Heritage in Motion

ISSN: 1871-417X EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE REVIEW SUMMER 2013

EUROPA NOSTRA represents a rapidly growing citizens’ movement for the safeguarding of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. Our panEuropean network is composed of 250 member organisations (heritage associations and foundations with a combined membership of more than 5 million people), 150 associated organisations (governmental bodies, local authorities and corporations) and also 1500 individual members who directly support our mission.

Together, • we form an important lobby for cultural heritage in Europe; • we celebrate excellence through the European Heritage Awards organised by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Union; and • we campaign to save Europe’s endangered historic monuments, sites and cultural landscapes.

We are the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

Subway Treasures, Cultural Footpaths and Great Food Former Royal Estate in Danger Renzo Piano’s New Library and much more

GREEK SPECIAL

What does Europe think?

With Herman Van Rompuy, José-Manuel BARROSO and Androulla Vassiliou

CALL FOR ENTRIES EUROPEAN UNION PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE/ EUROPA NOSTRA AWARDS 2014

The European Union Prize for Cultural

Outstanding heritage achievements will

Heritage was launched in 2002 by

be awarded in the following categories:

the European Commission as part of

1. Conservation

the implementation of the Culture

2. Research

Programme. Europa Nostra, the Voice of

3. Dedicated Service by Individuals or

Cultural Heritage in Europe, was selected Organisations to run this Awards Scheme on the

4. Education, Training and Awareness-

basis of its long experience in publicly

Raising

recognising individual or joint excellence in the field of Cultural Heritage at a

Criteria for the assessment of entries

European level.

include excellence in the work executed and preliminary research conducted,

The European Union Prize for Cultural

as well as respect for artistic, cultural

Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards is

and social value, setting, authenticity

granted annually to identify and promote and integrity. Entries can be on a best practices in the conservation of

scale ranging from small to large,

tangible cultural heritage, to stimulate

local to international, and should

the trans-frontier exchanges of

display a standard of work considered

knowledge and experience throughout

outstanding in a European context.

Europe, to enhance public awareness

CLOSING DATE : 9 september 2013

and appreciation of Europe’s cultural

The European Union Prize for Cultural

For further information:

heritage, and to encourage further

Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards

EUROPA NOSTRA

exemplary initiatives through the Power consists of two award levels. Up to of Example.

Elena Bianchi: Heritage Awards Coordinator

seven entries will be awarded a Grand

T. + 31 70 302 40 58 eb@europanostra.org

Prix, which includes a monetary award

Download an entry form: www.europanostra.org

of € 10 000. Up to twenty-five entries will receive an Award.

Published by EUROPA NOSTRA The Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe European Cultural Heritage Review (June 2013) ISSN:1871-417X

Production MYRA, Istanbul, Turkiye Design Supervisor Rauf Kösemen Coordination Damla Özlüer

President Plácido Domingo

Periodical Design Tülay Demircan, Banu Y. Ocak

Executive President Denis de Kergorlay

Page Layout Gülderen Rençber Erbaş

Secretary-General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović

Technical Controls Harun Yılmaz

Editor in Chief Wolter Braamhorst

Paper and Printing FOTOLIO+TYPICON SA

Concept TV Culture

Articles written by TV Culture (except where noted) Special Thanks Costa and Lydia Carras Elliniki Etairia Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović Dimitris Ioannidis Proofreaders Athina Mitropoulos Alex Donk Photography TV Culture Elliniki Etairia Wiki Commons (except where noted)

Websites europanostra.org myra.com.tr tvculture.nl ellet.gr EUROPA NOSTRA INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT Lange Voorhout 35 NL - 2514 EC The Hague T +31 (0) 70 302 40 50 F +31 (0) 70 361 78 65 info@europanostra.org

All rights reserved.

No part of either publication may be reproduced in any material form, including electronic means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Europa Nostra.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of old material.

Where these efforts have not been successful, copyright owners are invited to contact the editor.

The Representation of the European Commission in Greece financially supported the printing of this issue.

EUROPA NOSTRA 50th ANNIVERSARY CONGRESS & EUROPEAN HERITAGE AWARDS CEREMONY 2013 ATHENS, 13 - 16 JUNE 2013

HONORARY COMMITTEE Under the Auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Dr. Karolos Papoulias

H.E. Antonis Samaras, Prime Minister of Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos, Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Arvanitopoulos, Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports Costas Tzavaras, Alternate Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, European Ombudsman Anni Podimata, Vice President, European Parliament Chrysoula Paliadeli, Vice-Chair of the Committee of Petitions, Member of the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament Kriton Arsenis, Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament Theodoros Skylakakis, Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament Yorgos Kaminis, Mayor of Athens His Eminence Metropolitan of Pergamon Ioannis, Member of the Academy of Athens Lina Mendoni, Secretary General of Culture, Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports Tassos Kriekoukis , Ambassador Spyros Iakovides, Member of the Academy of Athens Christos Zerefos, Member of the Academy of Athens, President of the Mariolopoulos - Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences Anastasios-Pavlos Leventis, Chairman, A.G. Leventis Foundation George Agourides, Board Member & Chief Legal Counsel, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dimitris Vlastos, President, Bodossaki Foundation Kanaris Tsinganos, President, National Observatory of Athens Dimitris Pandermalis, President, Acropolis Museum Angelos Delivorrias, Director, Benaki Museum Yorgos Loukos, President, Hellenic Festival Yannis S. Costopoulos, Chairman, Alpha Bank Michael Tsamaz, Chairman and CEO, OTE Group Nikos Koumettis, President, Coca-Cola Central & Southern Europe Betty Kazakopoulou, President, Asset Ogilvy Public Relations Theodoros Cotionis, Managing Director, Bold Ogilvy Lila Marangou, Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology Petros Themelis, Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology Nicholas and Matrona Egon Fotini Livanos EdmÊe Leventis Thanassis and Marina Martinos

Welcome by the President I clearly remember walking up to the Acropolis and along the remnants of ancient Athens for the first time, many years ago. It was an unforgettable experience. I wish that every European is able to stand there, face to face with history itself. The story of Europe, the story of us Europeans, is almost nowhere more tangible than in those magnificent monuments and sites. If we think about Europe and the European idea, our thoughts turn automatically to Greece and its history, a history that defined the democratic origins and cultural identity of our continent.

The awareness of our cultural indebtedness to Greece was precisely the reason for Europa Nostra to decide to hold its 50th Anniversary Congress in Athens. In those 50 years Europa Nostra has developed into a Europe-wide movement highlighting the meaning and advocating the power of cultural heritage.

As we celebrate the European Year of Citizens in 2013, it is important to note that the concept of citizens was first coined in Athens. Citizen is a term I associate not only with rights, but also with responsibilities.

Citizenship to me means taking responsibility when it is needed. The last time I gave a concert in Athens, six years ago, it was at the invitation of an organisation that knows what taking responsibility really means.

Together with Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, I was honoured to perform in a benefit concert organised by “Doctors Without Borders” to raise funds for helping people who were victims of the conflict in Darfur.

What a joy and what an honour to be back to Athens in June 2013, to be the host at the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, together with European Commission Androulla Vassiliou, of this year’s Award giving Ceremony for the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. Among the 30 winners of our awards, we shall honour two Greek initiatives, both related to the heritage of the Acropolis. Alas, not all Greek heritage locations are so well preserved and have deployed their full potential.

Take for instance the former Royal Estate of Tatoi, now one of the shortlisted nominations for “The 7 Most Endangered.” This new flagship programme that Europa Nostra is developing together with the European Investment Bank Group, gives new hope and encouragement to all those who wish to save threatened heritage sites across Europe.

Collectively, we can tackle our common problems in a more efficient way and we can forge a better future.

George Bernard Shaw, one of the many European writers inspired by Greece, once wrote: We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the

responsibility for our future. Indeed, our cultural heritage is not just part of our shared past, it is also part of our collective future. Our heritage is not a liability in today’s uncertain and unstable times.

It is, above all, an opportunity. Greece is an excellent example of a country that can create a great return on investment through taking good care of its unique cultural heritage.

In this Greek Special of our Heritage in Motion magazine you will discover many interesting initiatives and projects, many of which have been undertaken by Greek civil society organisations.

We will travel from archaeological finds in a new subway to secluded monasteries on far flung islands, from ancient temples to modern architecture, from priceless art collections to historical walking trails.

The cultural heritage of Greece is much more than classical art and architecture, since it encompasses prehistoric fortresses and medieval castles, sleepy villages and busy towns, green valleys and snow topped mountains.

We also feel honoured and encouraged that three eminent European personalities, the European President Mr. Herman van Rompuy, the President of the European Commission, Mr. José-Manuel Barroso and the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Mrs. Androulla Vassiliou, kindly accepted to give exclusive interviews for this magazine and thus to share with us their vision of the importance of Europe as a cultural project. We are also very grateful to the European Union Representation in Greece for financially supporting the printing of this issue of our magazine.

I hope that the many interesting stories and interviews published in this Greek Special will inspire you to support our cause. Let us always remember: it is our culture and our heritage that are the essence of what makes Europe Europe.

Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra

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The long and troubled history of Europe’s most iconic monument

Green Church 34 The How the Greek Orthodox Church turned green

Byron, Hero of 44 Lord Greece

The famous poet was a lover of all things Greek

Taste of Tradition 48 The Discovering the best food of Greece

Tatoi

Trails 76 Ancient The Paths of Culture project

FEATURE COUNTRY DREAMS

HERITAGE IN DANGER

Lost Fairytale 56 The The Former Royal Estate of

FEATURE

Acropolis of Athens: The Heart 24 The of Europe

LIVING HERITAGE

the subway systems of Thessaloníki and Athens

SHORT STORY

Underground 16 Going Ancient treasures of

CULINARY

Survival of the Oldest 06 Plaka: Saving the oldest neighbourhood of Europe

TREASURE

CONTENTS

The Nature of Giving The Ambition and Passion of the A.G. Leventis Foundation

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New Narrative for Europe Interview with José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

The Terror of Tagging / 12 Extra Curriculum The Schools of Archaeology in Athens / 20 Mysterious Mycenae / 30 Great Defense The Medieval Castles of Greece / 38 Not Utopia But Entopia / 42 The Last Flame of the Byzantines The Wonders of the Archaeological Site of Mystras / 52 Stargazing The National Observatory of Athens / 62 The Power of Revitalisation / 66

FEATURE

“Investment in Culture is a Necessity” Interview with Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

A Modern Temple of Ancient Art /68 Panorama Athens / 72 A Guide to Ancient Democracy / 80 Now and Then Restorations with an Impact / 86 A Silver Lining The Rebirth of the Lavrion Industrial Complex / 96 Stories from the Islands / 100 The Ancient Theatre of Modern Life / 106

PARTNER

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FEATURE

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“Culture is at the Centre of the European Project” An interview with Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council

FEATURE

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BEFORE & AFTER

Chapter 92 ATheNewNational Library of Greece is Moving on

An Archaeologist’s Dream The Wonders of Ancient Messene / 112 Stream of Consciousness The Acheloos River Controversy / 116 Modern Movement in Ancient Athens / 120 Heart of Passion The Story of the Benaki Museum / 136 Pioneers of Greek Civil Society: Elliniki Etairia / 144

TREASURE

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Plaka

Survival of the Oldest

You do not have to imagine walking in the footsteps of your ancestors, because in Tripodon street, for instance, a road unchanged since antiquity, you literally are. Plaka is probably the only area in Europe which has been continuously inhabited for the last 5000 years.

Irene Fafaliou

It therefore comes as no surprise to the inhabitants of this ancient quarter to discover a 2500 year

Anafiotika and Plaka as seen from the Acropolis

If we think of the past and the present as neighbours, the walls separating them are nowhere as wafer-thin as in Greece. In some places the walls do not even seem to be there at all. In the famous Plaka district of Athens, at the foot of the Acropolis, echoes of the long and winding road of history can be felt in every house and on every street.

old well in their cellar or a city wall in their garden. Talking to the inhabitants of Plaka reveals the great love and respect they feel for the neighbourhood which is their home. Irene Fafaliou shows me around her beautifully restored house in the centre of Plaka. “Luckily my brother is an architect, because restoring a house built on

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the foundations of other houses, which in turn are built on even older foundations, is not easy. The rules and regulations for building and restorations in Plaka are strict and rightly so, but it makes the process slow and complicated.” In the middle of her charming living room one feature stands out: a huge wall serves as a room divider of epic proportions. She takes me to the garden to show how the wall is a part of the basic structure of the house. In the ancient cellar there is a staircase where each step leads you further into history.

The houses in this area all seem to intertwine and grow organically from the bedrock. “Living in Plaka means living close to another. Your privacy is limited and you have to accept and embrace that.”

Irene Fafaliou is just one of the growing group of people who move back to Plaka. Documentary filmmaker Lydia Carras and her husband Costa, the founders of Elliniki Etairia (Society for the Protection of the Environment and

Typical Plaka street

husband needed some more time,” she says with a smile.

Lydia Carras and her husband Costa

Cultural Heritage), have also lived for many years in a beautifully restored house in Plaka. From their intimate garden you can not only see the Acropolis but also a tiny chapel situated in the courtyard.

“People still come here every year to celebrate. It is a wonderful occasion to share the history of this place. As soon as I saw this house, I knew I wanted to live here. My

Lydia Carras has worked to save Plaka since the 1970s. The ancient quarter of the city has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times throughout its long history.

Modern day threats, however, are even more serious and might have meant total annihilation. As she leads me through a labyrinth of alleyways, stairways and stone cobbled streets, she talks with passion about this unique quarter.

The architecture of Plaka is eclectic to say the least. Beautifully restored romantic mansions and byzantine churches stand next to abandoned buildings, and traditional taverns can be found next to cheap tourist restaurants, where the food and wine is a sad excuse for nourishment. On the lower side we find the ancient agoras and Hadrian’s library next to an endless serpentine street of tourist shops and high up the hill we encounter idyllic Anafiotika, traditional ramshackle

Chapel in the Carras’s garden

houses built in the 19th century by construction workers from the island of Anafi. They were hired to build King Otto’s palace, which can still be seen in the distance.

Walking through Plaka today is an interesting and authentic experience. Even though the area is very touristy, it is still possible to find a surprising amount of peace and quiet, far from the crowds. But the current situation is the result of many years of hard work and perseverance against all odds. Lydia Carras explains: “Ever since Greek independence in 1833, Athens wanted to show off its ancient roots. The original plan was that Plaka would be torn down and to make way for an archaeological zone centred around the Acropolis and including the ancient Greek and Roman agoras.

The threat of the area being torn down, had a disastrous effect on the community of Plaka.”

The archaeological master-plan stifled positive developments.

The insecurity resulted in a lack of investment. The government began to expropriate houses preemptively. Still more than 200 houses are owned by the government. Young people started to move away, lower income populations moved in, fewer and fewer people owned their own houses. The streets were mainly used to park a growing number of cars. The dilapidated state of the district attracted the worst elements of the tourist industry like moths to a flame. The area started to fill up with cheap bars and loud night clubs, bringing with them mafia, prostitution and drugs. For the few people still living in Plaka, the nights were short with neon lights and club music all night long.

Restaurant street with a distant view of the Acropolis

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TREASURE

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Restored and unrestored next to one another House in Anafiotika

“It just had to stop. In 1978, 21 local and national organisations formed an alliance to save Plaka.

We started to convince people something should and could be done.”

Step by step the people of Athens as well as the politicians started to realise the true potential of Plaka.

Europa Nostra issued a statement against the use of neon lights and amplifiers. A letter of support to save Plaka was signed by many celebrities, including Melina Mercouri and Mikis Theodorakis.

A key moment was the passing of a new law on land use, started by Minister of Environment Stefanos Manos but implemented - without change - by one of his successors, the late Antonis Tritsis. The fact that Tritsis was from an opposing political party showed the depolarization of the issue. In the 1980s the work done in Plaka also a received a Europa Nostra Medal.

Fast forward 30 years. Much has changed for the better. Lydia

being restored, but we would like them to step up the pace. We have had many successes over the years, but we are not there yet. The area is so important for the tourist industry. Recently somebody started to buy up restaurants and tried to change the strict rules and regulations to be able to take over large parts of Plaka. We are watchful and thankfully their plans did not succeed, but it shows that the stakes are high and that it is an ongoing struggle.”

Carras’ work and that of many other professionals and volunteers has paid off. She enjoys living in ancient Plaka but fully realises that there are still challenges ahead. “It can be a struggle.

Some houses owned by the Archaeological Service are now

Walking through Plaka you see a sharp contrast between one street and the next. While some buildings are in a beautifully restored state, next door you may find a neglected house covered in graffiti. In Plaka the battle for survival is fought one house at a time. The ancient streets survived thousands of years. Now, thanks to the work of many, Plaka has a new lease on life and will remain as an inseparable part of the Acropolis and the history of Europe.

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OPINION

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The Terror of Tagging Tagging the city has become the Greek national pastime of anyone old enough to hold a spray can.

The European crisis did not help matters. Disgruntled youths changed Athens into a surreal film-set of a cheap disaster movie.

Long gone is the time, only five years ago, when author Jerry Goldstein walked the streets of the Greek capital to locate true gems for his book Street Art. Today’s graffiti cannot be labelled artistic even with the thickest rose-coloured glasses. Tags are not

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only covering the usual suspects; railroad overpasses, dimly lit tunnels, abandoned factories and derelict houses, but also ancient monuments, government buildings and 5 star hotels. From a small century’s old street in Plaka to the main elegant shopping streets, the floodgates of poor taste and judgement have opened.

After the riots in December 2008, the situation got more and more out of hand and the people who try to clean up the streets and

buildings simply cannot keep up.

Mindless tags and scrawls, one often on top of another, may be the result of boredom or desperation, but the impact on the city as a whole is devastating. They can make even Athens, one of the most attractive and beautiful places in the world, look bleak and forlorn.

The problem is spreading. Even the ancient acropolis of sleepy Sparta,

University of Athens Byzantine wall with graffiti

OPINION

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Street in Plaka

far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, cannot escape the terror of tagging. The solution has to be found quickly. Already, lasting damage has been inflicted on ancient monuments and sites. Although optimism about the Greek economy is growing, chances are that the young Greeks

will still face difficult times in the years ahead. Their enthusiasm for spray painting the city will obviously not diminish by itself.

Great graffiti can be an asset for a town; an inspiration for artists and a delight and surprise for visitors.

The Greek graffiti however has to be stopped in its tracks.

Government and civil society should combine forces to tackle the problem. Other big cities around the globe face similar problems. It would be a good idea to copy the best practices from elsewhere, in Lisbon or New York for instance, where the worst side of graffiti seems to be under control.

.com.tr

for a catchy design...

FEATURE

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Going Underground Treasures of the Subway Most subway systems in the world are sad looking, depressing places where functionality is the key designing element. Not often does a subterranean trip from a to b contain a quick stroll past a museum exhibit or an ancient temple ruin. In Greece, however, this is a real possibility. As soon as you put a spade to the ground anywhere in the country, you stand a chance of hitting some ancient treasure or a long lost city of legend. One can imagine that constructing an underground tunnel has a tendency to lead to an archaeological surprise or two.

Athens underground museum

Map of Photos of ThessalonĂ­ki subway excavations Thessaloniki by Y.PAI.TH.P.A./GENIKI GRAMMATEIA underground POLITISMOU/ 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities (Directed by Dr. Despina Makropoulou) and 16th Ephorate of Pre-historic and Classical Antiquities (Directed by Dr. V.MisailidouDespotidou), Ministry for Education, Religions, Culture and Sports / General Secretariat of Culture

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Both of the underground systems of Thessaloníki and Athens have led to stunning discoveries and subsequent delays in construction.

In Athens the main underground lines have been finished and many of the finds are displayed in museum displays in the corridors of the subway stations. In Thessaloníki the excavations led by the 9th Ephorate for Byzantine and Post-byzantine Antiquities*, and the 16th Ephorate for the Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture* are still ongoing. New discoveries are made on a daily basis. Almost every day, the newspapers discuss the problems and the delays of the construction. Even though the building companies’ enthusiasm for archaeology is severely tested, the general public is actively supporting the protection of their heritage.

Architect Dr. Ioanna Steriotou, Vice-President of the Scientific Council of Europa Nostra, has

followed the metro excavations with professional interest over many years. “Thessaloníki traditionally had no trams or boats for public transportation. You only had buses. To keep the city moving, the subway was needed.

The archaeologists originally suggested another route for the two parallel lines that are now being constructed. We know where the main archaeological sites are and we wanted to avoid most of them to save time and money. The lines that are now being built go straight through the main axis of the historical city.”

