The restoration of the gardens of the Palace, in P. royal estate of Tatoi, proceeds within the framework of the overall restoration and promotion planning of Tatoi. The central idea of the study, on which the Central Council of modern monuments unanimously approved, is the restoration of the Gardens based on their original engravings, but also on the modern principles of Fire Protection and sustainability.

As stated by the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni "the restoration and promotion of the gardens of the Palace are part of the overall planning of the Ministry of Culture and sports for the restoration and promotion of the historical core of Tatoi, as part of its strategic exploitation as a monumental whole. The historical documentation, the institutional framework for the conservation and restoration of the Historic Gardens, the topographical features, the use of suitable plant material, adapted to the microclimate and resistant to fire, as well as the use of materials based on the principles of reversibility and sustainability, are key parameters of the design of the restoration study. The gardens are revived, as an important part of the spatial composition and life in Fr. Royal habitat, but also the experience of today's visitor".

The location of the Gardens is located south of the building complex of the Palace and the galleys and in the immediate vicinity of the Poplar Gate. The northernmost level of the Gardens is at the highest level including the configurations directly connected to the Palace. From this level begins the double wide marble staircase, in a symmetrical arrangement, for access to the lower level of the gardens. The immediately lower level comprising the ellipsoid fountain and swimming pool was constructed in the 1950s. From this level and below, the central alley of the Gardens is formed, which has an important role in the spatial organization of the gardens, while on either side, paths are formed arranged in concentric circles. In places where the transverse paths intersect with the circular arrangement, individual roundabouts arise. An additional node is located in the center of the spiral, as the end of the path in the Maze. Central and east of the Alley, the design supports the logic of the walk. In the sector, to the west of the alley, utilitarian functions such as the greenhouse and the tennis court are located.

The intervention area of the study includes an area of 34 acres and a perimeter of 762 meters. The role of trees is very important in the composition of plant material. About 450 trees are planted. The paths Follow the original engravings as they undergo and become traced by the traces of their delineation. The creation of water permeable surfaces contributes to the development of biodiversity by ensuring natural conditions in the environment, while encouraging the development of local flora and fauna.

The restoration study of the gardens of the Palace in Tatoi is carried out by Elli Pangalou and is sponsored by AIGEAS NGO to the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The implementation of the project is funded with 3.000.000 euros from the recovery and Resilience Fund

The estate was purchased by George I in 1872. In 1886 the Palace was completed and in 1890 The Gardens the landscaping of the gardens around the Palace, as well as the redevelopment work of the whole estate is the work of Ludovico Münther a Danish Forester and philhellene, director of the estate (1873-1892). In 1916 the Great Fire broke out from which the New Palace and gardens were rescued. Between 1924 and 1926, a ten-year program of the higher Forestry and higher Agricultural School was implemented for the management of the gardens. In the 1950s the pool was added to the Grotto level. The 2021 mega-fire destroyed most of the plantings, which at the end of the project will have been restored.

The temporary exhibition “The religious work of Polykleitos Rengos” is inaugurated on Tuesday, 28th of March 2023 at 18:30 at the Byzantine and Christian Museum.

Polykleitos Rengos (Naxos 1903 – Thessalonike 1984) studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1920–1926), continued his studies in Paris (1930–1934) and then returned to Thessalonike, where he spent the rest of his life. An artist with rich secular oeuvre, he also belonged to a group of painters who re-introduced the historical paradigm of byzantine and post-byzantine tradition into religious painting. Fully respectful of the iconographic tradition of byzantine art, employing traditional techniques and materials, such as egg tempera, Rengos renewed hagiography with his own personal style that conversed with the prevalent European artistic movements of his time.

He decorated monuments of special significance, such as the church of Saint Demetrios in Thessalonike, aiming to establish continuity in the historical tradition of byzantine art.

He decorated monuments of special significance, such as the church of Saint Demetrios in Thessalonike, aiming to establish continuity in the historical tradition of byzantine art.

The exhibition attempts to offer the widest possible range of his religious painting in its entirety displaying works of all painting techniques in which he engaged.

Εγκαίνια έκθεσης: Τρίτη,  28 Μαρτίου 2023, ώρα 18:30

The Ministry of Culture and Sports presents the proposals of the nine partnerships of international and Greek architectural offices, following the presentation of the selected architectural proposal by David Chipperfield Architects and Alexander N. Tobazi A.E. for the expansion and upgrading of the National Archaeological Museum.

As Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated, " I must, first of all, stress that all the proposals are of an extremely high aesthetic level, with a detailed study and vision for the National Archaeological Museum and the overall upgrading of the area of the center of Athens. I warmly thank all the participants, both for their inspiration and for the harmonious cooperation between the International and Greek architectural offices. With unanimity and high criteria, the seven-member international multidisciplinary evaluation committee, chaired by Professor Andreas Kourkoulas, approved the proposal of David Chipperfield Architects and Alexander N. Tobazi A.So that in the next few years Athens will have a new museum, worthy of the valuable collections of EAM. The award of the 2023 Pritzker Prize-the top architectural distinction - to David Chipperfield, confirms the selection of the committee".

