Athens Tatoi Royal estate

Location: Tatoi

The Royal Estate of Tatoi is an area of historical significance for Greece, most notable for being the palace of the royal family for generations! Situated on the southeastern slopes of the imposing Mount Parnitha, the estate is estimated to be over 10000 acres of land, filled with beautiful pine trees and hosting an array of royal buildings throughout the years!

The estate of Tatoi covers most of the area where the ancient Dekeleia used to be, a place known for its archaeological findings, as well as its importance during the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century B.C. Plus, it was split into three fiefdom parts called chifliks from the times of Ottoman rule until 1842, when the estates of Tatoi, Liopesi, and Mahounia were unified under the name of Tatoi, owned mostly by the Phanariote Skarlatos Soutsos and his family.

A visit by Queen Amalia in 1843 and a later visit of King George I on the 6th of April, 1865, were the first signs of interest from the royal family towards the estate of Tatoi. Then, in 1870, famed architect Ernst Ziller showed King George around Tatoi, knowing that it would be a great match between the desire of Soutsos to sell the estate and the need of King George to find a spot for a luxurious summertime residence near the capital.

After its initial sale in 1872, the parliament gifted the king the area of Bafi in 1877, and George proceeded to also purchase the plateau of Driza from Andreas Syngros in 1891. Afterward, the estate was about to undergo a significant makeover, with large-scale reforestation and new infrastructure, including wells and advanced techniques for the water network, as well as the construction of mills, bridges, a water reservoir at Lake Kithara, two horse stables, vineyards, olive groves, and a small chapel dedicated to Profitis Ilias.

The first building of the deluxe Tatoi Estate (most of them designed by architect Savvas Boukis) was its luxury-filled royal villa (which was burnt down after a fire in 1916), followed by the home of the estate manager, the royal school (also functioning as a guest room), a cottage for the head gardener, a winery, and a handful of buildings for workers. In addition, King George turned a windmill that previously belonged to Soutsos into a medieval-like tower!

After much turmoil and many royal generations, Tatoi stopped being the summer house of the Royal Family with the eventual abolition of monarchy in 1974, whereas the estate had been untouched since 1967 due to the military junta forcing the Royal Family out of the country.

Nowadays, the royal estate of Tatoi is open to visitors from sunrise to sunset. There, you can freely walk or ride a bicycle, have a picnic, as well as enjoy a trip towards the artificial lake of Kithara, offering fantastic views over the region of Attica!