Thessaloníki was named after the half-sister of Alexander the Great, who was married to king Cassander (350 – 297), King of Macedonia. More than 2300 years of Greek, Roman and Ottoman history are stacked on top of one another, layer after layer. The great fire of 1917 had destroyed a large part of the historical centre and the excavations would

offer an excellent opportunity to rediscover the old lay-out of the city. Digging to a depth of 30 metres to create more than 9 kilometres of tunnels and stations, the consortium of construction companies - partially financed by the European Investment Bank soon hit the lottery of all delays; treasures beyond all expectations.

The scientific excavations necessary before construction, hit the equivalent of an archaeological jackpot with a total of 50,000 coins and 40,000 other movable finds, like pottery, oil lamps, glass

Dimokratia Square Station.

General view of the excavations. *The 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities is led by Dr. Despina Makropoulou *The 16th Ephorate of Pre-historic and Classical Antiquities is led by Dr. V.MisailidouDespotidou Funerary gifts

FEATURE

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phials, jewellery and funeral gifts.

In many locations, graveyards were found with thousands of tombs, some with priceless gifts.

Monastiraki Station, Athens

Ioanna Steriotou: “Along the central axis of the present-day Egnatia Street, in the heart of the historical centre, they found nine gold crowns and other golden objects from Macedonian times.

Inside Venizelou Station for instance, it was like we stepped right into a market square of late Roman and Byzantine times with shops and workshops, displaying their products. Many small items and jewellery such as crosses, bracelets in glass or copper, rings of copper and silver were unearthed.

High levels of mercury, used in the production of precious metals, were detected, causing further

construction delays. Apparently, gold and silver smiths had their shops here - as they still do today - which caused the pollution. One of the most impressive finds is the ancient street that dates back to the 3rd century BC. After continuous use for more than four centuries, the street was re-constructed by the Romans.

This monumental street paved with marble, will, we hope, be on view once again for the people of Thessaloníki. This main street represents the continuing life of a capital city of over 23 centuries. It is unique in the world.”

Exactly how this street will be displayed to the public, is still subject of a heated and continued debate. Some authorities want to move the finds to another location, while others think that the discoveries should stay in situ.

A technical solution has now been found to accommodate this. Will the stations be transformed into local museums showing the ancient city as a living memory in a modern world? In a BBC interview, Despina Makropoulou, the head of the 9th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities insists the antiquities should stay in their original position.

“It is self-evident that we should preserve and showcase the finds for current and future generations. In Greece, we are not in the business of making cars. Our heavy industry is culture, the heritage of our ancestors. We must be proud, but also worthy of this heritage.”

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The ongoing debate about these important finds and how they must be displayed will continue as excavations continue. The project is already four years behind schedule and counting. To date, more than three quarters of the excavations have been carried out.

It is the biggest excavation that is in progress at this time in the whole of Greece.

“The way ahead is still very long.

We are digging in areas that have never been excavated before. Most finds are of great significance.

At this moment everything is under consideration,” Ioanna Steriotou says after some pause. “The employees of the construction companies know the archaeological procedures very well by now. Although they are working in double shifts, the excavations are put forward as the cause for the construction delays. The truth is, of course, that there are many other reasons for delays as well, but it is convenient to blame the archaeologists. The

excavations show the continuing life of a capital city of over 23 centuries; a magnificent historical city, which has maintained its original character over an impressively long period of history. The Thessaloníki metro

system is an archaeologist’s dream, but a builder’s nightmare.

However, the archaeologists did not choose this route, the builders did.”

Syntrivani Station.

Mosaic floor with a phoenix (above) Aghia Sophia Station.

Monumental marble street

LIVING HERITAGE

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Extra Curriculum The Schools of Archaeology in Athens Wherever you travel through Greece, through the busiest city or the remotest village, you might have the opportunity to encounter the telltale signs of a rare breed of people. Little poles sticking out of the ground, strangely flattened earth surrounded by delicate ropes, bright orange defensive lines, bulky as well as minute tents scattered like an extended family along a hilltop, battered pick-up trucks filled with mysterious equipment. The young and enthusiastic students and teachers

of the foreign archaeological schools in Greece have played a central role in Greek excavations for over a century.

Since the 19th century, seventeen foreign archaeological institutions have officially been accredited in Greece. They are all based in Athens. Their combined efforts have unearthed many sites in Corinth, Pylos, Knossos, Sparta, Delos, Delphi, Olympia and Tiryns, to name but a few. The foreign schools are a significant

resource for Greek language, literature, history, archaeology, philosophy, and art.

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All the foreign schools in Athens have extensive programs to train students and enthusiasts. They run libraries and research institutes. Their activities are usually accessible to the general public as well. More information can be found on their websites.

• American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) • Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA) • Austrian Archaeological Institute at Athens (ÖAI Athens) • Belgian School at Athens (EBSA) • British School at Athens (BSA) • Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG-ICG) • Danish Institute at Athens (DIA) • Finnish Institute at Athens (FIA) • French School at Athens (EfA) • Georgian Institute at Athens • German Archaeological Institute at Athens (DAI Athens) • Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens (IIHSA) • Italian School of Archaeology at Athens (SAIA) • Netherlands Institute in Athens (NIA, see below) • Norwegian Institute at Athens (also NIA, see above) • Swedish Institute at Athens (SIA) • Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (ESAG/SASG/SEAG)

One of the leading schools is the American School of Classical Studies, founded in 1881. Since 2012, James Wright is at the helm as director. Like the directors of the other foreign schools, Professor Wright is an example of a type of archaeologist that feels deeply connected to Greece, the land, its people, and its cultural heritage. He is not only a fluent speaker of Greek, he has also conducted archaeological research in Greece since 1973.

His predecessor Jack L. Davis is now the Carl W. Blegen Professor of Greek Archaeology at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and on the Board of the University of Athens. He is also still active in the field, assisting his wife, Sharon Stocker, in publishing finds

Excavations in Sparta

from Blegen’s excavations at the Palace of Nestor in the southern Peloponnese. He has worked together with many of the foreign schools in Greece over many decades. Time to find out what has been accomplished.

Is there a healthy competition or a lot of cooperation between the schools?

Today, there is wonderful cooperation among the foreign schools and between the foreign schools and the Greek universities and the archaeologists in the governmental Archaeological Service. The foreign schools try

to be good citizens of Greece and to share their resources.

As an example, the American School maintains two world class libraries with collections that are available to Greek scholars. The American School has built several important museums, including that in the Agora of Athens (the Stoa of Attalos) and the Museum of Ancient Corinth. We have a large outreach program in the form of lectures, workshops, and symposia. I think that our greatest accomplishment over the past century is that we are not really ‘foreign’ any longer, in that we are today part of Greek

Jack Davis at the Palace of Nestor photo by Rob Nicholls Palace of Nestor reconstruction (left page)

LIVING HERITAGE

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academic society, so much so that our Gennadius Library is not seen as an American but as a Greek institution.

The classic period seemed to be the focus at the time most foreign schools were established. Do you feel there is more interest today for other periods of Greek history?

Actually, there was a broad interest in the entire sweep of Greek history from the very foundation of the foreign schools.

Our own school supported research that pertained to Medieval and Modern Greece, as well as prehistory, from the beginning of the 20th century.

Indeed, archaeologists from our school, such as Carl Blegen, were among the leaders in creating the field of Greek prehistory.

What are the biggest challenges facing archaeological research in Greece?

Certainly all of the foreign schools have suffered from the crisis, either through cutbacks in funding

need jobs and Greece needs them, just at the moment when the crisis is forcing reductions in funding.

Pottery workshop of the French Archaeological School of Athens

What is your opinion on the reconstruction of sites?

Leonidas Statue in Sparta. Sparta is a site where the British foreign school has been very active.

from governmental sources or from loss in income from investments. The latter is the case for the American School, which is private and non-governmental.

One of the biggest challenges will be maintaining the programs we already have. Greece needs so much help at the moment, and without help it will be difficult to maintain high standards in its museums and archaeological sites. Greece has wonderfully talented and well-trained young archaeologists, lots of them. They

I think it is important for archaeologists to keep in mind that making sites visually interesting is an important factor in promoting tourist visits, and that tourist visits and economic development are an important part of archaeological research. I think that competent reconstruction of monuments can play an important role in that process, but not to the neglect of the scientific aspects.

Could you describe to us a particular moment of discovery during your many years of digging in Greece?

Whether the finds are intrinsically valuable or simply add to the information we have about a place or time period, as an archaeologist I always dream of the next day when I am in the field. I always am excited about what will come next.�

FEATURE

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The Acropolis of Athens:

The Heart of Europe

If you have never visited the Acropolis* of Athens before, some things immediately draw your attention.

Once you have passed the Propylaea gateway, the ancient hilltop itself is surprisingly bereft of buildings.

*Every Greek city had an acropolis.

Sparta’s Acropolis is a tranquil small hill, while the Acropolis of Corinth and Argos, for instance, seem to reach for the skies.

On the right stand the impressive ruins of the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena, and to the left the Erechtheion, also dedicated to her, adorned with columns shaped in the form of beautiful women. The rest of the Acropolis is covered with stones and fragments and some more recent structures.

Fani Mallouchou-Tufano is still as enchanted by the place as on the day she started to work here. “I have been at the Acropolis now for 33 years. It is an amazing place. It has a magical aura. Working here

is a life time dedication. Since 1975, we have been restoring the site with an interdisciplinary group of scientists and experts, uninfluenced by politics. This kind of cooperation is unique for Greece.”

The view from the top is a magnificent 360 degree panorama of the city, once a relatively small town, now a modern metropolis of millions. Walking along the edge of the sacred hill also draws attention to another surprising aspect of

View from the Hill of the Nymphs

Acropolis from south 1880

The Acropolis is one of the most famous of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. Greece also has 16 other sites which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List:

Parthenon

• Archaeological Site of Aigai. Aigai was the first capital of the Macedonean Kingdom. One of the 300 tumuli has been identified as that of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.

• Archaeological site of Delphi. The pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi is the location of the famous oracle of Apollo. It was the spiritual center of the Greek world.

• Archaeological site of Mystras. The remarkably wellpreserved medieval city of Mystras played a central role in the final years of the Byzantine Empire.

• Archaeological site of Olympia. The location of the ancient Olympic Games, which began in 776 B.C. • Archaeological site of Mycenae and Tiryns. Mycenae (with the famous Lion’s Gate and the so-called Treasury of Atreus) and Tiryns were two of the most important cities of Mycenaean Greece, which flourished between the 15th and 12th centuries B.C. • The island of Delos in the South Aegean was the legendary birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.

• Historic Chorá, including the Monastery of St. John on Patmos. Patmos in the South Aegean is where St John may have written his Gospel and is certainly the site where the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation was composed.

• Medieval City of Rhodes. The Upper Town is one of the most beautiful urban ensembles of the Gothic period.

• Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios. Although geographically distant from each other, these three 11th/12th century monasteries share some of the same aesthetic characteristics.

• Old Town of Corfu. The fortified Mediterranean port and city of Corfu has retained its original structure and architecture.

• Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloníki. Greece’s second largest city has an impressive collection of monuments related to early and medieval Christianity.

• Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos. The ancient Pythagoreion port harbours a collection of important buildings including a tunnel-aqueduct and the Heraion, the temple of Hera.

• Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus. A vast site with temples and hospital buildings devoted to the gods of healing and health.

• Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae. Famous temple dedicated to the god of healing and the sun.

• Meteora. Monasteries on pinnacles of rock in a part of Greece hard of access.

• Mount Athos has been an Orthodox autonomous spiritual centre since at least the 10th century.

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26 FEATURE

the Acropolis: the busy city seems miles away. You can still enjoy the site in much the same way as an ancient visitor would have. The parks that surround the Acropolis are abundant, green and quiet.

Professor Mallouchou-Tufano explains as we walk across the famous landmark: “The Acropolis is a naturally fortified hill. It has three sources of water, which is very rare. Already 5000 years ago Neolithic people saw that it was an attractive place to set up camp.

We found the holes of the poles of their tents. The top of the hill is naturally quite flat but it was also artificially flattened through the ages. In Mycenaean times it was a real citadel, with the palace of the king surrounded by Cyclopean walls. A sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Athena already existed on the Acropolis in the 8th century B.C. Like the Madonna, Athena has many faces. She is a protector of health, war and victory and of course of the city itself.”

Explosion 1687

The Goddess could however not avoid war with the Persians by whom her temple was completely destroyed in 480 B.C. The Greeks defeated the Persians at Salamis the same year but the Acropolis was left in ruins. It was Perikles who convinced the Athenians to rebuild and rebuild better.

The damaged columns of earlier buildings were already inserted

in the defensive walls as if to say to future invaders as well as to Athenians: the Acropolis is here to stay. Today a street-cat basking in the sun is dwarfed by the pillars of the old temple, which can be clearly seen from downtown as giant marble drums. During the 5th century B.C. not only the Parthenon, but also the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion were constructed.

The Acropolis at the height of Athens’ power was no longer a fortified citadel. It had become a sacred mountain of worship.

The city treasury was housed in the temples on the hill as well. The image at the centre of attention was a mysterious wooden statue of Athena believed to have fallen from the heavens.

It was kept in the Erechtheion temple. Every year the Goddess was washed and dressed in a new cloak, the highpoint of the religious celebrations. This sacred object could still be seen in the 2nd century A.D. when the early Christian priest Tertullian saw it. According to him it was just a shapeless piece of wood.

The Parthenon was the temple of Athena as the Virgin Goddess, built by the architect Iktinos and the famous sculptor Pheidias.

Pheidias was also responsible for the massive statue of the Goddess made of a thousand kilos of gold and ivory, which was placed in the centre of the temple. It survived at least until the 5th century A.D. An even more colossal statue by Pheidias, of Athena Promachos, was made of bronze and towered over the Acropolis. It ended up in Constantinople where it was destroyed by the Fourth Crusade in 1203/4.

As we stand before the immense frontal facade of the Parthenon, she elaborates: “The ancient Greeks worshipped their Gods differently than we worship nowadays. In some ways it was, of course, very similar but some practices are the exact opposite.

Temples have their entrance from the East, churches from the West.

An ancient temple was seen as the private home of the God and the faithful had to stay on the outside.

Christian churches are decorated on the inside, ancient temples like the Parthenon are adorned on the outside, where the faithful could see it. The decorations on the temple tell stories, very precise narratives. Ancient temples and ancient statues were very colourful. We know this because we discovered some buried statues which had retained much of their colour. To modern eyes they even look a bit kitschy.”

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Erechtheion 1880

In 2013 the Acropolis has won two awards in two separate categories.

The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, Category Conservation for the Propylaea Central Building. The Propylaea is the gateway to the Acropolis, built in the 5th century B.C. It was inadequately restored in the early 20th century. These problems are now rectified with a total of 330 blocks using titanium reinforcements. The jury states:”It began as a rescue project but it also succeeded – through the identification and re-installation of the scattered architectural material and the high quality of the craftsmanship - in enhancing an iconic monument.”

European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, Category Dedicated Service: ESMA – Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments. The Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments is an interdisciplinary body of top specialists – architects, archaeologists, structural and chemical engineers and conservators – which, since 1975, has been dedicated to the planning, directing and supervising of the restoration works on the Athenian Acropolis. ESMA is led by Charalambos Bouras (NTUA Professor Emeritus and President of ESMA). The jury states:“The quality of the work, its reversible nature, the use of compatible new materials, the scholarly research, the use of traditional techniques and the documentation of the work are all to the highest standard.”

Erechtheion today

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“The Acropolis buildings are simply unique. The Parthenon is pure constructional perfection, the peak of architectural development of classic Greece.”

She takes me to the entrance of the Erechtheion. “Look at the pillars.

If you examine them more closely you see that they are all slightly different. There are subtle changes in the decorations of each one of them. That is done on purpose and with reason. All these elements make the building come alive.”

The restorations on the Acropolis are ongoing. The Parthenon is filled with cranes and surrounded by scaffolding. Workmen are carefully scraping off centuries of dirt. “What people tend to forget is that these ancient temples survived into modern times because they stayed relevant. Continued use is the key to survival through the ages. Although we think of the Parthenon primarily as a pagan temple, its history as a Christian church and a mosque is a much longer one.”

Johann Winckelmann (1717- 1768) is seen as the father of modern archaeology and art history.

The German scientist was one of the first to put classical Greece on the map. His ‘History of Art in Antiquity,’ published in 1764, contains a history of Greek art and history. He also describes in detail the political, social, and intellectual conditions which he thought were essential to Greek civilisation.

Cat next to preclassic columns

An Ottoman traveller who visited Greece in the mid-17th century even called the Parthenon ‘the finest mosque in the world.’ Drawings made by travellers in the 16th and 17th centuries still help historians today in reconstructing what the Acropolis must have looked like before that fatal day in 1687. On that day, during fighting between Venetians and the Ottomans, a Venetian cannonball hit the Parthenon mosque. The building was temporarily in use as a gunpowder storage room and when the cannonball hit, the result was disastrous. The ancient temple that had survived almost intact into modernity, was reduced to a ghost of its former self. By 1700 a small replacement mosque had been

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erected inside the outer shell. The locals used stones from remaining ruins as cheap building material and the increasing number of foreign travellers took whatever they could carry. Every newly established national museum in Europe wanted a piece of this symbol of classic Greek civilisation.

The most controversial collector of all was Lord Elgin (see the article on the Acropolis Museum ed.).

Professor Fani Mallouchou-Tufano points to a series of unremarkable but smooth stones next the Parthenon building.”This is what is left of the stones from which Elgin’s workmen chiselled and sawed off the sculptures of the Parthenon which are now in the British Museum. The issue is still very important. People may not know all the facts but the sentiments are very strong. The Acropolis is so connected to Greek history, to Greek independence, to the place of Greece in the world. It is one of the reasons why Athens became the capital of Greece. The famous 18th century archaeologist Winkelmann - who never saw Athens with his

own eyes by the way – was the first to point out that Greece, not Rome, was the classic civilisation. The Acropolis is at the heart of that.”

The Acropolis has a long and troubled history. So how do you decide what to restore, what to remove, what to reconstruct?

Is it not just as valid to restore the Parthenon, for instance, as a Christian church or a mosque?

“Part of that problem was solved for us,” Mallouchou explains.

“The archaeologists and experts of the 19th and 20th century approached the problem in a classic way. Everything which was not ancient Greek was unwanted.

All the medieval elements were

removed. All that was left of the Ottoman buildings was taken down. I do not know what we would have done if we had to make those decisions today. Our knowledge has improved so much.

We know now, for instance, that the original plan of the Parthenon was changed during construction.

We learn new things every day.”

She points to the tens of thousands of stones that almost completely cover the top of the Acropolis hill. “All these scattered stones belong somewhere,” she says with enthusiasm. “We just need to find out where exactly.” Even after more than a century of restorations this ancient sacred hill is still an exciting, gigantic puzzle, fit for the gods.

Restoration works Parthenon Decorated column of Erechtheion Stone sawed

by Lord Elgin’s workmen

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Mysterious Mycenae “Excavating a site is like having a nice meal. You have to be willing to clean up and do the dishes,” Dr. Spyros Iakovides of the Archaeological Society of Athens explains while discussing the burdens of archaeology.

The immaculately dressed director of ancient Mycenae is in his early nineties, but he is still active in the field. “Very little was published and what was published was rather disconnected. Everything that was found was stored in an old and cold prison near the city of Naphlion. The storage rooms were so full, you could not even open the door.” Iakovides has now published volume I and II of the archaeological findings of ancient Mycenae. Book III and IV are in the works. “It takes two to three years to prepare one volume.

There will a total of at least eight, so I will probably not finish them all,” he says with a youthful twinkle in his eyes. 2013 marks his 25th year as director of Mycenae, but he has been working at the site - first as an assistant and later as a

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Mycenaean bridge

field director - since 1958. “I still go there every July to September but I must admit that I do not do much of the actual digging anymore.”

Ancient Mycenae, located in the north-eastern Peloponnese, is one of the best preserved cities of the Mycenaean civilisation which predates the classic Greek period by a thousand years. According to legend, the Mycenaean ruins dated back to the time of the stories of Homer, the city of Troy and the travels of Odysseus. “The Odyssey is a collection of tales told by sailors in the eastern Mediterranean, very much like the stories of Sindbad the Sailor,” Iakovides explains. “They are a mix from different periods.”

So, who were the Mycenaeans?