In the attached file are attached images of the proposals of the following partnerships of international and Greek architectural firms:

• Adjaye Associates & Kizi Studio
• Ateliers Jean Nouvel & George Batzios Architects
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro (D S + R) & VAP Architects & Neiheiser Argyros
• • Herzog and de Meuron & AETER Architects
• Kengo Kuma and Associates & K-Studio
• OMA & Rena Sakellaridou SPARCH PC
• • RCR Arquitectes & Parmenidis-Longuepe-Mari
• SANAA & Buerger Katsota Architects
• • Thomas Phifer & Tsolakis Architects & Kalliopi Kontozoglou

Lead soldiers and porcelain dolls, old Reading and pre-war editions of Jules Verne’s novels, photographs and vinyls. Imprints of childhood of other times, away from screens and digital reality are the raw material of the new exhibition of Michael Manousakis: “The place of once – Heroes in the trash“, which takes place in the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania.

More than 150 toys from the personal collection of the professor emeritus of the Athens School of Fine Arts covering a time span from 1821 to 1960 have replaced the painting act in this new exhibition. These are particularly rare games, which Michalis Manousakis has been collecting for the last 25 years, originating from different corners of the globe and in a very large percentage presented for the first time to the public.

The peculiarity of this exhibition is that the Haniotis painter does not present the toys in a simple array, but uses them as raw material and creates small or larger installations each of which tells a different story. And finally it takes us to a distant yesterday – like the years of the Greek Revolution – but also to a more recent one: the one that our parents and grandparents have described to us, that we found by chance in dusty trunks, that we saw in old photographs and in the frames of black and white Greek cinema.

Through three sections, as many as the levels of the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, the exhibition promises to unfold the story of children through the material that their dreams are made of. The first chapter, on the ground floor, highlights aspects of childhood through games, old Reading and extracurricular books, photographs and a representation of a boyish and a girlish children’s room.

The second, on the first floor of the building, emphasizes the photographic material and the third is a tribute to the era of the Greek Revolution and the 19th century. as among others it includes an 1821 edition with poems by Lord Byron, and also leaden Napoleon with his officers (produced 1900-1910).

The exhibition “the place of once-heroes in the trash” is the fourth in a row that includes toys from the personal collection of Michalis Manousakis. It is accompanied by a bilingual (Greek-English) richly illustrated catalogue with texts by the child psychiatrist Thanasis Hatzopoulos, the journalist and museologist Dimitris Trikas and the artist, who also signs the curation of the exhibition.

The opening of the exhibition took place on March 11, attended by the mayor of Chania, Panagiotis Simandirakis and the Deputy Mayor of Culture and President of the Municipal Gallery of Chania, Giannis Giannakakis.

The Mayor Of Chania, Panagiotis Simandirakis.

The Deputy Mayor of Culture & President of the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania, Giannis Giannakakis.

INFOFO:
“ The place of once – Heroes in the trash”
Duration: 11 March-30 June 2023

Municipal Art Gallery Of Chania

Chalidon 98-102

Opening hours:

(until 31 April 2023)

Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 -14:00 & 18:00-21:00 10:00 -14:00 & 18:00-21:00

Sunday 10:00-14:00

(From 1 May onwards) 

Monday to Saturday 10:00-14:00 & 19:00-22:00

Sunday closed

*Photos by Christos Simatos

The Ministry of Culture and Sports is proceeding with the strengthening of the marble-technical tradition of Tinos by extending and upgrading the Panormos School of Fine Arts, known as the School of marble-engineering of Tinos, and upgrading the House of Giannoulis Chalepas, including the project in the Recovery Fund, with a budget of 13,512,786 euros and completion time by the end of 2025. The procedures for the upgrading of both the school and the Chalepa House began in July 2021, with the visit of the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni to Tinos.

As stated by Lina Mendoni, ” Tinos has a great tradition in the field of Marble Crafts, which is a registered element of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece (2013) and in the Representative List of UNESCO (2015). Countless craftsmen have created exceptional works, but at the same time contributed to the formation and preservation of the special character of Tinos. Creators with a distinct artistic vision were raised on the island, the most important being Giannoulis Chalepas, κa leading representative of modern Greek and European sculptural art. The creation of the new facilities of the preparatory and Professional School of Fine Arts gives a new, modern, international dynamic to the school and contributes decisively to the education of Young Marble sculptors, whom the Ministry of Culture and Sports wants to utilize-even more than today – in works that it performs on monuments. At the same time, the restoration of the Chalepa House and the museum, which houses personal objects, sculptures and drawings of the Great Tinian sculptor, highlights the authenticity and historicity of the house through the proper display of the exhibits and its mobile equipment, honoring the work and importance of the great sculptor. Our goal is to enhance the visibility of Chalepas ‘work, to create conditions for the proper and upgraded education of the island’s young people-and not only – who have the inclination, the Will and the interest to engage in the art of marble, but also the development potential that such an investment can give to the island”.

The preparatory and Professional School of Fine Arts of Panormos Tinos has been operating since 1955 in the building of Fr. Pyrgos Primary School for Girls, which was erected in 1832 and is one of the first school buildings built during the Regency of Otto. The House of Giannoulis Chalepas, which houses the museum Giannoulis Chalepas, is located in Pyrgos of Tinos and is characterized as a historical monument. The care of the museum is the Panormos Cultural Center “Giannoulis Chalepas”, which operates as a legal entity of the municipality of Tinos. The implementation of both projects is the subject of a programmatic contract for Cultural Development between the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the South Aegean region, the municipality of Tinos and the Panormos Preparatory and Vocational School of Fine Arts of Tinos.

