The old summer estate of the former Greek Royal Family is now a hauntingly beautiful place. Spanning 10,000 acres, this once-majestic palace now sits abandoned, with its crumbling buildings and thick forests providing an irresistible playground for urban explorers.
Back in its heyday, the estate was like a little village, complete with houses, a winery, a butcher shop, and two churches. There was even a small museum to display archaeological finds from the area.
However, life at Tatoi Palace wasn’t always smooth. The estate’s recent history has been as turbulent as Greece’s. During World War I, the main house was burned down. About a decade later, George II of the Hellenes lost control of much of the property, which his father had bought in the 1880s. During World War II, while the King was in exile, the German occupiers destroyed most of the forest.
The estate kept changing hands even after the Greek monarchy ended, until 1994 when the Greek government seized all former royal properties, a move deemed illegal. There were plans to turn the estate into a museum, but financial troubles and political disagreements stopped that from happening.
Now, the gardens are overgrown, with sculptures slowly being reclaimed by nature. The old buildings are falling apart; some are covered in graffiti, while others are just crumbling reminders of their former royal splendor.
You can also explore a royal cemetery on the estate, where you’ll find the graves of George I of the Hellenes, George II of the Hellenes, along with several princesses and duchesses.