“The first Greek speaking tribes came to Greece around 2000 B.C. By 1500 they were well established, reaching their

climax around 1300 B.C.. They copied what they needed from the Minoan civilisation of Crete, but also added their own ideas. Every year we discover something new during our excavations. It may not be spectacular or of interest to the general public, but it helps us with the chronology. To give you an example, the several Egyptian objects found in the Mycenaean tombs helped us with the dates, because our knowledge of Egyptian history is much more precise. Thanks to technological advances we can date a vase within ten years or so. We now have a better and much better documented picture of who they were and how they lived.”

Walking up to the entrance gate of the city, it becomes clear how the so-called Cyclopean walls, typical of Mycenaean architecture, got their name. The building blocks are so enormous, that giant one-eyed builders are somehow a pretty good guess. The famous Lion’s Gate is particularly well preserved, although the concrete pavement that runs underneath raises some questions. “Years ago they sent me an architect to make the site more accessible. He had never visited Mycenae before. He proposed to build a glass bridge over the Lion’s Gate. Can you imagine how much you would be able to see through that glass after 3000 tourists have walked over it? Instead they built aluminum bridges and cemented the roads.

The concrete even covers parts of ancient walls. Workmen had stepped on porous stepping stones that had survived for 3000 years.

What can I say?” he says with a sad shrug.

Until the 1920s, real facts about ancient Mycenae were few and far between. The first excavations were carried out in the 1840s by the Greek archaeologist Kyriakos Pittakis, but it was the legendary

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Lion’s Gate

Myceanaean grave roof

The so-called Mask of Agamemnon

and infamous Heinrich Schliemann who in 1876 put Mycenae on the road to world fame. Schliemann believed that the stories of Homer were based on historical facts and when he discovered tombs with royal skeletons, valuable objects and even a spectacular golden death mask, he knew that he had literally struck gold. “I have gazed upon the face of Agamemnon,” he claimed.

We do not know whose face was covered with the famous golden mask. We do not know who is buried in Clytemnestra’s tomb, but we do know more than Schliemann. One of the big breakthroughs in the knowledge of the ancient Mycenaeans was the translation of their written language, Linear B. We may have not found the bodies of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.

It proved, however, that the Mycenaeans were Greeks and spoke Greek. It showed that their kings were as much bureaucrats as warriors. Spyros Iakovides: “We are now able to better understand their architecture and their

In 2012 the Mycenaean Citadel at Aghios Andreas, Siphnos won the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the category Conservation.

The conservation project of this monumental ancient citadel created an archaeological site well suited for visitors. All constructions and interventions were designed and executed in harmony with the hill’s natural environment. The jury states: “The site provides valuable information on the life, beliefs and activities of the inhabitants of an important settlement of the Aegean Sea, with antiquities well preserved and accessible to the wider public.”

culture. We know less about their everyday life, but we do know what they dressed like. We have a good idea about their ways of cooking food. There is still much more to discover.”

The Mycenaeans have left us imposing cities and incredible works of art and sculpture. Every year, layer by layer, we learn more about them. We may not yet know their epic stories as we know Homer’s, but although the ancient Mycenaeans are nowadays much less mysterious, they have become all the more human.

Š 2013 The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola, the Contour Bottle and the Dynamic Ribbon are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.

For every person who believes that his country will not make it through, millions of babies are taking their first steps.

LIVING HERITAGE

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The Green Church John Zizioulas is a soft-spoken man in his early eighties. The Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan of Pergamon* and former Chairman of the Academy of Athens is a man with a mission, a green mission.

“Religion cannot be indifferent to environmental issues. The protection of the environment is necessary. The ecological crisis is due to people and how they think and behave, and so it is also the people’s responsibility to act.”

* The Metropolis of Pergamon was an ecclesiastical territory of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in western Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

Christianity in the city of Pergamon (now known as Bergama) was certainly introduced in the 1st century A.D. It was one of the original seven Churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The title Metropolitan of Pergamon is still in use today in the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church.

For almost three decades, Metropolitan John, as Zizioulas is commonly known, has been active to make the Orthodox Church embrace environmental issues. It seems an obvious target for all churches, great and small; protecting nature is protecting God’s creation. This way of reasoning however was and is not commonplace.

During the 1960s the environmental movement was slowly gaining momentum following the influential 1962 book

by Rachel Carson with the selfexplanatory title Silent Spring. The world religions however were not immediately jumping on the band wagon. “The church tended to see ecological problems as something politicians had to deal with, not the church. They did not see the religious side of it. I first realised in 1967 something had to be done

after reading an article by Lynn White, an American historian. I remember that moment clearly.

White had developed the idea that Christianity was part of the environmental problem.”

“There are several trends within Christianity as a whole that seem to be opposite to the ecological involvement of the church. The Bible states that mankind has to go forth and multiply, implying that nature is the raw material for the progress of men. Another aspect is a certain contempt for the physical side of things. To get involved in the material moves you away from the spiritual, which is what is really important. There are even extreme sects praying for the destruction of all of the material world. They view the material enjoyment of life, which includes the enjoyment of nature, as a sin.

For most Christians however, it was just something that had never occurred to them; they had not connected ecology with religion.”

Metropolitan John is an influential theologian whose knowledge of the scriptures has commanded respect far outside the Orthodox

Metropolitan John

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LIVING HERITAGE

36

President Barack Obama meets with Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I

research was done into the landscape’s history, including a survey of a network of ancient paths.

Church. His influence on the church has been a key factor on the road to go green.

“We have to look back at the teachings of the early church. If we go back to the roots, to the original Christian texts, we find that the liturgy is very ecological.

The monastic tradition is as well.

The monks respected every living thing, they were friends with the animals.”

The green issue gained momentum in the late 1980s. A meeting on Patmos, jointly organised with Elliniki Etairia (Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage), brought together, for the first time, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and Christians, as well as artists and scientists to talk about the environment.

Metropolitan John: ”In 1989, the then Patriarch of Constantinople Dimitrios I, issued an important Patriarchal Message, making the 1st of September, which is the first day of the Eastern Christian ecclesiastical year, to be a day of special prayer for the salvation and protection of God’s creation. This was a very important step.”

This led in 1991 to the InterOrthodox Conference on

Environmental Protection which was held in Crete. The meeting was chaired by Metropolitan John in the presence of the Patriarch of Alexandria Parthenios III and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

“For the first time it was officially declared that any damage to the environment constitutes a sin. You could no longer have a clear conscience when you were destroying nature. This was a first for the Orthodox Church as well as for Christianity. The protestants still seem a bit hesitant, but the Pope and the Patriarch made a common statement on the protection of the environment in 2002.”

There may be even more hope of optimism today with the newly elected Pope Francis. He made a plea for humanity to become a better guardian of creation by protecting the environment.

One of this years’ winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europe Nostra Awards is the forest of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy. The forest spreads out from the historical centre of Assisi and is scattered with relics connected with the famous saint and Pope’s namesake. Detailed

“Cooperation between religions on the environmental agenda is important. In my view, cultural heritage and the natural environment are connected,” explains Metropolitan John.

“Cultural heritage is produced with full respect of time and space.

Today, time is not respected.

We want nature to produce in one year, not in ten years. In my opinion, humanity needs a simpler way of life, a renewed asceticism, for the sake of creation. We live in a world where more and more things become digital and thereby immaterial. I think we need to feel connected to the material as well, in relationship with God’s nature as well as with one another.”

The green agenda of the Orthodox Church is more than declarations and statements. The church publishes guides to help parishes understand the large effect of small changes. The do’s and don’t’s are very practical; to use LEDlamps and turn off computers at the end of the day; to make less use of the car, but instead to walk, bike, bus or carpool; to recycle paper, glass, metals and compostable organic waste; to conserve water and energy within Church buildings; to engage young people and introduce educational tools. “The parishes need to think about the environment in whatever they do. It is about very practical things, like not throwing away batteries with the trash.

Once everybody realises what can and should be done, the general attitude towards nature will change.”

PARTNER

SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS,

CIRCUMSPICE

Photo: David Corral Gadea (Aqueduct of Segovia). Logo: Lusitana. Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 3.0.

(If you seek a monument, look around you)

Wiki Loves Monuments is an international photo competition for cultural heritage, organised annually by the community of Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.

Rediscover the cultural, historical and scientific significance of your neighbourhood. Join the largest ever volunteer-driven effort for preserving the cultural heritage of humanity, and contribute to the world's premier source of free knowledge. Any support is welcome: from submitting a single picture or spreading the word, to becoming a partner or a sponsor.

This September, cultural heritage will be in the spotlight on Wikipedia Ă? around the world, supported by Europa Nostra.

Learn how to get involved at www.wikilovesmonuments.org

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Great Defense The Medieval Castles of Greece Dramatic examples of the castles and fortifications built by the ancient Greeks can be found all over Greece, from tranquil sea ports to imposing mountain tops. Often like eagle’s nests they overlook the surrounding landscape, safe and out of reach from invaders from land or sea. These ancient castles, however, are not the only fortifications in Greece.

Methoni castle

Like the paws of giant stone lions, the castles of Methoni and Coroni stretch out into the Mediterranean. Walking through the gates of these immense fortifications in the southern Peloponnese is an unexpected discovery. The interior of the complexes is almost empty, as if the medieval forts are just gigantic follies; a lone pillar, a derelict watchtower, a rusty canon, stairs leading nowhere in a green, flowing field of clover. At one time, however, these were thriving communities of sailors, traders and pilgrims on their way to the Venetian settlements on Crete and Cyprus or to the Holy Land.

These important and lucrative trading posts were spread around the Mediterranean and Greece like pearls on a necklace.

Methoni and Coroni were controlled by the Venetians from the early 13th century onwards.

Both towns were important strongholds for the Italian city state. In the wall of the moat of Methoni we still encounter the lion of St. Mark, the emblem of Venice.

The people who lived inside the

Castles and fortifications are one of the main research areas of Europa Nostra’s Scientific Council of which Dr. Ioanna Steriotou is VicePresident. Suggestions for further reading: Europa Nostra Bulletin no 55- 2001 “Fortifications in Greece: problems and prospects for their protection; programmes of restoration and revitalisation (at the urban and regional level),” p. 181 “Fortifications and archaeological research in Greece,” p. 186 Europa Nostra Bulletin no 58- 2004 “The Byzantine walls of Thessaloniki: a history of their construction, protection and enhancement,” p. 47 Europa Nostra Bulletin no 64 2010 “Management of fortifications in Greece: projects of restoration and renovation-rehabilitation,” p. 19

walls were Italians, not locals.

These castles were not constructed to protect the Greek agrarian villages surrounding these forts.

The farmers lived in simple houses around a small church, conditions that hardly changed until modern times. The Venetian forts were built to protect against intruders from land. The Italians dominated the Mediterranean at that time, so they were less afraid of being attacked from the sea than from land.

Methoni was captured in 1500 by the Ottomans and the population was massacred, a traumatic event

remembered in chilling eyewitness accounts from the period. From 1686 up to 1715 the Venetians managed to recapture the castle, then the Ottomans took over again and in 1828 the French took possession. It shows how complex the history of these fortifications and their architecture is. These fortified enclaves were used and adapted by every new ruler and Methoni and Coroni castle are just

two of many. The Greek coast and countryside is littered with well preserved medieval fortifications.

They are the remnants of a long and turbulent past. We can find fortifications of Byzantine, Frankish, Genovese, Venetian and Ottoman origin, sometimes all rolled into one.

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Methoni Castle

Methoni Castle

the hinterland. The Byzantine and Frankish rulers however, used their castles and strongholds to control and administer large areas, in much the same way as in Germany or France. Their castles in Achaia, Kalamata and Mystras for instance are built inland, away from the coast.

Lion of St.Mark, Methoni castle

Over time, the Venetians created a long chain of safe harbours for traders and pilgrims from Venice to their other Mediterranean settlements and the Holy Land.

Only when profitable commodities were involved did the Venetians display any interest in governing

One of the best preserved castles of Greece was built during the Ottoman occupation in 1573 to control the western coast of the Peloponnese. Although the Crusaders had much earlier built a fortress across the bay, the mighty Niokastro castle towering over

The Ministry of Culture’s Archaeological Receipts Fund has set up the Castles Circumnavigation Programme to enhance and upgrade the infrastructure of more than thirty castles on the mainland as well as on the islands. It aims to improve the poor infrastructure and poor visitor facilities of many of these historically important sites which show the direct link between Greece and the west of Europe.

the charming town of Pylos is not Venetian but entirely Ottoman.

They also built a stone aqueduct 15 kilometres in length to supply the city with fresh water.

The castles of Greece are still relatively unknown to tourists.

They show a part of Greek history far removed from the classic period, a period of constant conflict between strong forces from outside. These magnificent - mostly medieval - treasures, nestling on the Mediterranean sea or high on the mountain tops of the Peloponnese, are now ready for their close-up.

Niokastro castle, Pylos

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Not Utopia But Entopia “What human beings need is not utopia (‘no place’), but entopia (‘in place’)...a place which satisfies the dreamer and is acceptable to the scientist, a place where the projections of the artist and the builder merge,” wrote C. Doxiadis in his book ‘Ekistics’ in 1968.

Sifnos island, photo by Frokor

It was a quote which inspired Philip Geoghegan of Europa Nostra Ireland to draft a proposal which would attract a lot of support, especially in Greece.

Geoghegan: “We needed to establish a programme to promote sustainability and quality conservation in small towns and villages, up to 15.000 people.

Larger towns may be more able to promote their qualities but small towns and villages potentially make a greater cultural, social and heritage contribution. The programme targets smaller towns and villages to establish a qualitative norm for good places to live in and enjoy. It celebrates their traditions and heritage. It promotes sustainable ideals to help carry forward those places into a future in which they keep their identity and sense of place, and are able to flourish through carefully considered development and conservation.”

The Entopia Programme resonates with other initiatives in Europe and especially in Greece. The new programme seems to be a perfect addition for initiatives like the Cultural Footpaths

of the heritage organisation Elliniki Etairia. These footpaths (see article) are developed in close consultation with local communities. Entopia also seems complementary to the Sustainable Aegean Programme, winner of a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in 2009. The Sustainable Aegean Programme is an all important awareness-raising campaign which draws attention to the unique landscapes of Greece which are being sacrificed for short-term financial advantage through real estate development. The jury appreciated the mobilisation of the local population to protect its own heritage and to create an alternative dynamic for the regional economy. These are all aspects with which the Entopia Programme will also concern itself. The Greek initiatives could help to further define and develop the programme.

“The place we live in defines who we are,” Geoghegan explains. “We all want to live in a ‘good place’ but what defines a ‘good place?’

The absence of a sense of place leads to unwelcome anonymity.

Pylos bay and harbour

Our traditions, culture and ideals are part of what makes the place we live into a ‘good place.’ The small towns and villages have a lot of potential for the future of Europe but they need help to fully develop this. They have their own challenges and opportunities. We can combine best practices from across Europe to help them. The likely countries involved will be Ireland and the UK (both in Northern Ireland and in the UK, as well as in the Republic we received interest from the Ministry),

Greece, Romania, Italy, Sweden and Netherlands. In Sweden we have three ‘wooden’ villages, already in partnership, already prizewinners. In Greece we may focus on island towns and villages.

We have good support for the idea from the Ministry in Italy as well.”

Sifnos island

by Nafpaktios

There is agreement by the Council and the Board of Europa Nostra to run a pilot programme in 20122013. A small steering committee will work by e-mail and Skype to develop the pilot, supporting information and on-line tools.

www.egaio.gr Ios island harbour by Charles Haynes

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SHORT STORY

44

Lord Byron Hero of Greece

Byron in costume

45

While to most of the world, Byron (1788-1824) is one of the great poets of his time, to the Greeks he is even more than that. Declaring his support for Alexandros Mavrokordatos in the Greek War for Independence, Byron not only spent 4000 pounds of his own money to refit the Greek fleet, he was actually willing to play an active role in fighting the Ottomans, in spite of his lack of any experience in combat. Byron was however less interested in fighting a war for Greece, than he was in securing peace among the Greeks. Unfortunately, he fell ill before negotiations could start. He contracted meningitis and, suffering from incompetent physicians, wasted away in 1824. The Greeks declared him a national hero afterwards, both for his efforts in aiding the Greek

backgrounds, a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling atmosphere of good old England.

His manservant Fletcher however was less charmed by the experience, much to the chagrin of Byron. In a private letter to his mother, he pours his heart out.

Athens, January 14, 1811

cause, as well as his many writings in love of and support of Greece.

Still today, Greek children are named Virona (the Greek version of Byron) in his honour.

Lord Byron was a lover of all things Greek and loved the new experiences the country offered him. Here he could talk with interesting people of different

His (i.e. Fletcher’s) perpetual lamentations after beef and beer, the stupid, bigoted contempt for everything foreign, and insurmountable incapacity of acquiring even a few words of any language, rendered him, like all other English servants, an incumbrance. I do assure you, the plague of speaking for him, the comforts he required (more than myself by far), the pilaws (a Turkish dish of rice and meat) which he could not eat, the wines

Byron in Greece Commemorative stamp

SHORT STORY

46

Byron on his deathbed by J.D. Odevaere (1775–1830) Stone pillar in Anafiotika neighbourhood of Athens commemorating Byron’s stay at a monastery Byron by Alexandre Falguière (18311900)

Many a vanish’d year and age, And tempest’s breath, and battle’s rage, Have swept o’er Corinth; yet she stands, A fortress form’d to Freedom’s hands.

The whirlwind’s wrath, the earthquake’s shock, Have left untouch’d her hoary rock, The keystone of a land, which still, Though fall’n, looks proudly on that hill.

which he could not drink, the beds where he could not sleep, and the long list of calamities, such as stumbling horses, want of tea!!! etc., which assailed him, would have made a lasting source of laughter to a spectator, and inconvenience to a master. After all, the man is honest enough, and, in Christendom, capable enough; but in Turkey, Lord forgive me!

In his most famous book, the Childe Harold Pilgrimage (181218), Greece features strongly.

Canto the Second II

Ancient of days! august Athena! where, Where are thy men of might, thy grand in soul?

Gone--glimmering through the dream of things that were: First in the race that led to Glory’s goal, They won, and passed away--is this the whole?

A schoolboy’s tale, the wonder of an hour!

The warrior’s weapon and the sophist’s stole Are sought in vain, and o’er each mouldering tower, Dim with the mist of years, grey flits the shade of power.

III.

Son of the morning, rise! approach you here!

Come--but molest not yon defenceless urn!

Look on this spot--a nation’s sepulchre!

Abode of gods, whose shrines no longer burn.

E’en gods must yield--religions take their turn: ‘Twas Jove’s--’tis Mahomet’s; and other creeds Will rise with other years, till man shall learn Vainly his incense soars, his victim bleeds; Poor child of Doubt and Death, whose hope is built on reeds.

Greece also featured often in Byron’s more heroic and epic poems, as in The Siege of Corinth:

And, of course, a look at Byron’s poetry is incomplete without a look at Maid of Athens, ere we part: ∼ς α’ γαπω’. . (My life, I love Ζωή μου, σα you)*

1.

Maid of Athens, ere we part, Give, oh give me back my heart!

Or, since that has left my breast, Keep it now, and take the rest!

Hear my vow before I go, ∼ς α’ γαπω’. Ζωή μου, σα

4.

Maid of Athens! I am gone: Think of me, sweet! when alone.

Though I fly to Istambol, Athens holds my heart and soul: Can I cease to love thee? No! ∼ς α’ γαπω’. . Ζωή μου, σα *Ζωή is also a girl’s name

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CULINARY

48

The Taste of Tradition A rooster is sitting quietly in his little fruit crate, casting a suspicious eye over the people around him who may not have the best intentions. His beady eyes rest a while on the elderly couple that brought him to this organic food-market in the shadow of the

Frankish fortress of Kalamata.

Some of the food-stalls here are selling their homegrown vegetables and herbs, others have brought fresh meat and fish. It is a feast for the eye and sometimes a challenge for the nose. Greek produce as well as their cuisine

49

is steeped in history; the olives and the olive oil, the oranges and tangerines, the almonds and the honey, the cheeses and the wines. From the Festival of Olive and Olive Oil in Sellasia, starting the first Friday in August, to the local organic markets of Laconia or Crete, travelling around the islands as well as on the mainland, the food bears testimony to the different people and cultures that have influenced the Greeks. Maybe more than any other kitchen in Europe, the diverse tastes and traditions of Greece combine the best history has to offer. Greek

cuisine is a lot more than grilled meat, feta and a large helping of tzaziki.