The Ministry of Culture and Sports is proceeding with the restoration and re-use of the buildings of The Leper factory in Spinalonga, the dormitories and the hospital, in order to create exhibition spaces. The project is part of the overall promotion, conservation and protection work carried out in the Venetian fortress by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

As the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated: “the islet of Spinalonga, an extremely important fortress complex of The Venetian period, but also a place charged with harsh memories from the period when the islet functioned as a leper colony, has been at the center of the Ministry of Culture and sports for years. In addition to the major restoration interventions and works for the promotion and restoration of the island’s building stock, which are in progress, and in addition to the accessibility and upgrading projects of the ticket office– shop, we include the restoration of The Leper farm buildings, the dormitories and the hospital, in order to host exhibitions on the history and memory of the island. We want to highlight the cultural palimpsest of Spinalonga, its history, as it is expressed through the different periods of habitation and the special conditions that were formed in them. The Venetians turned a barren rock into a strong fortress, the Muslims into one of the strongest economic and commercial centers of the region, while the patients of the leper colony created a society of solidarity. The approval of the museological study is an essential step for the museum re-use of The Leper factory buildings, which are the only remaining remnants of the organized building activity of that period, as the rest were demolished in the 1980s. The island is a symbol of the human will and the struggle for something better.”

For the organization of the permanent exhibition, the buildings of the dormitories of the leper hospital and the hospital building are used. It is divided into four large conceptually independent units and a small unit with the diachronic habitation of the island. It essentially covers chronologically a period from the 16th century. (Venetian) until the 20th century. (1957, last year of operation of The Leper farm). The specific objectives include references to the natural environment of the area around the island, the creation of a narrative that helps to better understand the monuments and encourage a comprehensive museum experience, the management of memory and “difficult heritage”. Highlighting the stories of the people who inhabited the island and the objects, as well as the visual material of the collection, aim to help the visitor to experience the particularity of life on the island.

The building of the hospital provides for the creation of a Hall of multiple cultural uses (for temporary exhibitions, lectures, conferences and events), a refreshment room and visitor service. All buildings are planned to be accessible to people with disabilities using ramps and lifts.

With four concerts, this year's "Bridge" traces the personal and artistic paths of a –unknown, for many in Greece– musical creator, the leading French composer Maurice Ohana (1913-1992). Each concert and all together, under the general title "geographies, friendships, references", compose a special musical geography.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Onassis Cultural Centre and Panteion University are zeroing in on the spatial distance between them and sharing their common interest in culture, focusing on contemporary music. Composers and performers, who are mostly at the beginning of their careers, present works after being commissioned by the OCC. Works that are first performed in Greece and repertory works, in different thematic units each year.
This year's event commemorates the double anniversary of the 110th anniversary of the birth and the 30th anniversary of the death of Maurice Ohanaa composer whose work is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of the Mediterranean. Arab-and-Welsh music, flamenco, Lorca's poetry, as well as Greek mythology, jazz and African percussion feed his compositional inspiration, along with the music of Claude Debussy, Manuel de Falla and Béla Bartók. His works for solo piano and chamber music ensembles will be heard at four concerts, along with music belonging to his personal universe.

Twenty-five years after the death of the photographer Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (1899-1998), known as Nelly’s, the Benaki Museum, custodian of her valuable work since 1984, pays tribute and, with a strong sense of responsibility, organizes her retrospective exhibition entitled “Nellie’s”, re-introducing her to the contemporary public. The exhibition, presented at the Benaki Museum / Piraeus 138, opens to the public on Thursday, February 23, 2023 and will run until Sunday, July 23, 2023.

The presentation of Nelly’s multidimensional work is attempted with axes the three cities in which she shaped her photographic gaze: Dresden, Athens, New York. With almost 350 photographs created by the artist herself and selected from her massive archive, an effort is made to represent the different aesthetic trends she adopted during her forty-five years of involvement with the medium and the numerous techniques of black and white and color photography with which she experimented. These original works are supplemented by some 150 contemporary digital prints made by her negatives to fill in the narrative gaps. The photographic equipment she used as a student in Dresden but mainly as a professional photographer in Athens during the interwar period and in New York Post-War is exhibited in order to document her deep knowledge of photographic technology. Two films digitized from the material kept in her archive are also shown indicative of her early experiments with filmmaking. Finally, the archival material gleaned, such as magazine covers of her time, posters and letter cards, contributes to an understanding of the use of her photographs in her time.

The narrative of the exhibition is based on her studies in Dresden (1920-1923) and samples from her studies in portrait and dance and nude photography are presented. This is followed by her arrival in Athens and her dynamic presence in the photographic events of the city from 1924 to 1939. The division of her work into sections reflects the rich range of subjects that occupied her lens during her stay in Greece. Images already known from their multiple publications in the past are supplemented with new ones, unknown until today, showcasing the different perspective introduced in the domestic photographic production of the interwar period and which formed the basis on which post-war Greek photography would evolve. The third and final section is dedicated to the work he painted in New York from 1939 to 1966. This is the least known part of her work, despite the fact that she lived and worked there for twenty-seven years. Then, at the age of forty, she decided to leave her successful business in the Athenian capital and try her strength in the unknown, to her, field of American photography.

The exhibition concludes with a small presentation of her paintings on porcelain, an activity she developed alongside her photographic career during her stay in America. Finally, the visitor of the exhibition has the opportunity to attend one of the last interviews that Nelly gave to director Giorgos Sgourakis in 1994 for the “Monogram” show.

