of Asia Minor after the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war ended. It was part of the municipality of Piraeus until 1933, when it became a separate municipality, then still under the name Nea Kokkinia. It was renamed to Nikaia in 1940.

The 8th International Tournament of Nikaia, a chess tournament, took place between August 19 and 27, 2000. The Greek Weightlifting Grand Prix took place in Nikaia on December 9 and 10, 2003.

Sports
Nikaia has four sport clubs with important history. These are Proodeftiki with a great successful history in the football, Ionikos Nikaias with successful departments in the football (Ionikos Nikaias F.C.) and basketball (Ionikos Nikaias B.C.), A.E. Nikaias and Aris Nikaias.

Sites of interest

 * Klimakia Gallery
 * Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall, a hall which was used for weightlifting in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Website
 * Platon National Sports Centre
 * Nikaia Municipal Gymnasium for Proodeftiki
 * Neapoli Stadium for Ionikos FC
 * Katrakeio Theater, an open-air theater dedicated to Manos Katrakis