During a special monthly meeting at the headquarters of the Greek heritage organisation Elliniki Etairia in the ancient Plaka neighbourhood of Athens, local producers come to talk about their heritage products and cook with them as well. It is a happy,

hungry gathering with enthusiasts from all over Greece. Greece should be a leading country for foodies across the globe, everyone seems to agree. The country has a promising historical starting point, but its reputation has taken a bit of a blow over the last few decades. When asked, many of the people present point their finger at Europe, claiming that the agricultural policies have caused a focus on quantity not quality.

Greece has to reclaim its traditions and move away from passivity.

The farmers have to become more innovative and creative, especially now. Amalia Zepou, Board Member of Elliniki Etairia and the host of the producers’ lunch, explains:“Our relationship with food is almost unconscious.

Greeks do not realise fully what a great potential we have. We do not export it.” As if to prove a case in point, she goes around with wild greens balls, a recipe of her grandmother adapted and changed to the 21st century.

“Every Greek knows how to use herbs and greens from the field.

Especially in the countryside, you can see people collect them, almost without thinking about it. These balls contain ten different greens,

Olive trees Organically produced olive oils

CULINARY

50

held together with some flour and feta.� She is right. Once your attention is drawn to it, you can see men and women along the side of the road, in fields and parks, bending over with a small knife and a big bag.

A company from the island of Chios has come to the lunch with their organic line of products made of tangerines. It is the result of age old traditions marketed to the taste of today. The five-year old company makes exclusive products that are now on sale in a special shop in Athens. The rest

of the world may soon follow.

Their marzipan droplets could well be addictive. The team behind the innovation explains that exporting fruit is a risky business.

Turning fruits into sweets and then selling them is much smarter.

Chios is known as an island of entrepreneurs, but moving away from the traditional ways has been a steep learning curve for the farmers involved.

Two olive oil enthusiasts, an artist and a Canadian archaeologist, explain that it is a general problem for small producers to get their

51

Lunch time at Elliniki Etairia Wild greens balls Chios treats

products on the shelves of the shops. 50% of your income needs to come from olive oil before you can get an official permit to sell to retailers. If you have a traditional or organic farm, that is simply impossible. The result is that many entrepreneurs with new ideas cannot make it. It is more profitable to cut the old olive trees down and use the land in another way.

Organic farmers at the lunch as well as at the marketplaces around Greece all tell the same story.

The modern focus on quantity not quality is a dead-end street

for Greece. It is damaging the soil, the natural environment is poisoned and the general quality of the products is too low. Greek food production has a tremendous potential but this cannot be attained by mass producing low quality goods on depleted farmland.

One farmer explained: “We have to stop going against nature. We have to grow beans when it is the right time to grow beans. Most wine cooperatives just throw everything together and use chemicals to fix the wine. That is the wrong way

to go. You have to be a poet and a farmer rolled in one. My greatgrandfather was a farmer and his father before him. We are one with the soil. I prune the trees myself, not just because you have to have an eye for detail to make the best wine and the best olive oil; it also helps me to escape 21st century stress.” He smiles the smile of a person who knows what it means to walk between the ancient olive groves in the early light of day. “That is what good food is about. The smell, the earth, passion, life!” citrus-chios.gr

TREASURE

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The Last Flame of the Byzantines The Wonders of the Archaeological Site of Mystras

Engraving of Mystras in Ottoman times, 17th Century (left) Engraving of Mystras around 1850

A beam of sunlight suddenly breaks like a moving beacon through the threatening clouds over the Laconian plains of the Peloponnese. For one brief moment the ancient city of Mystras bathes in glorious light. It has been almost 200 years since the capital of Morea, the medieval name of the Peloponnese, was last inhabited.

The ghosts of the Byzantine rulers still roam its ruined palaces and churches. The crumbling walls of the large city – 40.000 people once lived here– are built like a half circle along the mountain and reveal the importance of the

site, dating back to 1249, when William II of Villehardouin built a fortress here on the top of the hill.

Whether we think of conquering crusaders, or of the last real leaders of the Eastern Roman Empire, Mystras embodies it all. Franks, Venetians and Ottomans have all left their mark here, but it was the Byzantines that created a city that would become a medieval powerhouse of learning and culture.

When the city surrendered to the Ottomans in 1460, a shock wave was sent through the European capitals. Mystras was seen as the last burning flame of the Byzantine

Empire. The city was seriously damaged when, after a Greek revolt in 1770-1774, it was recaptured by the Ottomans again. In 1832, when the Greek King Otto was rebuilding the nearby village of Sparta into a lofty town with wide avenues, the last inhabitants of Mystras moved to the new city. There was nothing left of the old glory except faded frescoes in derelict ruins.

The two things you notice when you approach the UNESCO World Heritage site of Mystras are the sheer size of the place and its stunning vistas. The now partially

Laconian plains of the Peloponnese

13th and 14th century fresco’s

restored ruins and churches are one of the main attractions of the region. It takes at least three hours and a healthy appetite for climbing to see all of these impressive monuments. Meandering through the old streets and the remnants of this once great city, it is not difficult to imagine a Byzantine city at the height of its power.

Walking from the gated entrance to the museum, and from there to the churches, the palaces and the citadel, the beauty of this monumental mountain is overwhelming. On one of

Imperial eagle of the Byzantines (left)

the ancient floors you can still discover the imperial eagle of the Byzantines. It was the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus who took over Mystras in 1262. The

Franks gave the city up to save William Villehardouin, who had been captured by the Byzantines.

Mystras quickly became the seat of the new Despotate of Morea,

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54 TREASURE

Mystras before rain

Entrance to Pantanassa Saint Demetrios

Saint Theodoroi

which for almost two centuries was a centre of trade, of learning, of art and of European grandeur.

Even after the Ottomans captured the city in 1460 - seven years after they had sacked Constantinople - Mystras remained important.

This is most obvious in the famous frescoes which adorn the medieval churches. The Pantanassa Monastery first opened its doors in September 1428 and is the only monastery in Mystras which is still inhabited. The nuns that live here offer hospitality to the visitors, but it is a rare site to see them walking along the ancient trails with a donkey. The early 13th century Aphentikon church is a charming intimate church with a remarkable painted ceiling.

The Peribleptos Monastery has powerful and dramatic frescoes dating back to the middle of the 14th century, which are crucial for the understanding of Byzantine culture and religious beliefs.

It may be more than half a millennium since the Byzantines ruled the Mediterranean, but the impressive monuments of Mystras are a lasting testimony to their European legacy. Mystras is not just one of the birthplaces of the Renaissance and the last flame of the Byzantine civilisation, in a real sense it is also the end of the Roman Empire.

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WWW.ExPONATEC.COM

ExHIBITION

HERITAGE

MUSEUM

INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR FOR MUSEUMS, CONSERVATION AND HERITAGE

Koelnmesse GmbH, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Köln, Germany Tel. +49 221 821-2210, exponatec@koelnmesse.de

20 – 22 NOVEMBER 2013

CONSERVATION

HERITAGE IN DANGER

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The Lost Fairytale The Former Royal Estate of Tatoi

Like the other visitors, we park the car on the side of the road. There is no official parking area, so the cars are everywhere. It feels as if we are sneaking in illegally. A shaky, slippery plank forms the main entrance to Tatoi, the former estate of the Greek royal family.

A muddy track leads us quickly to the first buildings. The rooms are damp, the floors eaten away by decay, the faded silk wallpaper a memory of better times. Tatoi feels like a fairytale gone bad. The roof of one of the Hansel and Gretchenlike farms has collapsed. “The last time I was here, just a few months ago, the roof was still intact,” Dr. Kostas Stamatopoulos says with a sad undertone in his voice. His hands grasp his book on Tatoi – the result of years of research – even more tightly. He has been active to save Tatoi for many years. To say Kostas Stamatopoulos is devoted to Tatoi, is an understatement. One would assume that the authorities responsible for the former royal estate would eagerly make use of his extensive knowledge. “No, they have yet to contact me,” he says with a shrug. The respected historian wants to see the old royal estate, which has been the victim of years of neglect and political backpedaling, restored to its former glory.

Exploring the huge estate is a nostalgic journey and some of the buildings are almost attractive in their derelict state. The Tatoi palace complex combines the former royal palace with numerous parks, vineyards and olive trees, as well as farmhouses, chapels, stables, guest-houses, fountains, a winery, a bell tower and even a hotel. The bell tower is invisible. A large tree has grown around it and it is only after Kostas Stamatopoulos shows us how to climb up and under some walls

57

and scrubbery, that we can see that underneath the abundant foliage, the original bronze clock is still there, awaiting rediscovery and restoration. The American limousines of the royal family seem to grow from the ground up as if they are the victims of some freak horticultural experiment.

One wonders if there are still drinkable wines in the oak barrels, marked with the royal emblem, visible under the collapsed roof of the old winery. The estate came to a complete standstill in 1968 and ever since has slowly been falling apart. That has not stopped the Athenians from visiting the site. Large extended families are having a picnic on a grassy hill.

Young couples are looking past

Motorcade Kostas Stamatopoulos at the entrance of Tatoi

58 HERITAGE IN DANGER

The Former Royal Estate of Tatoi was shortlisted for the 7 Most Endangered Programme.

The jury rapport had this to say about the threatened heritage site: This rare and large ensemble combining history, architecture and nature, created in 1872 by King George I, but today endangered, is an important ‘lieu de mémoire’ for Greek citizens. Located in the vicinity of Athens, it can be restored to its previous glory for the enjoyment of numerous visitors and can once again become economically viable. Public support is strong, but commitment both of the government and the business world is needed for the estate’s successful regeneration.

‘The 7 Most Endangered’ programme was launched in 2013, inspired by a successful programme run by the US National Trust for Historic Preservation. ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ is not

Tatoi estate Wine barrels with the royal seal

the iron fence surrounding the former palace to the window of the king’s former office, as if the old king could suddenly move the crumbling curtains aside and greet them. The palace itself is a relatively modest affair, more

a funding programme. Its aim is to serve as a catalyst for action and to promote ‘the power of example.’ It will bring various public and private parties together and identify possible sources of (European) funding. Teams composed of heritage experts from Europa Nostra and its member organisations, as well as of technical and financial specialists from the European Investment Bank Group or the Council of Europe Development Bank, an associate partner of the programme, will visit the selected 7 monuments and sites. In close consultation with local stakeholders, they will assess existing problems and sketch viable and sustainable action plans for each one.

The final list of 7 will be announced at Europa Nostra’s 50th Anniversary Congress in Athens on 16 June.

Website for all the 14 shortlisted heritage sites: europanostra. org/7-most-endangered

resembling a country retreat than a royal palace. The windows are mostly covered with wooden panels to protect the interior from the elements. Grass and weeds have taken possession of the once lush gardens, creating the image of a haunted mansion on top of a hill. The old fountain underneath the palace is overgrown, its lion’s head tap unused for 40 years.

Giant flowerpots with the royal arms have bullet holes of a long forgotten battle. In Tatoi, the turbulent history of Greeks with their royal family is very tangible.

Almost literally so, as many of the royals are buried here. If one of the former royals dies, they are still

buried in Tatoi in white marble graves scattered throughout the forest. Walking through the large estate you discover something new every time; a spectacular panorama all the way to Athens and the Aegean; a dusty and rusty truck parked in a garage 40 years ago; a forgotten orchard with century old olive trees.

“There is such a potential. We can do many things. The plans are ready to go. We can revitalise the estate and, if the right investments are made, it can become profitable and self sustaining in the longer run. We can make museums and nature education centres. We

King George II of Greece (reigned 1922-24, 1935-47) and his wife Elisabeth of Romania

A quick history of the Greek royals Otto of Bavaria became King of Greece in 1832. He was loved as well as hated and had a controversial relationship with the international community. He was ousted in 1862 when the Glücksburg dynasty from Denmark took over as the result of a referendum. King George I began to reign in 1863. He bought Tatoi in 1872 and created the royal estate as we know it today.

The Glücksburgs ruled Greece from 1863 to 1924 and then again from 1935 to 1974. The Kings of the Hellenes, as they called themselves, were deposed in 1924 following the National Schism and the so-called Asia Minor Disaster. The Second Hellenic Republic which replaced them was however overthrown in 1935. The Greek royalty lived through the Balkan Wars, both World Wars and the Greek Civil War, but were finally ousted by the hated military junta (19671974). After the fall of the dictatorship, however, a public referendum decided the royal family should not return to the throne.

can make wine and olive oil. We can enlarge the hotel and change the now derelict buildings into cottages for guests. The Athenians love to come here with the whole family and enjoy the grounds. It will become a major attraction for foreign tourists.”

In the meantime, a project supported by the European Union is securing the large amount of artifacts still on site. Tatoi is not an empty shell. Most of the possessions that once belonged to the royals are still here, in the palace itself and in large store houses at the base of the hills.

Tens of light grey work-units of the researchers fill the valley like fat caterpillars on a plant.

Tatoi is part of the Parnitha National Park area. “One of the problems with the restoration and rejuvination of Tatoi has been the question of ownership,”explains Kostas Stamatopoulos.

Buried on the Tatoi Royal Cemetery are a.o.: George I, King of the Hellenes (1845 – 1913) Alexander I, King of the Hellenes (1893 – 1920) Constantine I, King of the Hellenes (1868 – 1923) Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia, Queen of the Hellenes (1851 – 1926) (wife of George I, King of the Hellenes) Princess Sophia of Prussia, Queen of the Hellenes (1870 – 1932) (wife of Constantine I, King of the Hellenes) George II, King of the Hellenes (1890 – 1947) Paul I, King of the Hellenes (1901 – 1964)

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HERITAGE IN DANGER

60

Palace of Tatoi

Understandably, the history of the Greek monarchy has had a large impact on the history and the future of Tatoi. The disputes about ownership and responsibility have been going on for over a century.

The discussions have gone back and forth again and again, with the estate suffering like a child in an ugly divorce, neglected and ignored. At the end of the 20th century, hope was flowing for a real solution for the estate. By 1994, Tatoi had become public property, but still the disputes raged on. Only in 2002, when the European Court of Human Rights decided that the former king should in part be compensated by the Greek government, did Tatoi become permanent public property. The financial stranglehold of the current state of the Greek economy, however, complicates the situation. There may not be money to invest in the regeneration or a proposal might be made to sell it. “The situation is complicated.

We need real long term solutions.

Here and there some restoration work is done, but it is not enough.

Chances are that the present financial situation in Greece will not help Tatoi, but maybe it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, a reason to finally push things forward in the right direction. We have high hopes that the selection of Tatoi for the shortlist of The 7 Most Endangered (a new programme

by Europa Nostra in partnership

with the European Investment Bank, see encadre ed.) will help us to save Tatoi. It is a magical, wonderful place whose story is closely connected to the history of Greece and of Europe. It is not just worth saving it to remember the past; if we work together and cooperate, Tatoi has a great future!� parnitha-np.gr

The 7 most endangered

This new programme of Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Investment Bank will identify endangered monuments and sites across Europe and mobilize public and private partners on a local, national and European level to find a sustainable future for these sites.

A shortlist of 14 was published on 17 April 2013. The 7 Most Endangered will be announced during Europa Nostra’s 50th anniversary Congress in Athens on 16 June 2013.

Find out more at europanostra.org

CITY DREAMS

62

Stargazing The National Observatory of Athens In the summer, when the smog of a modern metropolis envelops the city of Athens, no astronomer in his right mind would waste time trying to look up at the stars.

On a cool winter evening however, the skies above Athens can still be as crystal clear as they may have been in the fifth century B.C. when the astronomer Meton studied the stars near the Hill of Nymphs, opposite the Acropolis. He is the father of astronomy and created the famous Metonic calendar.*

Evening view from the Areopagus rock with the National observatory in the background

*The world’s oldest known astronomical calculator, the Antikythera Mechanism (2nd century B.C.), performs calculations based on both the Metonic and Callipic calendar cycles, with separate dials for each. It is on view in the National Archaeological Museum.

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Meton was not the only Greek astronomer who made it into the history books. From the Hill of the Nymphs you can just about see the ancient Agora with a marvel built around 50 B.C. by Andronicus of Cyrrhus: the world famous Temple of the Winds. This octagonal clocktower, or Horologium, is one of the most celebrated and best preserved meteorological and astronomical observatories in the world (a rough copy can even be found on the campus grounds of the University of Oxford). Each of the building’s eight sides faces a point of the compass and is decorated with figures in relief representing the winds that blow from a specific direction; below, on the sides facing the sun, we can discover a sundial.

On the top of Horologium we find a weather vane - a Greek invention in the form of a bronze Triton. The tower also contained a water clock (clepsydra) to keep time when the sun was not shining.

It is no surprise therefore that when the Vienna-based Greek entrepreneur, banker and diplomat Georgios Sinas (1783-1856)

sought to make a contribution to Greek science soon after the independence of Greece in 1830 Ottoman forces left Athens itself only in 1833 - he chose to fund an astronomical observatory on the Hill of the Nymphs.

Sinas chose Athens’s town-planner Eduart Schaubert and Danish architect Theophil Hansen for the job. Greek-Austrian physicist and astronomer Georg Constantin Bouris was to be its first director.

In 1842, during a full solar eclipse, the foundation stone was laid in a ceremony presided over by King Otto.

The Observatory was completed four years later: a magnificent cross-shaped building resembling a classical Greek temple, constructed from materials recalling ancient Athens: stone from the Hill of the Nymphs, cyan marble from Hymettus and white marble from Penteli. It was clearly a project to impress the international community and celebrate Greece’s independence.

Its four sides are oriented in the four cardinal directions and the central dome - which houses the main telescope - is decorated by images of ancient Greek astronomers and the twelve gods of Olympus. It is still a magnificent building to behold.

Climbing up the dome is a mildly

Temple of the Winds in 1880 Early photo before the observatory was built

64 CITY DREAMS

In 2010 the National Observatory won a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. The restoration and conservation that had converted the National Observatory into a science museum was highly commended by the jury.

Hill of the Nymphs

would continue growing and modernising, adding several new institutes. Although recently the scientific departments moved to different buildings away from the city centre, most of the original structures have now been restored.

The main building has been turned into a geo-astrophysics museum, containing original instruments as well as an historic library containing hundreds of volumes published from the 18th century onward.

Library

athletic endeavour but the view is magnificent; a grand panorama of all the major archaeological sites of ancient Athens. It is hard to imagine that when the observatory was first built, the surrounding areas were almost empty. Inside the main dome as well as in the other buildings scattered across the hill, time seem to have stopped somewhere in the early 20th century with old telephones, scientific equipment and furniture, all in mint condition.

One of the most famous directors of the Observatory was Friedrich Julius Schmidt, who presided over the Observatory from 1858 to 1884.

He made numerous contributions to the study of the stars, with his most famous achievement being the Topographic Map of the Moon.

Schmidt also turned his attention to seismology, which is vitally important in a country prone to earthquakes.

In the century that followed, the National Observatory

But the National Observatory of Athens after a remarkable past of more than 170 years, has also a bright present and a promising future. Its three Institutes (Institute of Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, Institute of Geodynamics and Institute of Environmental Research and Sustainable Development) play a vital role in modern European research. Thus, Meton’s tradition continues in Athens after 2500 years. The National Observatory of Athens is an important milestone in the history of European astronomy and seismology; a guiding star under the stars.

Conference September 30th to October 4th, 2013

Entebbe, Uganda INTO, the International Organisation of National Trusts, brings together more than 60 national trusts and equivalent organisations from across the world. Every two years, INTO organises an international conference for its members and other interested parties. This year, the conference is taking place for the first time in Africa, co-hosted by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda.

INTO and Europa Nostra members qualify for a 10% discount.

For more information and a registration form, please visit: www.crossculturalfoundation.org.ug or www.internationaltrusts.org

PARTNER

INTO

LIVING HERITAGE

66

Rooftiles and Brickwork Museum

In 2012 the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation was a winner of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the category Dedicated Service.

The jury stated:�The altruistic approaches of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation is impressive.

We praise their effort to grant derelict heritage buildings a second life by transforming them into regional museums�

Environment Museum of Stymphalia

www.piop.gr www.piopcollections.piraeusbank.gr

The Power of Revitalisation Greece sports a vast number of monumental buildings, not just from the classical as or medieval period but also from later dates.

Some of these sometimes derelict heritage buildings are getting a second lease on life thanks to the efforts of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP).

As part of its many and varied cultural and historical activities,

the Foundation has converted a number of these historical sites into thematic museums dedicated to pre-industrial technology.

The new museums safeguard the survival of technology and traditional crafts. Seven technological thematic museums have already been created and two more are planned.