The retrospective presentation of Nelli’s work took place thanks to the generous contribution of Aris Theodoridis, who always strongly supports the activities of the Benaki Museum, and the contribution of John S. Fafalios Foundation, Andreas and Alexandra Voureka-Petalas, Alexandros Malaspina and his family, Maria Gaitanou Embirikos, the Association “The Friends of the Benaki Museum”, The George & Aristeas Mamidakis Foundation and Blue gr Hotels & Resorts, Dimitris Tsitouras, as well as the stable partners of the foundation. The editing was undertaken by Aliki Tsirgialou, head of the photographic archives of the Benaki Museum, and the design by Natalia Boura, architect and head of the museum’s Modern Greek architecture Archives.

The accompanying Nellie’s catalogue. The work of the photographer Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari (1899-1998), designed by Erifili Arapoglou-En Arte, is published by the Benaki Museum thanks to the exclusive sponsorship of the George & Victoria Karelia Foundation.

During the exhibition there will be guided tours and educational programs that will be announced, as well as a workshop dedicated to the Great Creator.

The organization of Nelli’s retrospective exhibition and the accompanying publication coincide with the fifty years of operation of the photographic archives of the Benaki Museum and are dedicated to Emilia Geroulanou and the late Angelos Delivorrias.

The art space “Oratos” where experimentation, research and the formation of artistic identity is constantly sought, presents the group exhibition of contemporary art, entitled : The unusual, usual.

A cohabitation Treaty of four artists who choose to exhibit in an independent space that as a choice in itself constitutes a political act. They compose works-in situ installations, with conscious abstinence from the cognitive process of craftsmanship (objet trouvé, readymade), tasked to highlight connections that oppose the traditional conception and the dominant Kuhn example.

Their visual or conceptual experiences are acutely shaped into works touching the realm of the political. Shifts and transformations of natural relations of environmental objects with a mocking mood regarding the opposing pair of the familiar as unfamiliar, the ordinary as unusual, help to develop, construct and formulate a rhetoric that challenges our established visual perception. Their conceptualizations take place with subversive practices outside the urban aesthetic with the intention of changing the sensory experience, proposing ways that challenge the viewer to perceive ruptures, unpredictable connections, revelations of the unseen, possibilities of resistance to the inference of certainties .

Works concerning the collective, in the context of contemporary political art, with apt

gestures that embody and condense reactions comment on deregulation, manipulation, modern financial reality, oppression, class war, discomfort, dissatisfaction with political domination.

Challenging the validity of logical interpretation and invalidating standards,

they break the boundaries between real experience and metaphor or symbolization, and eventually, with this convergence, they make the boundaries between them negligible, leading ultimately to an unexpected encounter.

They use the selected material unorthodox, thus cooperating in the elimination of

of its established morphological entity and transforming its utilitarian value, the

they lead to its rebirth in a different form and substance, diverting it from its original destination.

The unconventional juxtaposition of objects embedded in real space transports the viewer through the unexpected and the surprise, into internal conflicts that concern our experiential perception of the real, objective world.

They each shape their personal vocabulary with seamless

experiments, splices, attachments of elements and concepts, meteoric and with multi-important often imperfect adjacencies, ultimately give inner coherence and immediacy to the works through an ability to feed on causes, the behaviors of the present.

The viewer is asked to read them and decode their conceptual entity against the dominant cultural experience by becoming a participant in their personal narrative. Between subject and object, unconscious structures emerge that permeate individualities and are determined in part by the context in which

exposed. Both the artist and the viewer retreat from the space of metaphor, into the common realm, towards a relatively safe place of the literal and the solid.

Humble objects stripped of their original function mental constructs with subversive subcutaneous humor activate connotations by disassociating them from any predetermined meaning. They reposition and transform, they assert their own independence by challenging the dominance of meaning and its connotations, offering a new starting point. Their intention brings to mind the verses of Samson Rakka: as long as we do not water the unthinkable, we will languish in the foolish.

Artists participate in the exhibition:

Vasilis Alexandrou

Dimitris Palantzas

Konstantinos Tsakiris

Charis Chilitsis

Exhibition curated by Maria-Vasiliki Kenanidou

FREE ENTRANCE

Art space “Oratos” :

Sfetsou 2, Thessaloniki

Exhibition duration: 28 February to 14 March 2023

Working Hours:Monday – Sunday 19: 00 – 24: 00

It was October 1889 when Sophie Dorothea Alice of the Hohenzollern, sister of German Emperor Friedrich III, greeted excitedly the enthusiastic people of Athens who had gathered in Syntagma Square in front of the Palace, to welcome the German princess.

A few days later, she was standing as a bride by the side of Crown Prince Constantine, when their fortunes were joined. Together they experienced the happiness of the nation, such as in the days of the triumphant Balkan Wars, as well as hard times, such as the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the exile. She died in Florence in 1932 and was buried next to her husband.

Shortly after her death, the Municipality of Athens gave her name to Kifisias Street, leading from Athens to the country suburb at the time.

Since every rich family at the time desired a residence near the Palace, initially Kifisias Street and then Vasilissis Sofias Avenue became the address for their luxurious mansions. Today, those mansions house embassies, ministry buildings and museum, or they have been succeeded by representative samples of modern architecture.

Let us now take a stroll in this street, where the buildings can tell us interesting stories about the past and the present of Athens.