67

The headquarters of PIOP are located in the historical centre of Athens, in a building dating back to the second half of the 19th century. From here, the foundation oversees a network of museums spread all over Greece, mainly housed in restored historical buildings. The aim is not only to preserve the knowledge of the past, but also to provide a bridge to the present. The museums are the focus point of a wider agenda of PIOP, aiming to revitalise local communities and stimulate the cultural awareness of its inhabitants, particularly young people.

Beyond the museums themselves, the Foundation also reprints and publishes significant Greek works on industrial archeology and the history of technology. It also conducts numerous educational programs and outreach activities, relative to each museum’s theme. The Foundation has an important photographic and historical archive and the vast collections of the museums have been made digitally accessible.

The Foundation’s activities are supported by the Piraeus Bank Group, and, while the Foundation’s funds take care of the museum network, the actual

buildings and grounds remain the property of the local authorities or the Ministry of Culture.

Many of the educational and scientific events that are held in the various museums are carried out in cooperation with the local communities. These activities are organised with the assistance both of the Hellenic Ministry of Education and Culture and local authorities; PIOP forms a link between history of technology and culture, education and action, the present and the past. Thanks to the support of the Foundation the traditional and industrial technologies of Greece are now once again appreciated, studied and used.

Examples of PIOP Museums: Open-Air Water Power Museum in Dimitsana, Arcadia The first open-air museum to focus on pre-industrial technology in Greece, this museum showcases a number of water-based industries in Dimitsana, including a water mill, a tannery and a gunpowder mill. This museum was awarded an Europa Nostra award for heritage in 1997.

Environment Museum of Stymphalia demonstrations Open-Air Water Power Museum

Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive-Oil in Sparta A unique exhibition of all aspects and applications of olive oil from prehistoric times to the pre-industrial age.

Museum of Marble Crafts in Tinos A display of the techniques and tools used to craft marble as well as the cultural and economic background surrounding the marble-shops of Tinos.

Silk Museum in Soufli, Thrace A presentation housed in the premises of the old Kourtides Mansion on the history of silk, from the life of the silkworm to the processing of silk fiber, again accompanied by the wider social context surrounding silk production in Greece.

Museum of Marble Crafts

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A Modern Temple of Ancient Art To build anything anywhere in the centre of Athens is asking for trouble.

To build on an archaeological site filled with ancient Greek, Roman and early Byzantine ruins is nothing short of a miracle. To expect to build a brand new museum for the famous Acropolis collection without causing controversy is simply impossible. It is no wonder that it took four different competitions before the design by architect Bernard Tschumi from New York and his Greek colleague Michael Photiadis was chosen.

The first Acropolis museum was built on the ‘Sacred Rock’ itself and was completed in 1874. In the 1950s the building was enlarged but by end of the 20th century it had become clear that a new and much larger museum was necessary. One of the deciding factors was that the sculptures on the Parthenon had to be removed to protect them against the hazards of a modern city.

Ideally these sculptures would be reunited with other artifacts spread around the globe, the most significant of which were the famous Elgin marbles*, now in the British Museum. For years, one of the reasons given for not returning important pieces of ancient artworks to Greece was the fact that no suitable location was available. A brand new museum would remove that obstacle once and for all.

The Acropolis Museum is built at the foot of the Acropolis hill. From up there, you can clearly see that the orientation of the top floor of the museum is inspired by the Parthenon and that the Acropolis Museum is not just designed to show a collection.

The building is a monumental

Acropolis as seen from Acropolis Museum

Main entrance

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experiment in steel and glass. To protect the ancient ruins below, it was elevated on giant pillars, pinned to the bedrock below on ball bearings able to withstand a Richter scale magnitude 10 earthquakes. On entering the huge hallways, it feels as if you are entering an ancient temple with high ceilings and wide angle halls.

The way the collection is presented evokes a sense of awe, dwarfing visitors as they pass through the corridors like time travellers.

The works of art however are not displayed as if they are sacred and untouchable. Walking past these

wonders of the ancient world, they feel close and human. Nearly 4,000 objects are exhibited over an area of 14,000 square metres. The real Acropolis can easily be seen through many of the glass walls around the exhibition rooms. You can also see that some buildings are slightly obscuring the view.

Originally the plan was to demolish these historic houses in order to have a clearer and unobstructed view from the museum to the ancient theatres at the foot of the Acropolis. World famous composer Vangelis is the owner of one of the houses that stood in the way. The issue was fought up to Greece’s top administrative court, the Council of State, which ruled against the demolition of his and another two houses. It is just one example of the larger and smaller disputes that have surrounded the museum which– more than 5 years after it first opened its doors – is still a controversial building for the Athenians. But then again, so was the Eiffel tower, the Pompidou Cultural Centre in Paris and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Parthenon marbles room

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Elgin Marbles in the British Museum

* The story of the Elgin marbles is a long, sad and controversial one.

The simple version is that Lord Elgin stole many of the sculptures that once adorned the four sides of the Parthenon. They are now on permanent display in a special room in the British Museum. The Greek state wants them returned in order to reunite them with the remaining sculptures, now safe in the Acropolis Museum. The museum is designed to accommodate all the sculptures of the Parthenon.

The long version of the story is less simple. In 1687 the Parthenon – which had largely survived from antiquity intact – was destroyed by an explosion. The Venetians had been shelling the Turks and a cannonball hit the ancient temple, turned church, turned mosque, turned gunpowder depot. Hundreds were killed and the building was ruined beyond repair. The locals used the ancient stones as building material and foreign visitors stole anything they could carry. When Lord Elgin visited the Acropolis, it looked very different than it looks today. It was a small and messy town between ancient and medieval ruins.

These were troubled times for Europe. Napoleon’s expansionist France was a bitter rival of imperial Britain, and Elgin, who suspected the French wanted to ship the Parthenon marbles to France, decided to move quickly. Although he had no such permit from the Ottoman authorities,

his men literally sawed the sculptures from the ancient stones on which they had been carved. Even today on the Acropolis you can discover some of these defaced stones lying next to the Parthenon, long lost witnesses to Elgin’s actions. In 1812, after many delays and face-offs with the French, Elgin finally managed to ship the marbles to England. The French had only managed to get their hands on a few bits and pieces, which are still in the Louvre today. One important sculpture the French had secured was later captured by the Royal Navy. It is now also in the British Museum.

Even in Elgin’s time there was opposition against the removal of the marbles from the Acropolis, certainly from the local population but most notably from Lord Byron.

His outrage was captured in his poem The Curse of Minerva. The Marbles made Lord Elgin famous, but also financially ruined him.

His defenders say that without him the famous sculptures of the Parthenon would have been lost, a position which remains controversial given the respect accorded them by Greeks even at the time of the War of Independence which began soon after he left, in 1821. The Greek state wants all the marbles, including smaller pieces scattered around the European museums, to be returned to Greece where they will then be displayed in the Acropolis Museum next to the building for which they were created.

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Panorama Athens Athens’ panorama has changed remarkably over the centuries. Already a busy city-state in Mycenaean times, the town grew into an international centre of power and culture in the classical period.

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However, after the last schools of ancient learning had closed in the 6th century A.D., it went into rapid decline, interrupted by a revival in the 10th to 12th centuries which has left many small but beautiful churches. Until the 18th century, it was still rare for western travellers to visit Athens,

then under Ottoman rule. It was a small provincial city dominated by scattered ancient ruins. After independence, Athens once again recaptured its ancient glory. The city’s architecture spiralled out of control however as the new capital had to deal with a steep and unprecedented population

growth after 1922, when hundreds of thousands of destitute Greeks arrived from Asia Minor.

Bernard Randolph describes Athens in his book The Present State of the Morea (Oxford, 1686).

He was one of the last foreign travellers who saw the Acropolis

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every night are shut, to keep out privateers, who often land and do much mischief. (…)

Bombardment of the Parthenon in 1687 (Verneda Giacomo Milheau) Painting of King Otto with Athens in the background (Peter von Hess,1835)

and the Parthenon before they were destroyed by an explosion.

“It is the head city in the province of Attica and was once the greatest Mistress of Learning in all Europe.

The plain is about sixteen miles long, and five broad, being surrounded with mountains, all but towards the south, where it is washed by the Aegean Sea. The olive-trees stand so thick to the west

of the city that they seem to be a wood reaching six miles in length, and two in breadth. Whilst I was there, a Tahrirge (or Surveyor) came down from Constantinople to survey the place; he found above fifty thousand olive-trees in this plain and in other places about the city. There are several small villages where are very pleasant gardens.

The city is not walled about, but has gates at the streets’ end, which

The castle stands on a rock, which is high and steep, having but one way up, and three gates to pass through into the body of it. The walls are much out of repair. The situation makes it strong. This castle stood almost in the middle of old Athens. The place most worth observation in it, is the Temple of Minerva, which remains entire, being esteemed (by all who have seen it) to be one of the most glorious buildings in Europe. It is all pure white marble (…) The temple is very dark, having only some lights to the eastward. The Greeks did consecrate and dedicate it to the Blessed Virgin. Since that, the Turks have perverted it with worship. (…) About Athens, there are two hundred Greek churches, most of which have been temples but not one quarter of them are now used.”

For a stunning contemporary panorama of the city and its monuments check out athens. arounder.com

ADVERTISEMENT Asset Ogilvie advertisement

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Ancient Trails The Paths of Culture project “Poor people walk,� says Lydia Carras, one of the project leaders of the Paths of Culture project, with a wry smile.

Paths of Culture is an initiative of Elliniki Etairia, Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage. Six paths have been restored or are in the process of being restored.

Aegina (in progress) Marathon Patmos Sikinos (in progress) Sifnos Psari Korinthias (in progress) monopatiapolitismou.gr

A lone runner at Marathon

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“After the second World War the Greeks started to perceive walking as something belonging to a past they wanted to forget. It became associated with the poverty they wanted to leave behind. When we first started this project to revive the ancient walking paths of Greece, people came up to us and said ‘why ever do you want to walk?’ But Greeks have a great history of walking. The walking trails of our ancestors can be found all across the country. Our grandfathers and mothers were all great walkers. It is something we need to rediscover.”

From time immemorial, footpaths were important arteries for the transportation of ideas, culture and goods connecting Greek villages

and towns, shrines, temples and churches, coastlines and mountain ranges. The country had an amazing collection of footpaths crossing some of the most stunning landscapes imaginable. This ancient infrastructure is now forgotten, abandoned and – in some cases – bulldozed over.

“The rise of new means of transportation resulted in the fact that most paths were abandoned.

In the last 40 years, the European Union and the Greek government have invested in new asphalt roads. Nobody bothered to check if they were crossing ancient tracks.

With this project we want to bring new life to several still surviving paths of a particular natural beauty and historical importance.”

One of those ancient paths was literally a road to health. It is a day’s hike from Corinth to the sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidaurus. This son of Apollo was the healing God of the Greeks.

His celebrated hillside sanctuary was the best chance you had for getting well again. Close to the main temple there were hotels to house the thousands of visitors.

Scattered among the hill are other sanctuaries, mineral springs and, of course, the impressive and still standing theatre of Epidaurus.

Patmos trails Marathon trails Patmos by Adrien Egron 1837 Patmos, photo

by Chris Vlachos

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Theatre of Epidaurus Vathy harbour Sifnos, photo

by Takeaway

It is an amazing experience to walk in the footsteps of pilgrims who, 2500 years ago, travelled here in search of a cure or better health.

This classic 5th century trail is a beautiful and tranquil way to discover the timeless landscape.

Almost all of the thousands of ancient paths are in poor condition.

Where to start?

Lydia Carras:”A local mayor has to write us to apply for the program.

The official part of it is important.

We want a real commitment in writing. Many towns are asking for our help, so we need to make

sure that the local community is committed and involved in the project. This is a lesson we first learned in Patmos. There we had earlier completely reconstructed part of an ancient path. It was too expensive, too complicated.

Restoration really should not be the main focus of this project.

Restoration will happen once people start to love it. The community will come with their own ideas. They can organise themselves.”

The Paths of Culture project will do the initial research and find points of interest along the way; from vineyards to bird-watching

opportunities, from historical monuments to local products.

Rediscovering the paths is often the result of interviewing local people. Sometimes an old shepherd remembers an ancient track where he used to play as a child. On the basis of this research, these paths are then cleaned and clearly signposted. Take, for example, Marathon, a true success story of the project – an old hunter still utilised one of these trails to go from town up to the mountains.

Because Marathon is famous across the globe, it attracts visitors from across the world and the five footpaths and cycling trails

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created by the project help to bring the mythical place back to life.

It is up to the local community to maintain it. All the paths are checked at least twice a year.

Schools can adopt a path and put it under their protection. Teachers are keen to get the children away from their ipods and couches and into the fresh air. “We have created special material, because we think the involvement of children is so important. We even have different schools adopting different paths, to create some healthy competition. When

the whole village gets involved, it helps these communities come alive again. They relearn what it means to live in an historical landscape and what village life is really about. The paths also are key to stimulating the local economy.

The hiking and cycling industry is growing all over the world and Greece is a divine country for walking and cycling. Many tourists visit Greece in the summer, but these ancient trails can boost the tourist industry during the difficult shoulder months. There are so many more trails to rediscover.

We have really just scratched the surface of the possibilities.�

Monument to the Battle of Marathon Sifnos, photo by Phso2

Help save the Tower of Oinoe

In Marathon we can also discover the 12th century Tower of Oinoe which is in a sad state of conservation. The watchtower has two gaping holes which place it in immediate danger.

Pavlos Kremezis, who chairs Elliniki Etairia’s Council for the Architectural Heritage, confirms that the study for the emergency restoration has been approved by the official Central Archaeological Council. As a special gesture, all the proceeds of the ticket sales for the award giving ceremony of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the famous Odeon of Herodus Atticus on the 16th of June 2013 in Athens will go to saving this tower from further damage.

If you cannot make it to the ceremony, your contributions are still more than welcome. How? You can find more details on europanostra.org/tower

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A Guide to Ancient Democracy

Classical Athens should really be explored on foot. Walking in a large, wide circle from Monastiraki underground station to the Acropolis station, the ancient remnants are so overwhelmingly abundant that you wonder where to look first. To the untrained eye some of the sites may look like random collections of stones, like somebody lost their marbles. * Several tricks were used to force citizens to attend the assemblies; the shops were closed; circulation was only permitted in the streets leading to the Pnyx; finally, a red painted rope was pulled around those who were still hanging around in the Agora and the latecomers, ear-marked by the imprint of the rope, were fined.

The Pnyx in detail

Other monuments are remarkably recognisable, like the wellpreserved Temple of Hephaestus, the famous monuments of the Acropolis or the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos. Few can only be found after careful instruction, like the foundation stones of the jail where Socrates was once held prisoner.

The natural environment of the historic sites resembles a park and on a warm Sunday evening the Athenians can be found strolling along the paths circling the hills, much like their ancestors did.

Vice-president of Europa Nostra and founder of Greek heritage organisation Elliniki Etairia, Costa

The Pnyx today

Carras is a passionate man with a spring in his step. “They tried to close a large portion of these hills after three o’clock to the general public. The government built large metal fences around the area to protect the ancient monuments.

Of course, our organisation is all for the protection of monuments,

The Pnyx (1850-80)

but this was one step too far. As you can see, many Athenians like to come here in the evening, not during the day when it is too hot or when they are at work. When they found out what the authorities had done, they were outraged.

They took the law into their own hands and tore all the fences

down. Let me make clear that our organisation does not condone this kind of behaviour, but we understood the sentiment behind it. These hills are a symbol of the history of democracy. They should be open to the public.” We pass a last relic of the hated fence, a lone metal door, too firmly rooted in the hillside to have surrendered to the angry masses.

The Pnyx.

Museon Hill (1850-80)

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Everywhere on these historic hills we can discover the remains of classical Greece. Two legendary places however do not much look like monuments at all. The Areopagus is just a stony outcrop with beautiful panoramas of the city. Many of the tourists enjoying the view of the Acropolis in the evening sun, do not realise that the rock on which they are sitting gave its name to the most powerful body in pre-democratic Athens and later on an important Court of Appeals. 2000 years ago, the Apostle Paul preached here to the Athenians, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

The main destination of our evening walk lies northwesterly from the Areopagus. It is one of Costa Carras’ favourite locations in

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Athens; the Pnyx, an unassuming rocky wall on a sloping hillside.

“The Pnyx was the official meeting place of the Athenian democratic assembly or ecclesia from the early 5th century onward. In its final stage the speaker would be standing here on the speaker’s platform,” Carras explains. “The public would be facing him, sitting on this grassy slope. In one way it was like Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park in London, where people can talk about issues they feel strongly about. In another way it was totally different. Here life and death decisions were made.

Originally, maybe 6,000 people could fit in here, but later the hill side was reinforced so many more could listen safely. This is the heart of Athenian democracy and

thus the beginning of European democracy also.”

What would it have been like to be here 2500 years ago, attending the

assembly? How would the people of Athens have felt about the issues at hand? The fact of the matter is, we have some idea what it was like, thanks to Aristophanes’ play

Areopagus, Mars Hill today Areopagus, Mars Hill, Athens (1850-80)

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The Pnyx by Rudolph Muller (1863)

Acharnians which he wrote in 425 B.C.. Let’s travel back in time and experience a ‘typical’ day at the Pnyx, seen through the sarcastic eyes of Aristophanes.

Dicaeopolis is sitting all alone on the Pnyx. He is a middle-aged man and looks bored and frustrated. He is fed up with the Peloponnesian War and wants to go home to his village. But the assembly is not off to a flying start...

Dicaeopolis (Waving his arms about, indicating the emptiness of the place) Look at this! You wouldn’t believe it but this is a proper, normal day for the sitting of the Assembly. Yet, look at it! The place is deserted!

Totally! They’re all at the market, gossiping as usual or running up

and down the place trying to avoid the staining rope of the cops when they try to round them up.* Even the Executive isn’t here yet. They’ll come late - as per always! – all in one go, preferring to push and shove each other to get to the front row, rather than to talk about peace.

Oh, Athens, Athens! My poor little country! What are you doing? What are you on about these days?

Here I am, as per always the first one here and as per always, I sit and wait. And wait, and wait! And, what can I do with myself? All alone, here? (groans) I groan, and groan and I yawn and I gork…(stretches his limbs) and I stretch and I scratch and…(farts loudly, then chuckles) and I fart and fart – pooh, stinky garlic farts! Then I don’t know what else to do…(scratches his groin)... so I start scratching pictures on

the ground, start tearing at my pubes… I ponder about life… I look far towards my fields and I long for peace! Peace! How I long for peace!

(Deep sigh.) I hate the city… but I love the village! I love the village!

None of this, “I need to buy coal,” or “I need to buy vinegar” or oil or… or anything! We know nothing of “buying” up there. We supply everything ourselves – we gave “buying” the axe! Peace! Here I am then, absolutely determined to scream and shout and swear at the speakers if any of them want to talk about anything else but peace.

(Enter the Executive Committee, a Herald, two archers and a crowd, jostling for the front seats.)

Ah! Here they are. It must be midday! What did I tell you?

They’re pushing and shoving each other to get to the front planks.

Pushing, pushing, pushing!

Everyone is pushing!

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Maybegod: Oh Triptolemos and Keleos, have you forsaken me?

(Maybegod is thrown out of the Pnyx by the archers.)

Herald: (Directing everyone) This way! This way please! Come in through, into the consecrated area, please! This way!

(Enter Maybegod, last of all and looking concerned.)

Maybegod: (To Dicaeopolis) Has anyone spoken yet?

Dicaeopolis: Unfair! Unfair! The Committee is being unfair to the Assembly by throwing out a man who wants to negotiate peace and to rid us of our war shields!

Herald: You, sit down and shut up!

Dicaeopolis: I will not sit down and shut up until you start discussing peace!

(Dicaeopolis shakes his head.)

Herald: Right! Is there anyone who wishes to speak?

Maybegod: I do!

Herald: Our ambassadors from The King’s Court!

Dicaeopolis: Which King’s Court?

I hate all these wanky, peacocky feathery, crappy ambassadors!

Herald: Who are you?

Maybegod: I’m Maybegod:

* Aristophanes (446 BC – 386 BC) was a comic playwright. Eleven of

Herald: Maybegod? You mean, you are not a mortal?

his 40 plays have survived almost complete. Aristophanes paints a vivid picture of ancient Athens. His

Maybegod: No, no, not a mortal. I am immortal! Because Maybegod senior married Demeter and they gave birth to Triptolemos. By him was born Keleos who wedded grandma – that’s Faenarete – from whom emerged Lycinos and from Lycinos came I! That’s me!

Immortal Maybegod! And as such, the gods have entrusted me – me alone – with the peace negotiations with Sparta! But, men, though I am immortal, I still need financial support but (pleads) The Executive will just not give me that support!

Herald: Archers! Out with this idiot!

(The archers come and grab Maybegod.)

comedies are rich in obscenities, grand gestures and crude jokes, which nonetheless still evoke a smile 2500 years after they were written.

Translated by George Theodoridis gutenbergproject.org

In later centuries, particularly under Roman rule, the no longer democratic Assembly would move to the Theatre of Dionysus at the foot of the Acropolis. The Romans used the location as a sanctuary to Zeus Hypsistos. Many votive plaques of human body parts survive, so it is safe to assume that the god and the Pnyx’ location were associated with healing properties.

What would Athens have been without the many schools of philosophy? This is the town of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno the Stoic and Epicurus, to name but a few of the most influential thinkers in history. Plato writes in The Apology of Socrates how Socrates defended himself in 399 B.C. against charges of “corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes.” He committed stateordered suicide by drinking hemlock. A fragment...

Do you think, then, that I should have survived so many years if I had engaged in public affairs, and, acting as becomes a good man, had aided the cause of justice, and, as I ought, had deemed this of the highest importance? Far from it, O Athenians! nor would any other man have done so.

But I, through the whole of my life, if I have done anything in public, shall be found to be a man, and the very same in private, who has never made a concession to any one contrary to justice, neither to any other, nor to any one of these whom my calumniators say are my disciples. I, however, was never the preceptor of any one; but if any one desired to hear me speaking, and to see me busied about my own mission, whether he were young or old, I never refused him.

Nor do I discourse when I receive money, and not when I do not receive any, but I allow both rich and poor alike to question me, and, if any one wishes it, to answer me and hear what I have to say. And for these, whether any one proves to be a good man or not, I cannot justly be responsible, because I never either promised them any instruction or taught them at all.

But if any one says that he has ever learned or heard anything from me in private which all others have not, be well assured that he does not speak the truth.

Now and Then

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Restorations with an Impact

Whether it be natural disasters or urban development, poor maintenance or bad policies, Greek cultural heritage has faced many challenges over the years. Many treasures have nonetheless been saved, chiefly by the Archaeological Service.

NGOs like Elliniki Etairia, however, together with partners such as the A.G. Leventis Foundation have also played a significant role. All these buildings, whether within or outside Greece have their own story to tell. Thanks to the passion and dedication of many, mainly volunteers, much has been saved for posterity. Over the next pages you can see some examples. Not all heritage sites were lucky however. The story of cultural heritage activism in Greece in general and Elliniki Etairia in particular started with a failure, a failure that triggered heritage enthusiasts to create a civil society organisation to save as much of Greece’s heritage as possible.

Christ The Saviour, Crete

Photos published by kind permission of Elliniki Etairia

The Venetian Christ the Saviour Church on Kornarou Square in Heraklion was demolished under the junta in 1970 to make way for a parking lot. The area was once the Venetian district of the city. The church had managed to survive earthquakes and conversions to a mosque, a temporary home for refugees and even an allgirl’s school. In the late 1960s however, junta member Stylianos Pattakos declared it derelict even though it was in fact in excellent condition. The local ephor of the Archaeological Service tried to stop its demolition but the church was torn down and instead of the demolitionists, it was the ephor who had to face trial, though to the court’s credit, even under the junta, he was acquitted. The demolition of the Christ the Saviour Church became a symbol in the battle to preserve the architectural heritage.

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Agıos Ioannıs, Ligourio-Argolis Nafplion is a seaside town that has so far managed to escape the worst effects of mass tourism.

Here, especially in spring and autumn, you can experience Greece at its most charming, The whole region is worth exploring; monasteries and harbours,

Venetian fortifications and many archaeological sites. Near the wonderful ancient theatre of Epidaurus, Ligourio has several medieval churches. The now beautifully restored Church of St. John the Merciful dates back to the 12th century. Amongst the masonry you can discover stones taken from ancient temples of

Epidaurus. This is the most recently completed (2012) of Elliniki Etairia’s restorations, with Stavros Mamaloukos as architect restorer and several local donors of the Liata family matching a generous grant by the Leventis Foundation.

Kızıl Kılıse- Cappadocia Dendrological evidence indicates the church of St Panteleimon or in Turkish, of Kizil Kilise in Cappadocia was built before 539. “It is situated on a high plateau covered in spring with wild blue flowers.” Costa Carras, founding father of Elliniki Etairia, remembers this fondly from his first visit in 1981. It is one of the earliest architectural examples of a dome over a square, contemporary with the great achievements in Constantinople. “It would have been impossible for a Greek organisation to directly restore an Orthodox Church in Turkey. We would not have got the necessary permits. Fortunately the initiative came from a French organisation, Les Amis de Cappadoce, the technical experts were Turkish

and apart from Elliniki Etairia, it received support from the World Heritage Fund and the Koç Foundation.

In 1924, based on the Treaty of Lausanne, an exchange of populations took place between Turkey and Greece. Since then, there had been no congregation left to use or care for the church and the dome was in immediate danger of collapse. “There had not been any fighting between

Turks and Greeks in Cappadocia and therefore it was and is easier to execute restoration work on Greek monuments in that region of Turkey.

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Monastery at Fyrogia, Siphnos The old monastery of Panagia ton Fyrogion in Sifnos was for long in bad shape. Its restoration by the architect Tassos Kartas received a Europa Nostra Award in the first year of the Award Scheme, 1978. Today you can visit the olive oil press and the bakery as well as monastic cells.

Christ Saviour, Alepochori-Attica In 1981, an earthquake in the Gulf of Corinth destroyed the beautiful Christ the Saviour Church in Alepochori, built in the mid thirteenth century under Frankish

rule. Elliniki Etairia immediately put up a temporary protection but restoration took 22 years, and then only thanks to the support of the Leventis Foundation, before the money could be found to

restore it. “Eventually it was a big success,” Costa Carras explains.

“It was a great achievement of Stavros Mamaloukos and his team to replace the fallen vault and the result is truly impressive. We also got strong support from the local community. They helped us and brought food for the workmen.

When we finished the work, the whole village came out to celebrate.”

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Nea Moni-Chios and Osios Loukas, Fokida Hosios Loukas is one of the most architecturally significant Byzantine monasteries of the tenth and early eleventh centuries.

Together with the monastery of Daphne near Athens and the 11th century monastic complex of Nea Moni on the island of Chios, it is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site. Restorations first by the Archaeological Service and then by Elliniki Etairia with the assistance of Professor Charalambos Bouras transformed the refectory of Hosios Loukas into a fine museum of medieval sculpture from buildings in the wider region. And in Nea Moni on Chios Elliniki Etairia, with a donation from the late Anthony Chandris restored the original icon screen and created a museum in the Monastery tower, while with another donation from the Leon Lemos Foundation it contributed important studies and technical support for the restoration of this monastery with its magnificent mosaics, with the support of EU structural funds.

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The Campanile of St George of The Greeks, Venice The development of religious liberty made it possible for Greek refugees and mercenaries serving in the Venetian forces to

built their own church in Venice.

Construction work started in 1539. Almost 40 years and 15.000 ducats later it was finished, The Campanile of St. George and the Campo dei Greci now belong to

the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post Byzantine Studies to which it was donated by the Greek Community of Venice in 1953.

In the 2000s serious restoration work was needed and this was achieved in a collaborative effort between the Hellenic Institute of Venice, local Venetian specialists and Elliniki Etairia with Charis and Alexandros Kalligas as architect coordinators.

And the work continues…

Keos Kea – The square Ancient (Fourth Century BC) Tower of Ayia Marina at one point still stands almost twenty metres high. In fact, having been incorporated into a monastery, it did not begin to fall into decay until the mid nineteenth century. In the later twentieth and the first decade of our own century however its total ruin appeared certain as, despite warnings by the responsible archaeologist, large sections fell to the ground. Elliniki Etairia organized major fundraising

campaigns twice to save the monument, first for a study of the scaffolding necessary –which was prepared by Kostas Zambasto prevent its collapse and then for its installation. Today its restoration by the Archaeological Service with European funds is proceeding apace. Without the enthusiasm of many members of Elliniki Etairia and the generosity of many donors however, including local inhabitants, artists who contributed paintings for an auction, businessmen descended from Kea like Costa Gleoudis and repeated benefactors of conservation causes, such as Thanassis and Marina Martinos and Haris Leventis, it would not have proven possible to save one of the most important monuments of agricultural fortification to have come down to us from antiquity.

As we go to press two more important restorations are proceeding, one of the wonderful twelfth century Church of St. Peter and St Paul in Kastania, a small town in the southern Peloponnese –the architect restorer is Stavros Mamaloukos, the donor Thanassis and Marina Martinos- the other a minute church in a remote region of Naxos that contains extremely rare ninth century frescoes.

This project was begun by the Association Hagia Kyriaki Naxos in Switzerland with the support of the Kostopoulos Foundation and Theofilos Priovolos and with Professor Iannis Kyzis and Klimis Aslanides as architects.

The Council for the Architectural Heritage of Elliniki Etairia, under the chairmanship of Pavlos Kremezis, has succeeded in energizing the project through collaborative funding by the A.G. Leventis Foundation and Thanassis Martinos.

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A New Chapter The National Library of Greece is Moving on In the centre of Athens lies the National Library of Greece, housed in a beautiful neoclassical marble building, built by the Danish architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen in 1888.

Designs and drawings Š Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Although the building is stunning to look at, the vast collection it houses has long since outgrown its home, necessitating the construction of a brand new, modern building in the Phaleron Bay, made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

It will not be the first time the Greek National Library has moved premises. Greek Independence had inspired the young government to gather as many notable Greek works as they could and put them in a national library. Together with schools, national museums

and printing houses, the new library was initially housed in an orphanage on the island Aegina but by 1834 the collection had already grown too large (it consisted of about a thousand pieces at that time). The books and manuscripts were moved to Athens, first to a

Stavros Spyros Niarchos (19091996) shipping magnete, financier and industrialist was one of the most important Greek entrepreneurs. For many years he owned the largest private fleet in the world, with his company operating more than 80 tankers and other vessels. Stavros Niarchos understood the meaning of thinking and acting globally long before the term globalization became prominent. He was one of the most innovative and successful businessmen of the 20th century.

Niarchos’s legacy continues into the 21st century through the Stavros Niarchos Foundation established in 1996. The Foundation works in Greece and globally to support projects in the field of education, social welfare, health, and arts and culture. As the current

public bathhouse and later to the Church of St. Eleftherios. After many donations of foreign language books from all over Europe, the collection was officially combined with the Athens University library into the National Library of Greece in 1866. As the collection

kept growing and growing, it was decided to build a special new building in the heart of Athens, and on 16th March 1888 the foundation stone for the current, well known National Library was laid. Five years later, the collection moved in. For over a century, this iconic

economic problems in Greece continue, the Foundation stepped up its efforts to support initiatives that suffer most from the crisis with a special 100 million Euro programme of support chiefly to institutions in the field of social welfare.

Stavros Niarchos on the cover of Time Magazine 1956 Š Time Magazine

National Library building has served as the library’s in the centre of official home. The premises were Athens slowly dwarfed by the collection it had to house. Two more buildings were added but still the need for more space grew. The National Library really needed a new, modern building for the entire collection.

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of the 21st century. Access to and preservation of the many ancient Greek manuscripts and books in its care will be facilitated by a digitization programme as well as modern climate control and other preservation mechanisms.

Opera & Library Niarchos Cultural Centre Architect Renzo Piano

It was at this point that the Stavros Niarchos Foundation stepped in; a philanthropic organization which has aided non-profit projects since 1996, focusing equally on Greece and the wider world. It funded the new building for the National Library. Although the Foundation spends millions supporting non-profit organisations around the world, the aid given to the National Library comes to an astonishing 566 million Euro, the single largest gift the Foundation has ever made. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center will not only house the library but also the Greek National Opera. The cultural complex

will be surrounded by a large educational park named after the founder of the Foundation.

Soaring majestically over Phaleron Bay, this state-of-the-art building, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, is a world removed from the neoclassical building of Von Hansen. A sprawling park with authentic indigenous Mediterranean flora, renewable energy facilities and a central plaza around a 30 metre wide seawater channel, will further complement the impressive architectural marvel. The complex will also be more practical, with all the convenience and technology

Although the building is only at the early stages of construction at the time of writing (it will be completed at the end of 2015) you can already picture the thousands of visitors browsing through the books in the wide, open lobby, which looks out over all the floors of this vast edifice.

Once it is finished, it will be host to an immense number of books, manuscripts and other research materials, to be used by virtually anyone, from the diligent scientist or historian, to the inquisitive child, whether alone or in groups.

With this new building, the Greek National Library will be a modern temple of knowledge and learning, fit for the 21st century. snf.org snf.org/snfcc/snfMain_en.html

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INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

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A Silver Lining The Rebirth of the Lavrion Industrial Complex

97 Lavrion was the terminal station of the Athens-Lavrion Railway, which was abandoned in 1957.

Small sections of the line are kept in working order by the Museum railways of Attica Co, a heritage organisation of railway enthusiasts. They maintain two small sections of 3 km each, one near Kalyvia and one near Keratea. facebook.com/attica.railway

The spiritual wealth of ancient Athens may have been unparalleled in European history, but for the origin of Athens’ pecuniary and naval power in the 5th and 4th centuries we have to travel 60 kilometres to the south east, to the ancient mining town of Lavrion. In the early 5th century B.C., silver was discovered here.

The coins made from Lavrion silver made the Athenians a naval power to be reckoned with and the leading city state of the Greek world. Slaves laboured day in,

day out in the state-owned mines to haul ever greater quantities of the precious metal from the earth into the city’s vaults. For centuries, Lavrion bankrolled the Athenian economy, but by the 2nd century A.D. the mines had been exhausted and abandoned.

In the late 19th century, the mines were reopened by a French company and they built a vast array of industrial buildings on the site to crush, wash, enrich, melt and pour the metal. Special

flotation techniques made it possible to extract even more metal from the ore. Interestingly, there was no actual digging involved. The factory extracted the silver from the rubbish and discarded stones from ancient times. The silver-mine itself was as good as exhausted and it would have been too expensive to mine the little amounts left.

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In the 1950s, the hills of Lavrion produced chromium, arsenic and lead, but by the 1980s it was all over. The immense Lavrion mining complex was abandoned, left to rot and rust once more.

It is hard to overestimate the size of the complex. Reinventing and rejuvenating a site this large is not a task for the fainthearted.

The immense industrial area was, however, closely related to the history of the seaside town of Lavrion and its population raised their voice to preserve it.

The municipality and the National Technical University of Athens joined forces in 1992 and slowly started to transform the immense site, building by building, into

the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park. Today, LTCP is the only Technology Park in Attica and specializes in information technology, electronics technology, telecommunications, robotics, laser technology, environmental technology, energy, shipbuilding and marine technology. With money from many donors, including the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the European Union, the doors were opened to young entrepreneurs, businesses and restaurants, as well as museums - like the HandicraftIndustrial Educational Museum - and educational programs for primary and secondary school groups. New initiatives were developed for the creative industries in the field of theatre,

architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, music, dance, cinema and contemporary applied arts.

The economic downturn also has an influence on the day to day exploitation of the site. Much is needed to keep this industrial heritage alive. Creativity is the key to find new and innovative solutions. Lavrion has to be, as much as possible, self reliant. If companies are willing to restore a building they are now guaranteed to pay very low rent. Slowly, building by building, the Lavrion mining site literally rises from its ashes. It is hard work and it requires perseverance and long term commitment by all the parties involved, but the industrial heritage of Lavrion may turn out to be a gold mine after all. bbem.edu.gr ltp.ntua.gr/home_en

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100 FEATURE

Stories from the Islands During the current economical turmoil when many accusing fingers are pointed at Greece and Greece is pointing back with equal vigour, one unique aspect of Greece is often overlooked. In essence Greece is not a regular European country, it is an island empire with over a thousand islands spread out across the Mediterranean. More than 150 are permanently inhabited. The infrastructural and financial consequences of maintaining standard amenities like transport, schools and hospitals alone are enormous. Greece is not one country. It is hundreds of countries, each with its own unique history, traditions and natural resources.

Photo by Phso2 Cycladic figurine from Amorgos, photo by Martin D.

From very ancient times this part of the Mediterranean was a centre of culture and civilisation. From the third millennium B.C. Aegean islanders were sailing the seas and building settlements. From this long history an impressive number of heritage sites have come down to us, each with their own unique story. Living on a island in the Mediterranean has many advantages but at the same time it poses many challenges.

Amorgos “My house is still there. Amorgos is my fatherland, my patria,” says Professor Lila Marangou as we discuss cultural heritage challenges on the islands of Greece over a traditional lunch. Amorgos is a true miracle of the Cycladic islands with ancient villages against a backdrop of steep hills.

In summer the streets are filled with mainly French tourists who have loved the place ever since Luc

Besson located his 1988 film The Big Blue on Amorgos. “Tourism has not brought the riches the people of Amorgos thought it would bring.

There was a real danger it would create a building boom. They were very keen on development in the 1980s and 90s. In the current situation however you see people going back to agriculture. The island always used to be selfsufficient. Chick peas, grapes and figs; everybody used to farm

something. There is acontinuity in farming practices and traditions that date back thousands of years.”

Amorgos is an island steeped in history. Ruins from Mycenaean times, which have been excavated and restored by Lila Marangou with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, are just some of the many monuments and sites on Amorgos. “The site had been forgotten. In the 19th century French archaeologists had done some excavations mainly to look for inscriptions. Everything that was found disappeared into

Lila Marangou not only published books on ancient sites, she also wrote a popular book on one of Amorgos’s other heritage attractions: the monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa. This architectural masterpiece, dating back to the 11th century, sits like a giant white seagull on the imposing 300 metre high cliffs of Prophetes Elias mountain. In the heat of the summer the path to the monastery can be daunting.

It is certainly not recommended for people with a fear of heights.

The remote location was chosen in order to protect a religious icon,

there was still a water oracle on the island where people used to go and ask the priests for guidance. I once went there with my mother.

I wanted to know my future. Was I going to stay on Amorgos and be

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Panagia Hozoviotissa, photo by Castro

Amorgos island with Panagia Hozoviotissa as a white dot on the cliff side, photo by Martin Craft

foreign museums. When I started to excavate in the 1980s, people trusted me because I was born and raised there. It is a magical place for an archaeologist. You have to understand that Amorgos has always been a stepping stone between the east and the west.

It had a safe harbour and from Mycenaean times up to now, Amorgos has always been an important centre for trade and culture.”

dating from the year 812. Its daring architecture has inspired people like Corbusier. At any moment rocks might fall to make the monastery into a ruin but the few remaining monks trust that God will spare them. So far he has.

Traditions are important on all Greek islands and Amorgos is no exception. Some traditions even hail back to ancient times or beyond. “I remember that in 1951

City of Chora, photo by Phso2

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a cloth maker and a sock weaver or would I go to join my father in Athens and study? We got up at four o’clock in the morning and walked for two hours to this ancient oracle. The priest was already waiting for us. We brought him bread, oil and wine. He opened the water oracle and filled a beautiful crystal glass with it.

He took it to the entrance and let the sun shine through it. He then put it on his knees and started to repeat the sign of the cross over and over again. Inspired by the oracle, he took a knife, opened the holy gospel and put it in the book. He studied the sentence the knife indicated. It said a hidden treasure endangered. I would consider calling that quite specific.

Needless to say I did not become a sock weaver but went to the mainland to study instead.”

Lila Marangou has been treasuring endangered heritage ever since, excavating hidden and endangered

sites across the Mediterranean and especially on the wondrous island of her forefathers, Amorgos. The excavation and conservation of the tower of Ayia Triada in Amorgos obtained a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award in 2012.

Skyros Skyros is unquestionably one of the most beautiful islands in

the Aegean. The northern half is delightfully forested while the southern half is more austere.

Here two European Union LIFE programmes have assisted the municipality, the Hellenic Ornithological Society and Elliniki Etairia to protect the habitat of the largest population of Eleonora’s falcons in the Aegean. The island is also home to the Skyrian horse, endemic to the island. Tragically the island’s legendary beauty is now in immediate danger. The island requires a maximum of three large wind turbines to meet its energy needs but there is an industrial project being developed for no less than 111. The municipality and the regional authorities oppose this proposal unanimously but the Greek government supports it, desperate for investment in the current crisis. If ever there was an instance where sustainable development is at stake, this is it.