Μαθιόπουλος Παύλος, “Μετά τη βροχή στην οδό Βασιλίσσης Σοφίας”, π. 1900, λάδι σε μουσαμά, 50 x 85 εκ. Εθνική Πινακοθήκη / Mathiopoulos Pavlos, “After the rain at Vasilissis Sofias street”, c. 1900, oil on canvas, 50 x 85 cm. National Gallery

Hellenic Parliament

Although the most famous façade of the Parliament building is the one facing Amalias Street, the side on Vasilissis Sofias is the busier one, since ministers, members of parliament and civilians enter the building from there. The courtyard of the Parliament hosts the great bronze statue “Mother”" by sculptor Christos Kapralos, placed there in 2003.

On the same side of the Parliament’s courtyard there is also the Palataki” (small palace) American architect St. Thomson designed the small building as a Doric temple. It was built in 1925 and was used as a selling point of embroidery by the refugees. It was funded by the “Friends of Greece in America”, under Penelope Delta as president. After the Parliament moved to the Old Palace, the “Palataki” became a storage building. Today, it is used to house the television station of the Parliament.

Byzantine and Christian Museum

Since 1930, the Byzantine and Christian Museum has been housed in the “Villa Ilissia”, the building complex erected in 1848 by architect Stamatis Kleanthis on the shores of Ilissos river for Sophie de Marbois-Lebrun, Duchess of Plaisance. The Duchess used the villa as her winter residence until her death (spring 1854). Then, the complex was bought by the Greek state and for many years housed the Army offices, while in 1926 it was granted to the Byzantine and Christian Museum, which carried out the necessary modifications and then moved here in September 1930.

The central building of the complex housed the permanent Collections of the Museum from 1930 to 2004, while now that these collections have moved to the new exhibition space, it houses the reception area and the temporary exhibition spaces.

Benaki Museum

When Emmanouil Benakis acquired the Harokopou mansion, he redesigned the architecture of the building radically, giving it its current image. During the following decades, further additions were made under the surveillance of architect Anastasios Metaxas who had also undertaken the restoration of the Panathinaic Stadium. In 1931, Antonios Benakis donated the Museum and its rich collection to the Greek state.

War Museum

The War Museum opened in 1975 and it houses exhibits from the ancient and modern military history of the country. The weapons collection that belonged to Petros Saroglou is the most impressive one. The building, designed by architect Thoukididis Valentis is one of the most typical samples of Bauhaus architecture in Athens.

B. & Μ. Theocharakis Foundation

The Basil and Marina Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music aims to highlight contemporary art. The building housing the foundation was the Rentis family mansion, built in 1928 on the privileged spot opposite the Palace.

Museum of Cycladic Art

The Neoclassical building of the Stathatos Mansion was designed by architect Ernst Ziller in the late 19th^ου th century. It was used as a residence by Otto and Athina Stathatos, but during the 20th^ο century it had various uses. It was bought by the Greek state in 1981, to serve as accommodation for official guests. Yet, it was deemed unsuitable and granted to the Nikolaos and Dolly Goulandris Foundation, which made good use of it housing one of the most important collections of Cycladic art in the world.

National Gallery

The National Gallery presents a panorama of Greek painting from post-Byzantine to contemporary art, also including works by renowned Western artists. The building of the Gallery, designed by professors-architects Pavlos Mylonas and Dimitris Fatouros, was inaugurated in 1976, thus providing a solution to the chronic problem of the roofless museum. The building was recently extended and modernized.

Eleftherios Venizelos Museum

The “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” Museum of the Cultural Organisation of the Municipality of Athens was formed in 1986 around the collection of Zacharias and Antonios Makatounis from Crete. The stone building housing the museum in the green Eleftherias Park used to house the detention centre of the junta. The exhibition that is presented on the two floors of the museum includes personal objects of Venizelos, documentation regarding events from his whole life (documents, letters) as well as photographs and lithographs.

Athens Concert Hall

60 years ago, it was the dream of a group of people who had formed the association “Friends of Music”. Since 1991, it is an institution that promotes music in our country systematically and steadfastly, bringing great shows from abroad for the benefit of the local audience. Moreover, the extensive musical library “Lilian Boudouris” is housed in this modern building.

Hilton Hotel

This year, Hilton Hotel in Athens becomes 50 years old. It was the first major hotel chain to open in the city, and from its very first day it became such an important landmark that the whole neighbourhood around it was named after it.

The designs for the building were signed by architects Emmanouil Vourekas, Prokopis Vasileiadis, Spyros Staikos and Antonis Georgiadis, and despite its modernity it retains typical Greek features due to the use of Pentelikon marble. Hilton Hotel is also decorated with significant artworks by Greek artists. The most famous of them all is the abstract archaic composition by Giannis Moralis on the façade on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. At the opening of the hotel, Conrad Hilton, owner of the chain, stated: “I agree with those who believe that the Athens Hilton is the most beautiful Hilton in the world.” Today, half a century later, the Athens Hilton is considered as a modern monument by the city’s inhabitants.

Monument of the execution of Ion Dragoumis

On 31 July 1920, new of the assassination attempt on Eleftherios Venizelos became known in Athens. Angry supporters of the prime ministers and fringe paramilitaries retaliated against the political adversaries of Venizelos. Despite the turmoil and the danger that he knew of, Ion Dragoumis did not hesitate to drive in downtown Athens. In Ampelokipoi, he was arrested by a group of armed men who stopped his car and brought him to the corner of Kifisias and Rigillis streets. After forcing him to stand against a fence, they shot him down.