Patmos Many of the Greek islands are important pilgrimage destinations. Over the centuries even on the remotest islands sanctuaries, temples and later churches and monasteries were built. The upkeep and restoration of these thousands of religious monuments is a huge undertaking. The windmills of the monastery of St.John the Theologian in the city of Chora on Patmos were among the fortunate ones. The restoration won one of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2012.

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The jury was enthusiastic about the work that had been done. “Who could resist a sense of exhilaration at the sight of these windmills, in a row, on top of the island, fully restored and spinning against the sky? This group in Patmos was outstanding in the detail and completeness of its restoration, and in the imaginative uses to which each mill was to be put for future production or education. As a group, the three form an integral part of the island landscape’s aesthetic, as well as contributing to its economy as an important and original example of proto-industrial heritage.”

The monastery’s three windmills sit atop a hill in the UNESCO world heritage town of Chora, one of Europe’s most important historical and religious pilgrimage sites.

Two of the windmills were built in 1588, the third in 1863. When flour production ceased in the 1950s, the windmills were abandoned and fell into disrepair, as did most of the windmills in Europe. After the restoration by Daphne Beckett and her team, with funding by Charles Pictet and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the mills are now open to the public as a living museum to delight and educate both islanders and visitors alike. The project has resulted in a revitalised, working and aesthetically beautiful heritage site.

Mykonos In Greek mythology Mykonos was the location of a battle between Zeus and the Titans. A similar battle with disastrous consequences has taken place in our day, a fight between the natural beauty of the island against the demands of modern mass tourism.

Mykonos is the victim of an aggressive stone fungus enveloping the once beautiful valleys, mountains and fishing villages, covering them with low quality and far too densely built villas. Soulless restaurants are directing their energy towards trapping tourists instead of serving a decent meal.

And at night the endless clubs are marching to the beat of a different drum than the timeless landscape of this pearl of the Mediterranean,

next to the famous ancient island of Delos.

750.000 tourists a year are a huge strain on the island’s sensitive environment. Traffic congestion, diminished public safety, water and soil pollution are just a few of the immediate problems. Mykonos faces the challenge of working towards sustainable tourism.

In the long run such action will benefit the tourists as well. As soon as all authenticity is gone and Mykonos looks like any other victim of mass tourism, the visitors will drop the island like a ton of bricks. The islanders as well as the authorities need to get their priorities straight and seek long term benefits rather than short term gains.

Kefalonia This historical gem of western Greece, not far from Corfu, lies close to the place where the European meets the Aegean plate and a series of four devastating earthquakes –of a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale- hit the island in August 1953. Many houses, churches as well as medieval and ancient monuments were destroyed. The whole island was raised an astonishing 60cm. The north of the island had a narrow escape and many of the buildings there remained intact but the rest

of the island was dealt an incredible blow, not just physically but also mentally. Residents started leaving the island by the thousands. The ones that stayed built new, often low quality villages. 60 years later the original villages, farm houses and monasteries still lie abandoned like forgotten ghost towns. New initiatives are being developed to at least secure some of these structures for posterity and give them a new use.

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The Ancient Theatre of Modern Life

Lydia Koniordou glides like a ballerina through the empty hallways of the National Theatre, half an hour after her stunning performance in Robert Wilson’s Odyssey. Words enthusiastically escape from her lips like birds in spring. Her tone is light and open but at the same time decisive and powerful. Greece’s most acclaimed classical actress knows the beautiful old theatre of Athens very well. The native Athenian has been coming here since childhood.

In Wilson’s interpretation of Homer’s epic story, Koniordou plays three roles; Anticleia (the ghost of Odysseus’s mother), Eurycleia (Penelope’s maid) and Arete (Alcinous’s wife).

It is a physically demanding performance, but Koniodou is known for working hard. “I consider myself a classical actor of Greek tragedies, but my interests are very contemporary. I feel free to do what I want and how I want

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to do them.” Electra, Antigone, Lysistrata or the Persian queen Atossa, the acclaimed stage veteran plays them with equal authenticity, often on the stage of ancient Greek theatres. Robert Wilson’s Odysse” with its dramatic staging and overwhelming light and sound effects seems far removed from the more traditional performances of classic Greek drama, but what is the ‘right’ way, I ask her while she shows me the

architecture of the 83 year old grand National Theatre.

“One theory is replaced by another,”she explains. “Some interpretations are experimental, others more conservative. I think you have to really look at the text, the spirit of it and study the period. I think there is nothing wrong with using the plays as an inspiration for something else.

You can be more free. However,

Greek theatre history began with festivals honoring their gods. The City Dionysia in Athens was a yearly festival in which tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays (which dealt with a mythological subject in a comic manner) were first performed.

Many of the most famous plays premiered here. This is the place were, for probably five consecutive days, Athens was captivated by the new artistic accomplishments of their famous poets and writers like Aeschylus (525/4 - 456/5 B.C.), the father of tragedy. Only seven of his estimated seventy to ninety plays have survived; Sophocles (497/6 - 406/5 B.C.) wrote more than a hundred plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form; Euripides (480 - 406 B.C.) has about ninety-five plays attributed to him of which eighteen or nineteen have survived complete; of Aristophanes’ work (446 – 386 B.C.) just eleven plays survive.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the foot of the Acropolis is the location for the award giving ceremony of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2013.

Lydia Koniordou directed a special performance during the ceremony. (photo

by Tomisti)

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National Theatre, Athens

when you start rewriting the text or taking lines out, you have to be very careful what you pull out. In general I would say either stick to the text or do not use the text at all. I am so thrilled by the words themselves; the beauty, the depth of ideas, the almost satanically complex structure. It is like the pillars of the Parthenon.

Not one of them is exactly like the other. There are no straight lines. The building changes when the light changes. It is alive and not motionless. The text of the classic plays is like that as well.

It is an adventure, a Wild West, every time you wonder: why did I not see that before? On the other hand, you have to translate the ancient text to modern Greek.

We do not know how ancient Greek was pronounced. Of course there has been much research.

You could collect all the clues we have collected and base your interpretation on that. In Trabzon for instance, in eastern Turkey, people still speak a Greek dialect which may be closer to ancient Greek. You could use that as an inspiration. It would be coming

vase decorations which give an indication and we have the rhythm and the language which help us.

On the one hand you have the tradition of people like Dimitris Rondiris, who want performances to be as authentic as possible. On the other hand you have Karolos Kuhn (Greek theater director, widely known for his lively staging of ancient Greek plays ed.) who opened up the interpretations in the 1960s. Personally, I believe you do not have to explain everything.

It needs a bit of abracadabra, of the magic of a magician.”

from the right place, but it still would not be 100% correct. It never will. The staging, the pronunciation, the rhythm, the movements; there are just too many rabbits running in all directions. Some verses were meant to be sung, not spoken. It was a form of musical theatre. It was a triangle, of words & poetry, sound & music and movement & dance. How do you know what to do on stage? We have ancient

The revival of the ancient Greek tragedies in the 20th century, almost 2500 years after they were written, was in part thanks to Fotos Politis (1890-1934), one of the most prominent figures responsible for what is now known as ‘the theatrical tradition of the National Theater of Greece’.

In 1918, Politis played a role in founding the Hellenic Theater Co. Politis explained why: “It was founded to put a stop to the ridiculous parodies, desecrations and clownery of Sophocles,

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Diazoma – Citizens for Ancient Theatres The Diazoma Association, founded in 2008, brings ancient theatres back to life with performances, exhibitions and musical theatre. It helps with the study, excavation, conservation, restoration and functional incorporation of ancient theatres in modern society. There are 44 locations across Greece where the organisation is active at the moment; from the ancient theater of Orchomenus in Boeotia (A.G. Leventis Foundation supported the restorations) and the theatre in Ancient Messene to the world famous amphitheatre of Epidaurus. Diazoma has even set up a special bank account, a ‘money box’, for each theatre, in which everyone is able to deposit their contribution.

Stavros Benos, the President of Diazoma: “I cannot look upon these theatres as ruins, as something dead. I see in them living organisms transmitting messages of knowledge, wisdom, aesthetics, harmony and dialogue with the environment and nature. I have always disagreed with the classic treatment of monuments as museum pieces. It puts them to one side, to the margins of our era. It ignores their adaptability and harmonization with every historical period. Ancient theatres are unique examples of exceptional architecture. It is the culmination of the achievements of ancient Greek civilization, in other words, the best of what the Greek spirit has to offer. I had tried it before, but in 2008 the time was right. I found myself surrounded by an enthusiastic and dynamic group of people, scholars, intellectuals, artists, people in local government and pro-active citizens. Fellow-citizens who have decided that the research, study, protection, enhancement and, wherever feasible, the use of ancient theatres and other venues for spectators and listeners, is also their concern.” diazoma.gr

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4th century Theatre of Epidaurus Lydia Koniordou in Swallow Song, which was also directed by her (photo from onassis.ox.ac. uk) Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, Athens

Shakespeare and Ibsen.” It would prove to be an opinion that would be challenged repeatedly over the last century.

Whatever the level of authenticity or the absence thereof in the current performances of ancient plays, when you visit the ancient theatres of Greece, you immediately notice how advanced they must have been. The word theatre, literally place for viewing, comes from Greek, as does the word scene. There were backgrounds that could be rolled on and off the stage, elaborate tricks to make people fly and trap doors. And what about

the actors themselves? What about the famous masks of the ancient Greek theatre? Koniordou:“Masks help you to abandon your ego.

You literally give up your face. It becomes a collective experience; you are a servant of the mask.

A mask is an excellent way to discover new dimensions in a play.”

Is she not afraid that the ancient traditions, no matter how they are interpreted, have a stifling influence on the development of modern theatre in Greece? They must be quite big shoes to fill.

“Greece has a surprising amount of young playwrights compared

to the size of the country.

Postmodern and classic plays lead mostly parallel lives. There are moments when they meet, as well as moments when the past is just too heavy. The classic plays are the point of reference. You have to face that at some point. But the ancient playwrights were also humans.

When you look at the ancient temples and sculptures all you see is white marble, but originally the ancient temples and art as well as people were full of colour, of life, of love, of passion. We must never forget that.”

112 DISCOVERY

An Archaeologist’s Dream The Wonders of Ancient Messene

Arcadia Gate

The first thing one notices when approaching ancient Messene from the north are imposing walls with watch towers and the ruins of an impressive gate. It is hard to miss as the road passes directly through the so-called Arcadia Gate. It is a tight fit for the local bus, dieseling its way through like a snake, trailing black clouds of smoke.

113 In 2011 Ancient Messene was awarded the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards in the category conservation.

The jury stated: “The project has transformed incomprehensible ruins into a well-organised archaeological site that blends naturally with the landscape. Furthermore they have permitted the social recapture of ancient public “theatrical” buildings.”

surrounded the shiny new city, even encompassing the towering Ithome mountain with the city’s acropolis and a temple dedicated to Zeus. For more than a thousand years the city blossomed.

For centuries these ruined remains were the only things visible in the landscape. It pointed to the existence of a mysterious ancient city. Although the French and later the Greeks did some initial excavations in the 19th century, Messene had to wait until the late 1980s to show its true magnificence to the world.

Systematic excavations brought to light a once thriving city with public buildings, sanctuaries, funerary monuments and urban villas, agricultural land and natural springs, as well as numerous artifacts, statues, inscriptions and coins.

Messene was founded in 369 B.C. by the famous Theban statesmen and general Epaminondas on top of another much older city, Ithome. So, the site now know as ancient Messene was once, actually, new Messene. 9 kilometers of 7 metre high walls

The archaeological site is truly enormous, seemingly continuing to the horizon. Professor Petros Themelis, who received permission to dig from the Council of Athens’ Archaeological Society in 1986, is still captivated by the site. “I have been here for 27 years and I will stay here until I die. I was a young man when I started here and as you can understand, as the site grew in importance, many tried to take it away from me. It used to worry me, because it is such an adventure and pleasure to work here. Now I am too old to be afraid of anything,” he explains as we cross the market square. You can still see where the shops used to be and you can feel the worn down stones of the central entrance under your feet.

It is not hard to image how busy it must have been here once. The city survived until the medieval period and the remains of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite can be seen under the ruins of an old Byzantine

church. Everywhere you can see well-preserved remains. One of the most important temples of Messene is dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing.

At a time when sickness and death were constant companions, this temple attracted people from all

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The theatre is being restored Remains of a temple dedicated to Aphrodite can be seen under the ruins of an old Byzantine church

over Greece and beyond. Even today, Asclepius with his snakeentwined staff remains a symbol for medicine. Asclepius’ healing complex was surrounded by smaller temples dedicated to other gods who could potentially lend a hand in the healing process. Money never slept in this town and it is no surprise that close to the temple we find one of the earliest bank vaults where valuables could be safely stored underground.

The site also contains a large stadium for games and chariot races, elegantly surrounded by slender pillars and a stunningly restored Roman temple. The Pax Romana eventually made the protection of the city unnecessary and some of the stones of the walls were re-used for other monuments like this temple. The Romans invested heavily in the city, proving the status Messene enjoyed in the ancient world.

There are luxurious villas, one with a beautiful mosaic floor.

There is even a monument to

commemorate soldiers who died in battle, much like our memorials of World War II. The site is a feast of discovery for the visitor, but twenty, thirty years ago there was very little to enjoy here besides a sleepy village and endless farmland. “You have to understand that, when we started here, there were just olive trees with some ruined walls and scattered stones. We started buying up land from the villagers. Now they complain that

we have bought it too cheaply, because the site has become such a major tourist attraction. The reason so little could be seen on the surface, was the fact that the whole area had been covered by a mudslide. All the treasures were hidden under a thick layer of sediment. Nothing was standing upright. It was and still is a huge puzzle of stones and pillars.�

As we walk through the ancient stadium with hundreds of pillars, now standing upright, it becomes clear that he is not joking.

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“I am often asked why such a big city was not located on the sea. The ancient Greeks did not trust the sea and preferred to live inland. Athens is also quite far from the sea. Cities would have a harbour, but it would be at a safe distance. Another misconception is the function of an ancient city.

Visitors ask me how many people lived in Messene. The question is difficult to answer. The people lived in villages in the countryside and would only go to town for a reason. They would come to the

market to trade or visit the temple for prayer or to offer gifts to the gods. The city also represented government, authority and jurisdiction. When you were seeking justice, you could bring a case before the administrators here.”

The natural slope of one of the hills was used for a large theatre obviously geared towards a substantial audience. A group of young archaeologists and labourers are working hard to clear

and restore the stage and the seats.

Professor Themelis sits down on a beautifully preserved throne and overlooks the activities as an ancient king. “Entertainment was another reason to come to the city.

This amphitheatre was technically very advanced. It could be covered to protect the audience from the heat of the sun. It had moving sets. You can still see the rails here. Different backgrounds for the shows were painted on wood and could be moved on and off the stage easily. You can still locate the dressing rooms where the actors would change between acts.”

The excavations in Messene are ongoing. Nearby, on the way to the small village, a newly established museum showcases a collection of statues and objects found at the site. Professor Themelis lives in a humble apartment underneath the museum, with a garden overlooking the valley of ancient Messene, truly an archaeologist’s dream.

Temple from the Roman period Bank vault

OPINION

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Acheloos river, photo by Georgios Pazios

Stream of Consciousness The Acheloos River Controversy

Map with the Acheloos river

The first inkling of the idea started in the 1930s, but it began to get seriously only after the Second World War.. It was a time for bold, new plans on a grandiose scale; tear down historical city centres and build new ones. Check!

Build nuclear power stations along every border. Check! Build gigantic modernist apartment buildings on the outskirts of every town. Check! Divert the legendary Acheloos River to the

Thessaly Plains. Check! No, wait, uncheck! For the last 80 and more particularly, the last 30 years, this ancient river, flowing from the Pindos Mountains in the centre of Greece to the Ionian Sea, has been at the heart of a heated and complex debate.

By the 1970s, the threat to the Acheloos River had developed from an idea to a real proposal. The Acheloos River would be led across

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the mountain range to irrigate the Thessalian Plains’ thirsty crops of cotton. As a concept it seemed like a rather good idea. You take the water from where it is plentiful and lead it to where it can help local farmers that suffer from the challenging economic downfall of rural Greece. It gets even better when the European Union picks up the bill and you create thousands of jobs in the process. So why is not everybody urging the Greek authorities on? Why are so many heritage and nature organisations so concerned?

The plan is ambitious to say the least. It includes the

17km-long diversion channel to the Thessalian Plains. An estimated 600 million mÂł of water would be diverted from the Acheloos River to the other side of the mountains.

And it is not the first dam in the river.

construction of giant dams and associated reservoirs, two major tunnels, access roads and service infrastructure, together with a

Let us travel downstream from the magnificent Pindos Mountains to the Ionian Plains to follow the snake-like path of this river of myth and legend. The Acheloos is one of the largest rivers of Greece, named after the river god Achelous. The reduced flows caused by the diversions will change the habitats of endangered and internationally protected

Acheloos river with construction equipment

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Dancing on the feast of St. George at the Church of Myrofyllo threatened with inundation

Costa Carras of Elliniki Etairia argues for conservation

species. Others will suffer serious disturbance both during and after the construction work. The Acheloos Valley and the Delta are a bird paradise protected by European Union directives. In addition, the Acheloos delta forms the Messolongi lagoons, a complex of wetland habitats protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands dating back to 1971. It is one of the most important Greek habitats for the Salmo trutta, a trout species. They swim upstream to spawn and a series of giant dams may be an unwelcome and insurmountable surprise to them.

And we are not even mentioning the additional socio-economic and cultural impact, including the destruction of important monuments, like the beautiful 17th century monastery of Saint George of Myrophyllo and other heritage sites.

How about the Thessalian Plains?

Would the diverted water solve their problem? The plains already have a river but it has been severely polluted. Unregulated

bore drilling for irrigation has caused depletion and increased salinity of the groundwater, a situation made worse by the wasteful irrigation methods used.

Nitrate from fertilizers has further polluted the water-supply. Instead therefore, of first cleaning up their act, fresh water from another area is demanded to solve a problem that could have been avoided in the first place. It is maybe time for old plans to get a second look.

In the early 90s, civil society organisations started to realise the full implications of the project.

They took the Greek state to court in close cooperation with the municipalities on the coast that would bear the grunt of the impact of the diversion. Thanks to all the protests, the European Union has, so far, rejected funding for the project. The Greek government sidestepped rules and regulations by declaring, in

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2006, the project to be ‘in the national interest,’ which allowed for much more wiggle room. A poorly conducted Environmental Impact Assessment claimed that the environmental concerns were ‘inaccurate and unsubstantiated.’

How about other concerns, money for instance? As with any large scale project, an accurate budget stays elusive. Nobody knows exactly how many millions the project is already over budget, an indication of the billions that are needed to take the project to next level. Ten years ago, the construction work had already

been estimated at 720 million euros, with total project costs at an estimated 3 to 4.50 billion euros.

And all this burdens the citizens of Greece, at a time of unparalleled economic stringency.

The world has changed.

Europeans and their leaders have become more concerned about environmental issues and more aware of the importance of the protection of nature. The Acheloos diversion with its negative impact on ecosystems, water levels and landscapes, long ago lost its glow. Money has become a rare commodity and the

European Union is cautious. Since February 2010 and five negative decisions by the Council of State, the Acheloos project has been on hold, but the tug-of-war has now lasted for 20 years and there are still people in government and business who contend it should be given a green light. The case has even been brought in front of the European Court of Justice of the European Union. Nearly 80 years after it was first proposed, the Acheloos diversion scheme continues to prove as contentious as ever.

The Feast of Achelous (Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)

Acheloos river estuaries (photo from deepinbirds. wordpress.com)

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Modern Movement in Ancient Athens

Photos by Jeff Vanderpool

Ancient Athens can be a bit overwhelming. Wherever you walk in the city centre the monuments of ancient times are so beautiful they steal the scene from the rest of the city’s architecture.

The Acropolis dominates the city, belittling the architecture of later dates. It is difficult to compete with 2500 years of such evident cultural excellence. A few buildings manage to do so; for instance the iconic House of Parliament, the famous socalled Neoclassical Trilogy (which includes the National Library, the Academy of Athens and the University of Athens) and the National Observatory.

Most architecture of the Modern Movement however, stays out of the limelight, almost invisible to visitors as well as to Athenians, with dire consequences...

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“Very few buildings have been maintained properly and even fewer have been renovated,” explains architect Aris Zambikos, a member of Elliniki Etairia’s Council for the Architectural Heritage and of the editorial committee of the book to be entitled Athenian Houses of the Modern Movement.

There is very little documentation or photographic evidence. Most of them are small properties which are privately owned. The government does not list buildings of the Modern Movement. There is no general strategy to cover this period of architectural history. We need the recognition of this kind of heritage to be able to protect it. We need to build up a record and do adequate research to be able to determine which ones are important.”