Today, on that point, opposite the Hilton hotel, there is a monument in the form of a column with the stanzas written by Kostis Palamas:

A white column where you fell
(how you fell, let it not be written)
white with our Country’s image
only she can mourn you,
crying silently, immobile, like marble!

The Runner

The glass runner by Kostas Varotsos is on the square of the Great School of the Nation exactly opposite the Hilton. It was designed to be placed on Omonoia Square but it was transported to Vasilissis Sofias, where it is located today, when the construction work for the metro began on Omonoia Square. It was the first monumental artwork in Athens, although when it was moved its height increased up to 12 metres, as more fitting its new location.

Holy Churches

The church opposite the War Museum is the Church of Agios Nikolaos of the Poorhouse. Its courtyard is adjacent to that of the British Embassy, while a few metres away, next to the Rizareio Park, is the Church of Agios Georgios. Both are Neo-Byzantine, as the style prevailed in the city during the late 19th century.^ου αιώνα.

Sarogleio Mansion – Armed Forces Officers’ Club

The inscription “Sarogleio” on the façade of the building is placed in honour of Petros Saroglou, officer of the Greek artillery, who left the largest part of his great fortune to the Officers’ Club in his will.

Embassies

Embassy of France

The Merlin mansion was built according to designs by Anastasios Metaxas for wealthy Englishman Charles Merlin who lived in Athens and aimed to rent it to the French as an embassy building. Its position exactly opposite the Palace in the centre of the capital city made the building an ideal choice. Indeed, the French embassy moved there in the late 19th century, while the French state bought it in 1914. It was named HOTEL MERLIN de DOUA  in honour of the French revolutionary, great-grandfather of the initial owner.

Embassy of Italy

The Psychas Mansion, today the Italian embassy, was built according to plans by E. Ziller for banker Stefanos Psychas. It was bought by Prince Nikolaos, third son of King Constantine and Queen Sofia, as personal residence. After the royal family was exiled, the mansion was rented to the Grand Bretagne hotel and became a hotel under the name “Petit Palais”. In the mid-20th century, the Italian state bought the building for its embassy.^ου αιώνα, το αγόρασε το ιταλικό κράτος για να μεταφέρει εκεί την πρεσβεία του.

Embassy of Egypt

Nikolas Psychas built his own mansion next to the one of Stefanos Psychas, his brother. The building was designed by E. Ziller. The Egyptian embassy has been housed there since the mid-20th century.^ου αιώνα στεγάζεται σε αυτό η αιγυπτιακή πρεσβεία.

Embassy of USA

The embassy of the United States of America in Athens was built in the mid-20th^ου century by famous architect Walter Gropius and is another sample of the Bauhaus architecture. The architect has said that the design was inspired by the Parthenon.

Oh! Rejoice, people of Plaka,
primeval Knights
and righteous Greeks;
Oh! Rejoice ye sole
descendants of Kydathenians
and scions of gentlemen.

Plaka was theerstwhile
hearth of the graces
andof the eupatrids;
Plaka is the only place,
where the true Athens
of the Peisistratidsis.

Here there is floridness,
here there is classicism
of theglorious years;
Here the mind is raised,
and on her top,
the giant Parthenon stands.

In these verses of 1885, G. Souris, summarizes the picture of Plaka, the oldest quarter of Athens. Built in the shadow of the Acropolis, Plaka was the neighbourhood of the genuine Athenians,(or as they were called “gkagkaroi”),born and raised there. Today, that the image of the capital has changed, the quarter of Plaka remains the most “authentic” neighborhood of the city, like a window to the Athens of the past. A walk is enough for the history of the city to unfold before us, from the ancient times to our days.

The Ancient Agora is located within the limits of Plaka.Indeed, until the early 20th century,^ου the image of the region was completely different, because where the archaeological site lays, was the Vlasaros neighbourhood, with houses, narrow streets and shops. The expropriations enabled the archaeologists to excavate and highlight the centreof the classical Athens.

One of the landmarks of Plaka, the Monument of Lysicrates, is of the same era andwas built the on 4th century BC.^ο is of the same era andwas built the on 4th century BC. It survives to this day. During the Turkish Occupation, the monument was part of the Capuchin Monastery which was demolished during the revolution.

In the Roman times, the heart of the city continued to beat in this place. The Roman Forum and theneighbouring Library of Hadrian,  bear testament to the heyday of Athens. One of the most famous monuments is the tower of “Winds”, because of the images of the winds on the building’s aspects.

From the Classical and the Roman times, we pass on to the years of the Byzantium. The scattered churches demonstrate the continuous habitation of the area, although the city lostits ancient splendour. The most important of these temples are AgioiApostoloi(St. Apostles) in the Ancient Agora, AgiaAikaterini(St. Catherine) and Agios Nikolaos (St. Nickolas)Ragavas..

In Plaka, it is difficult not to notice important Ottoman monuments such as theMedrese Mosque,the Muslim Seminary and the FatimaMosque Τζαμί , which was built in 1458, two years after the fall of Constantinople, in honor of Mehmed the Conqueror, when he visited Athens. A restored monument of the Ottoman era is the Hamamm of Ampit Efendi or ”Bath House of the Winds” which belongs to the Museum of Greek Folk Art.

The numerous neoclassical and preserved buildings of the area, house other important museums as well. In Kydathinaion street, the Main Building of the Museum of Greek Folk Art is located Among the collections, the one withthe paintings of Theophilos, stands out. In the same street, we can see the Greek Children’s Museum,with activities for the litlle guests.

The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments of Phoebus Anoyianakis-Centre of Ethnomusicology, is the meeting point for all music lovers.. The core of the museum is the collection of musical instruments of the musicologist Phoebus Anoyianakis, a collection exposed to all three floors of the museum, while educational programs and learning seminars of musical instruments, aim at the preservation and the promotion of the Greek musical tradition.

The house of the folklorist Angeliki Hatzimichali, functions as a Museum of Folk Art and Tradition. In a space decorated with traditional elements, educational seminars are organized, focusing on the acquaintance with folk art. The museum has also a rich library, with a collection of volumes and magazines of ethnography, art and folkloristics. 

In a building of the 19th century,^ου the Museum of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulos, is housed. Μουσείο Παύλου και Αλεξάνδρας ΚανελλοπούλουIn the halls of the museum the private collection of the Kanellopoulos couple is presented, with articles covering the history of Greek Art from prehistoric to contemporary times.

The building that the first Greek University functioned, houses the Athens University History Museum.The collections consist of rare books,, scientific instruments, portraits of professors, etc. Perhaps the most famous exhibit of the museum, is the banner of Athens University, work of Gyzis and Iakovidis.

In a Turkish occupation building, in Thoukididou Street we can see Μορφωτικού Ιδρύματος της Εθνικής Τραπέζηςthat was restored radically by the bank in 1966. Today, it houses the administrative offices of the Foundation and its educational seminars. In a neoclassical building in Plaka, the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive (E.L.I.A.), has developed its activities. On its premises, the researchers can look up very rich collections, files, photos, documents and objects, covering the history of our country over the past centuries.

Another building in the region, equally known to the museums but less visible, is the house of Mr. Kokovikos, the famous “Antonakis”, from the movie “The woman should revere her husband.” The house with the yard of the early 19th century, awaits its utilization at Tripodon 32 street, restored but hidden behind the scaffolding.^ουαιώνα, περιμένει στην οδό Τριπόδων 32, αναστυλωμένο αλλά κρυμμένο πίσω από σκαλωσιές την αξιοπόιησή του.

Anafiotika, the island- like neighbourhood of Athens, deserves a special mention. In the 19th century, workers from Anafi came to the capital, to work in the rebuilding of the city. They built the neighborhood on the northeastern of Acropolis, giving it a Cycladic color, reminiscent of their home.

Apart from the museums and the archaeological sites, Plaka is famous for its restaurants and taverns, whichbring together Greek and foreign regulars. But this is not something new. Again, in his poem “Plaka”, G. Souris, rather satirically, states:

But now who knows
if the wise men’s places
are not the taverns,
and if the Vlamides
empty the casks with laughter,
and play the violins?

Breath of gold centuries
and of Parthenon
blow all around;
but along with them
comes the smellof retsina*
wineand mustalevria**.

So, this reputation of Plaka as a region full of “taverns” where “Vlamides empty casks and play the violin”, has made Plaka, the traditional meeting point on the days of the Carnival. This year, therefore, Plaka “shall wear its best oufit” and will be the focus of the festive programs prepared by the City of Athens. So it will be an opportunity for a walk around Plaka, for a walk through culture, history and civilization.

The photo that accompanies the text is a painting of C. Savvakis “Students in Epicharmou Street” is taken from the website: http://plakadiadromes.webnode.gr

Giannis Loukas

After the positive opinion of the Central Archaeological Council for the studies of protection, fixation, maintenance of surfaces, restoration and promotion of antiquities, at the “Hagia Sophia” station, as well as for the corresponding electromechanical, and architectural for the configuration of the interior space of the Shell, which surrounds the Antiquities, at the “Venizelou” Station, the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni stated that, the cycle of studies for the protection and promotion of the antiquities that were revealed during the construction of the two specific stations of the Thessaloniki Metro. The Ministry of Culture and Sports systematically and within the timeframe, proceeds to the completion of an extremely complex archaeological project, in the urban fabric of Thessaloniki, the like of which has not been implemented, so far. In this way, the Ministry achieves not only the preservation of the evidence of the historical timelessness of the city, but also highlights the antiquities, with modern and in many cases original solutions, creating archaeological sites, within the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki. Thanks to the painstaking and intensive efforts of the Working Group, under the Coordination of the competent directorates of the Ministry of Culture and sports, we show in practice our respect for the past of Thessaloniki and prove that with our specific choices, with knowledge and dedication, ancient and Metro can coexist”.

The northern entrance of the Hagia Sophia station of the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki, with a total area of 820 sq.m., is located south of Makedonomachon Square and north of the station, between Agias Sofias and Platonos streets. The excavation began in April 2016, continued in 2019 and was completed in 2022, bringing to light part of the urban urban fabric of the city of Thessaloniki, which is structured north of decumanus maximus, the Byzantine Avenue (today’s Egnatia Street), in a sequence of building phases, from late antiquity and early Byzantine times to post-Byzantine and modern times. Part of a large sigmoid marble-paved square of the 6th century was uncovered., to which he led a monumental scale from the level of the tract. In Byzantine times, the area of the Square was occupied by shops and workshops in which ceramics, glass and metal jewelry were produced, while in the early post-Byzantine times a nahydrion was added.

The preparation of the studies on antiquities at the “Hagia Sophia” station, as well as the previous studies for the same station (re-location of the fountain building, construction of a shelter for the protection of Antiquities, construction of a viewing corridor and a descent scale at the level of antiquities for their preservation and shaping of the surrounding area), was processed by a wide working group with the participation of the five competent Directorates of the Ministry of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the city of Thessaloniki and external scientific associates.

David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and Alexandros Tombazis they were unanimously selected in the architectural competition for the National Archaeological Museum of Athens by the international jury. The proposal was presented in the presence of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The National Archaeological Museum houses one of the most important collections prehistoric and ancient Greek art worldwide. The original neoclassical building of Ludwig Lange and Ernst Ziller dates from 1866-1874 and acquired various additions in the years that followed. With its upgrade and expansion, The National Archaeological Museum will be modernized to become an open space that meets modern standards of quality and sustainability. The revival of the National Archaeological Museum, which is a strong link between the modern Greeks and their cultural heritage, it also symbolizes the strengthening the Greek cultural contribution to international visitors a year that has seen a record number of foreign tourists arriving in the country.

The proposal was inspired by the essence of Lange’s original design – a romantic idea, influenced by philhellenism of the time, for a bourgeois landscape with extensive open spaces within the dense urban fabric – and use the emblematic building as a starting point for design, framing it with a romantic garden references. The base of the existing building extends up to the street, creating a new background for the Historic Landmark, and adds two levels of cave exhibition spaces. With one move, an additional space of 20,000 T is created.µ. and a park with lush vegetation on their roof, accessible to everyone. Respecting the historical value of the building, the new extension does not aspire to compete with the existing architecture, but to create a harmonious set of spaces that will balance between the old and the new.

The design follows the existing topography: an imposing neoclassical building in front of a large, green square. The expansion will house key public functions of the museum-ticketing, shop, restaurant, auditorium as well as new spaces for permanent and temporary exhibitions – organized symmetrically drawing on historical architecture. The main entrance is moved to the front, at street level, reinforcing the museum’s relationship with the city. With a new look, the museum communicates openly with the urban environment, allowing passers-by eye contact with the new exhibition areas.

Entering the Museum, the visitor follows a course of a continuous, flowing, exhibition space that runs through the two levels of the new building and eventually leads to the neoclassical building. An austere architectural vocabulary of pure volumes, diagonal visual escapements and walls constructed of rammed-earth (compacted soil) create a contrast with historical sites. Together with a game of precision light and shadow, they create a dramatic sensation in the cave space, a sensitive background for the objects and sculptures of the collection that will be exhibited in it.

The Museum Garden will provide a cool, quiet, public space, elevated in relation to the bustling activity of the city. The surroundings, studied by the Office of Belgian landscape architects, Wirtz International, are rich in textures. The arrangement of new low volumes allows planting emblematic trees on their roof. Landscaped plateaus and paths paved with gravel, grassland, clumps of pine and pine nuts, evergreens Arias and moulded shrubland are references to 19th-Century Parks. The park is accessible from all directions, while an indoor, rundown, courtyard in the heart of the complex unifies the old and the new,creating a pleasant space for the visitors of the Museum and the residents of the city.

Competition 2022

Contracting authority Ministry of Culture and Sports

Architects David Chipperfield Architects Berlin, Tombazis & Associates

Architects, Wirtz International Landscape Architects, Werner

Sobek, wh-p Ingenieure

The Cultural Organization will put its own” stamp ” on the events organized by the municipality of Patras for Tsiknopempti (February 16th) this year from early morning by carrying out a series of actions in neighborhoods and squares of the city.

The events are dominated by the element of folk and tradition, with the shapes of the Cultural Organization and folk groups creating and presenting music , dances and songs harmonized with the spirit of the days.

In the afternoon, the public benefit of the Carnival of Patras takes the baton with the realization in the Upper Town of the event-parody of the “weddings of the Queen Of The Carnival” and concerts.

DETAILED PROGRAM OF EVENTS TSIKNOPEMPT 16 FEBRUARY AND PURE MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY

TSIKNOPEMPTI 16 FEBRUARY 2023

Folk Music will visit City’s primary schools

11.00   the wind ensemble of the Municipal Conservatory of Patras will play outside the Municipal Conservatory

11.00-14.30  the” Brass Band ” consisting of renowned virtuoso musicians of our city will tour throughout the city center with traditional songs.

12.00-15.00 AMPELOKIPI SQUARE

Folk traditional feast by a five-member orchestra

12.00-15.00 ELEFTHERIAS SQUARE

The group “Artists’ haunt ” will hold a folk feast with traditional song.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON EDITIONS

19.00-UPPER TOWN – ” THE WEDDING OF THE CARNIVAL QUEEN)

A parody on the theme of the “wedding of the Queen Of The Carnival” and starring the suitors who will try to steal her heart.

Based on a proposal of the Dance Department Cultural Organization with the participation of clubs.

19.00 SERENADER CONCERT (DANCE-SKALES GEROKOSTOPOULOS)

Concert with the participation of the Santa Maura Choirs-Association of Lefkadites of Patras “Faneromeni”.

21.00 GEORGIOU A ‘SQUARE-CONCERT WITH “GIDIKI”

A distinctive musical form with a special style which, through traditional instruments such as the lute, clarinet, violin, percussion, implements a modern approach to the traditional.

“GINTIKI” have been next to important artists such as Thanasis Papakonstantinou, Matoula Zamani, Chainides, Villagers of Ioannina City, Spyros Grammenos, Vasso Vassiliadou and to their credit have many live performances in Greece and in festivals abroad (France, Germany).