Nobody determines whether a particular residence is important or not. Land is very expensive and tearing down a Modernist building to replace it with an apartment block is all too tempting. Elliniki Etairia has been active since 2008 in photographing and documenting the great wealth of Modernist architecture in Athens in an attempt to stop this trend. The research, carried out with patient professionalism over the years by Katerina

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Photos

by Ioanna Roufopoulou

Chatzikonstantinou, a researcher at the University of Thessaloniki, had to be halted for a period due to lack of funding but thanks to the consistent support of the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the interest of the Representation of the European Commission in Greece, the project has now been completed.

Aris Zambikos: “This project is a start and it can assist the municipality in listing and protecting these buildings properly. There are renovation issues as well. There needs to be more knowledge and technical know-how as to how to restore the concrete for instance. The related history of public housing in Athens is another neglected subject we have to look into. These buildings from the 1920’s and 1930’s are an important part of the city’s history and growth. A beautiful example is both sides of Pamisou Street in the sixth district (Ayios Meletios). They have no gardens and the different

style of the individual houses is very unique. We now have a record of 1300 buildings in the seven boroughs of Athens. At least 60% needs additional maintenance.”

The project is not only meant to inform and sensitise the local authorities but also ordinary Athenians. The buildings of the Modern Movement are an important addition to the

architectural heritage of Athens.

The book Athenian Houses of the Modern Movement will be presented in the Benaki Museum Pireos Building on the 15th June 2013, during the Europa Nostra Congress. The Museum will also host a special exhibition for the occasion. benaki.gr ellet.gr

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Herito is a bilingual Polish-English magazine on culture and heritage in Central Europe. →

In each issue of Herito you will find: opinions and reflections

on exhibitions and books, presentations of successful cultural projects and modern institutions operating in the broadly defined field of heritage. → Among our contributors are: Lászlo Beke, Bogdan Bogdanović, Marta Bucholc, Ewa Chojecka, Ivan Čolović, Erhard Busek, Éva Forgács, Radu Pavel Gheo, Drago Jančar, Miljenko Jergović, Csaba G. Kiss, Peter Krečič, Detlef Kruth, Alexandr Lipatov, L’ubomír Lipták, Artur D. Liskowacki, Claudio Magris, Piotr Piotrowski, Martin Pollack, Jacek Purchla, Mykola Riabchuk, Joan Roca, Anda Rottenberg, Agnieszka Sabor, Thomas Schulz, Janusz Sepioł, Simona Škrabec, Robert Traba, Joanna Ugniewska, Magda Vášáryová, Wojciech Wilczyk, Stefan Wolle. → The issues published until now: Symbols and clichés, Imagined identities, The city and the museum, Art is changing (a) place, Cities for thought, Culture and politics, Stories from countries which are no more, Nations – history and memory, Słowacja – Slovensko – Slovakia and The elusive centre (of Europe)

e-version of Herito available in App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android)

→ www.herito.pl

FEATURE

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“Culture is at the Centre of the European Project” An interview with Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy is a man of culture with wide and varied interests. Times are tough in Europe and culture and cultural heritage are on the receiving end of budget cuts across Europe.

Europa Nostra believes that culture and cultural heritage offers opportunities to get out of the financial turmoil. Time to sit down for an exclusive interview to find out where the President of the European Council stands on culture and cultural heritage in relation to the European Union.

Last year, when the EU received a Nobel Peace Prize, the world was reminded that Europe is first and foremost a “Peace project.” Europa Nostra strongly believes that the European Union is also a “Culture project.” Do you share this view?

Indeed, Europe, the European Union, is in essence a “Culture project,” in the sense that it is, fundamentally, based on values

that we share. And these values upon which we are building the European Union, they all derive from the essential value of respect for others. That’s our culture.

These values relate to solidarity and responsibility. To fraternity and justice. They include human rights, equality between men

and women, and deployment of each person’s talents. In fact it is about togetherness. And about relationship. And it is in the light of this cultural philosophy of relationship, this philosophy of encounter that I wish to see Europe’s destiny unfold.

Relationship and even friendship.

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For Europe means friendship too.

You very rightly referred to the Nobel Peace Prize. But we tend to forget that the first FrancoGerman Treaty was a Friendship Treaty. Together, we do better.

Last October, you were present at the local ceremony for the exemplary

restoration of the Solvay Library, one of the winners of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. On this occasion you said:“Puissionsnous demain, en tout lieux et à jamais, continuer à célébrer l’art, l’architecture et la culture!” What should be done to help this heartfelt

desire come true? Does article 3.3 from the Lisbon Treaty provide a new and powerful tool for European decision and policy makers to promote this pro-actively?

Absolutely. Because Europe is a “Culture project,” as you stated it and as I subscribed to it.

Van Rompuy at the Nobel Prize ceremony

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Solvay Library

Culture is what a person adds to nature. And men, men and women are, in essence, cultural beings.

Products and producers of culture.

To quote André Malraux, the first Minister of Cultural Affairs in France, an office especially created for him by General de Gaulle:“La culture, c’est ce qui fait de l’homme autre chose qu’un accident de l’univers.” Culture is what makes man more than just an accident of the universe. It is the expression of our freedom. We can take our future in our own hands.

We try to master our destiny.

Culture has also a lot to do with the search for goodness, truth and beauty. It gives a meaning to our lives. It is life itself. Art is linked with beauty. With beauty and aesthetic emotion.

And the beauties of Europe are inseparable from the patina of our cultural history. But culture is also linked to curiosity. I always keep the words of Aristotle in mind: “Philosophy starts with wonder.” So does culture. It prevents stagnation, complacency,

lack of ambition. Yes, “being curious” is probably one of the most fundamental aspects of what I would call “a cultural attitude.”

An open mind, always alert, always searching, always looking for “progress.” And this is the attitude we want to promote, in each part of our Union. Because that is what culture is about. And that is what Europe, what the Union, is about.

Recently, President Barroso, in cooperation with Vice-President Reding and Commissioner Vassiliou, launched a very interesting initiative inviting Europe’s citizens, artists and intellectuals to contribute to a “New Narrative for Europe.” Can they offer a fertile soil for Europe’s renewed optimism and dynamism, for Europe’s true renaissance?

Culture should be a cornerstone of this “New Narrative.” Because European culture is a synonym for creativity. European culture consists in applying the wisdom of the past to the crucial issues

of the present in a creative openminded way. “Nova et vetera” (new and old ed.) Europeans are indeed, etymologically, the sum of “eurys” meaning “wide” and of “óps” meaning view, an open-minded people, who have inherited from Lady Europe the ability to look at the bigger picture. These “fundamentals” should be reminded when we deal with the “New Narrative.” We have roots and traditions and we have to express them and to build on them in order to grow richer.

Richer in humanity. Loving life. To be a continent of hope.

In the recent months and years, each meeting of the European Council was absorbed by “crisis management” of burning financial and economic issues. Is it conceivable that one of the next meetings of the European Council could dedicate its full attention to Europe’s cultural resources as a key pillar for Europe’s prosperity and sustainable development in the 21st century?

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The Belgian artist Luc Tuymans recently declared:“In these times of economic and financial crisis, we are left with just one thing: culture.” It is exaggerated but there is a lot of truth in this quote.

But culture is a wide concept. It can also mean a culture of despair, of nihilism, of destruction. When I speak about culture, it means a cultural counteroffensive vis-à-vis the negative forces.

Among the elements that can contribute to overcoming the current crisis of confidence and solidarity, more “culture” helps build stronger bridges between the peoples of Europe. A culture of hope. A culture of life. Culture is one of the fundamental solutions needed in order to “re-enchant” Europe at every level. Culture not as a cult of the past but as a source of creativity, of energy.

I have always been convinced of it. But culture does not live in isolation. You can not build a “Culture project” on a devastated

Union. And the burning financial and economic issues have to be solved if we want our Culture project to succeed. Because the solution to these financial and economic issues is also part of our Culture project. Culture is a principle that goes far beyond of what is usually qualified as being “cultural.” Our European Culture project is encompassing all dimensions of our “living together” in the Union.

In June 2013, Europa Nostra will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens.

What message would you like to pass to Europa Nostra and its members on this historic occasion and at this iconic location?

A message of gratitude and of hope. A message of gratitude towards Europa Nostra because of all the actions and projects you have carried through during the past fifty years. You made it possible, for culture and art, to fulfill their mission, i.e. “docere and delectare”(to teach and to

delight ed.) as so beautifully and rightly expressed by Horatio. I really want to pay tribute to this remarkable work.

And also a message of hope for Europe because culture is at the centre of the European project, a project Europa Nostra will in the coming years help to develop, together with other key actors.

For the end of our interview, can you share with us some of your favourite heritage sites in Europe, sites which in your view epitomize the “spirit and the soul of Europe?”

There are so many… And this diversity is just what I like most.

To just pick up one: Venice, encompassing in her waters and in her stones our history, culture and spirituality. Venice, blending river and sea waters and giving birth to beauty and wisdom. Venice, a possible representation of what a soul could be… “Life” in Venice…

Van Rompuy at the local ceremony in the Solvay Library with Sneška QuadvliegMihailović, Secretarygeneral of Europa Nostra (on his left) Van Rompuy with Greece’s prime minister Antonis Samaras

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The Nature of Giving The Ambition and Passion of the A.G. Leventis Foundation

Kerkini Lake, photo

by Andreas Alexandridis

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The Blue Breasted Kingfisher and the African Dwarf Kingfisher, photographed in Nigeria by the A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute

A.P. Leventis is a man with a broad vision. The renowned Greek businessman, environmentalist, conservation expert and philanthropist now resides in London, but was born in Ghana, a country he still feels passionate about. He is a scientist with a wide variety of interests, from bird watching across the globe to bio-diversity in Nigeria and Brazil, from educational projects and scholarships to cultural heritage conservation projects in Greece and Cyprus. He is not only at the helm of the Leventis Group but also of the A.G. Leventis Foundation. The importance of the foundation for cultural heritage in the region can hardly be overstated. Not only are they a keen supporter of Europa Nostra, many of the heritage projects discussed in this magazine would not have been possible without their support, be it in a new study into the Modernist architecture of Athens to the restoration of countless Orthodox churches.

We sat down for an exclusive interview, not only to talk about heritage restorations, for which the A.G. Leventis Foundation has

A.G. Leventis

provided invaluable support, but also to discuss other important issues in Greece and the wider world.

Although the protection of the natural environment and the protection of cultural heritage are often supported by very different organisations, the A.G. Leventis Foundation encompasses both.

Do you agree that many of the protection issues overlap? “Yes, they often do. If you take an archaeological site for instance, it combines both culture and nature.

In ancient Olympia we not only

funded the restoration of the temple of Zeus, we also helped with the proper management of the site. Most cultural sites are cultural parks as well. We have come to that understanding

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The church of St Nicholas in Agridi, one of the many important restoration projects of the A.G.Leventis Foundation

Since 1979, the A.G. Leventis Foundation focuses in funding and supporting projects in the field of society, education and culture according to the wishes of the Cypriot entrepreneur Anastasios G. Leventis (1902-1978). Now in its fourth decade, the Foundation supports the dissemination of the Greek and Cypriot cultural heritage, as well as extensive public benefit programme, pioneering environmental protection projects, and medical research.

To this end, its activities range from the rehabilitation of a large number of classical, Byzantine, and post-Byzantine monuments, and the enrichment and presentation of collections of Cypriot antiquities in museums around the world, to the systematic granting of scholarships, and the sponsorship of nature conservation and sustainable development projects in Southern Europe, Africa and world-wide.

An important aspect of the dynamic presence of the A.G. Leventis Foundation in cultural affairs is the Foundation’s art collections: the Paris Collection of European Art, the Collection of Works by Greek Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries, and the Collection of Works by Cypriot Artists. These three collections, which afford a unique aesthetic and educational experience, will soon be united and housed in the new A.G. Leventis Gallery currently being built in Nicosia, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, Architects.

Deno Leventis (1938-2002), who led the A.G. Leventis Foundation – set up by his and Taso’s uncle – from its inception in 1979 until his death in 2002, was also a valued Council Member and Treasurer of Europa Nostra from 1985. After his death.

Deno’s widow Edmee, continued his work on Europa Nostra’s Council until 2011. leventisfoundation.org/en

many years ago and it has become mainstream. In the case of the restoration of the Church of St. Stephen for instance (a former Orthodox Church in Nessebar in Eastern Bulgaria, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. ed.), we not only restored the church and the frescoes therein, but also the gardens. The natural environment is an integral part of a site.”

One of the aspects that is very noticeable about the foundation, is its willingness to support very large but also much smaller projects. Do you believe in the power of both?

“The basis for our decision-making is the multiplier effect, where a small investment can make a big difference. For instance, with the reorganisation of forest management in Greece after the great fire: we played a part to bring that together, working with other foundations. Often we are the single missing factor. Sometimes we help with multiple small donations. We are what we like to call an enabling organisation. We fund what is the most effective, the most appropriate to bring people together. That is why we work closely together with Elliniki Etairia.”

Europa Nostra believes that the power of cultural heritage is underused. Cultural heritage could play an important role in Europe, not just from a cultural or historic point of view, but also in job creation, innovative product development, sustainable economic growth, agricultural renewal and more. Would you agree that cultural heritage has a key role in the future of Europe?

The importance of culture is underestimated. Culture in the

widest sense of the word should be on the top of the list. It cements communities and brings people together to solve problems. Most of our support goes to universities.

We received many complaints from universities and their cultural departments. Financial support is down as cultural programmes are always the first to be cut. The foundation then steps in. We give directly to the people and the departments themselves.

One of the articles in the magazine is about the Orthodox Church and its policies on environmental issues.

Do you consider it important for the church to get involved in the field of environmental protection?

The Orthodox Church has a leading position in the field of the protection of nature and the environment. The Greeks have now become quite aware of environmental issues.

The Patriarch sent out an environmental message in 1991 which was very important and shows the dynamic role of the church.

The world of 2013 is a very different one from 1979 when the foundation first started. Which focus points is the foundation developing for the next decades? Which issues do you consider as the most important ones to tackle?

The natural environment is hugely under threat. There are as many people alive today as have ever died in the history of mankind.

Our projects are focused on what makes a difference: awarenessraising and supporting education.

Even if population growth stops, the overall wealth will grow, which will have a negative impact on our natural environment.”

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In Africa, cultural heritage as well as the environment is under constant threat, but at the same time awareness is growing. As one of the organisations with such strong bonds with the continent, are you hopeful for the future?

I am not optimistic in Nigeria, for instance, in light of destructions of the natural environment.

There are some enlightened factions across the continent, but unfortunately in general I think the prospect is bleak.

How about Greece?

I would say, focus on the strengths of the country; the natural and cultural assets and the beauty of the coastline. We have had massive problems in Cyprus and Greece with poor quality buildings and urban development. Gradually,

the situation has evolved in a positive way. As a foundation, we are always aiming at the long term, not at short time gains.�

The foundation has been active now for over thirty years. I know it is hard to single out projects, but is there one past project in Greece that touched you personally?

We did a project in an isolated part of the south eastern Peloponnese at Tairia where two churches, 10th and 12th century buildings, were restored by Elliniki Etairia under the supervision of the archaeological service, and funded by us. The churches were of a very real cultural significance to the villages involved. The churches themselves are not spectacular, but the reactions of the community to the restoration were very moving.

Another one that stands out?

We did a small project near Kerkini Lake in support of the efforts made by local communities to create a tourist potential. It is an artificial lake which became very important as vast numbers of migrating birds visit it. To be able to watch these birds without disturbing them is vital. In this project we met many dedicated environmentalists who are also government officials.�

Lake Kerkini has become an increasingly important site for migrating birds, including pelicans and flamingos. Since 2006, Lake Kerkini was established as a National Park. The lake is important for the bio-diversity of Greece, but also in economic terms to local communities.

Kerkini Lake, photos by Vlahos Vaggelis

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“Investment in Culture is a Necessity” Interview with Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, is a beehive of activity.

Bureaucrats are traditionally viewed as avid clock watchers but here at the Commission the lights are still on in many offices until late in the evenings and at weekends. Especially now, during these financially challenging times, the pressure is being felt in the corridors of European

power. Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou’s diary as Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, is not just full, it is packed. Culture and cultural heritage are very close to the Commissioner’s heart and she talks exclusively to Europa Nostra for this Greek Special about the threats and opportunities for cultural heritage in a difficult economic climate.

Can you give us some concrete examples of the impact of European Union action in the field of heritage?

Cultural heritage is a transversal theme in EU policies and programmes, so there are many examples that I could mention, but let me select a couple to start with.

As many of your readers are well aware, the European Commission supports the European Union

Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards through the Culture Programme. The awards undoubtedly create additional visibility for the best heritage projects and we know of numerous examples where the winners were selected for extra funding as a result of their success.

For example, the Norwegian Heritage Society, a Grand Prix winner last year in the education, training and awareness-raising category, was able to secure an additional €125.000 to support their work. Antwerp Central Station, one of the 2011 Grand Prix winners in the conservation category, was able to sell the engineering technology it used in the station’s renovation to France, Russia, India, Indonesia and Jamaica, thanks in part to the worldwide reputation of the prize.

Being in the awards spotlight can also give culture professionals a career boost.

Cultural heritage also benefits from other EU programmes. For example, the recently-launched restoration works at the worldrenowned UNESCO site of Pompeii in Italy will receive €42 million from the European Regional Development Fund. Initiatives on a smaller scale can equally benefit from EU funding. Slovenia, for instance, received a €2.3 million grant from the same fund towards the restoration of Snežnik Castle – a project which has created a variety of economic, educational and tourism opportunities in the region. There are countless other examples I could mention.

Do you think that time has come for the EU to develop a strategy for cultural heritage? If so, what should the basic components of this strategy be?

I believe that cultural heritage should be firmly anchored in the Commission’s ‘Europe 2020’ strategy, which is aimed at boosting growth and jobs. Some might say that heritage and growth are concepts that, at face value, do not obviously fit well together. I disagree. Heritage creates many jobs in the EU, either directly through employment at heritage sites or museums, or, indirectly, through the tourism industry. Heritage is also a source

do this, we must achieve better synergies between the variety of EU, national and regional policies which have an impact on heritage. We must underpin and complement measures taken by authorities in Member States, we must build on the expertise of civil society and we must also tap into the experience and know-how of international organisations which are active in the field such as UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the World Bank.

of European excellence: in the EU, we have developed unique skills to preserve and digitise our heritage so that it can be appreciated by as many people as possible – for example, through our Europeana culture portal and the internet.

Many countries, including China and India, are keen to take advantage of European expertise in this area, which is also a source of jobs and exports. I believe we can do even more to promote European excellence in cultural heritage on the international stage.

On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, Europa Nostra launched a new programme, ‘The 7 Most Endangered’, with the support of the European Investment Bank.

What is your view on this new initiative?

In short, I am convinced that there is room to build on the EU’s engagement in the heritage sector so that we unlock its full economic and social potential for jobs, growth, education, inclusion and innovation. To

I very much appreciate this new flagship programme. Europa Nostra is not only identifying the most endangered monuments and sites in Europe, but also highlighting its determination to bring about concrete actions to protect them.

Cultural heritage is a shared wealth which we must protect for future generations. That means we have to deploy our maximum efforts to preserve and promote endangered sites to our citizens and to the rest of the world. The process for selecting the ‘7 Most

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Commissioner Vassiliou, Letizia Princess of Asturias, Felipe Prince of Asturias, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, and Maria Cavaco Silva, wife of Aníbal Cavaco Silva (from left to right) at the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2012 in Lisbon, Portugal

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Nostra on the occasion of our Golden Jubilee? How can we work more strongly together to promote a European Agenda for Cultural Heritage?

I want to express my sincere congratulations for your fantastic accomplishments over the past 50 years and say a big thank you to the countless numbers of dedicated people who have worked hard within your network to achieve them. You have many reasons to celebrate and, at the same time, I know you will find the energy and passion to ensure that your impressive work continues and even reaches a higher level.

There are so many things to do in the field of European cultural heritage – it is not just about preservation and restoration, it is also about inspiration, building new audiences and education.

Commissioner Vassiliou at the local ceremony in Antwerp Station, Grand Prix winner of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. Sneška QuadvliegMihailović, Jannie Haek, Androulla Vassiliou and Philip Heylen (from left to right)

Endangered’, from the original 40 nominations submitted by civil society organisations and public bodies in 21 countries, to the final 7 announced in Athens, has highlighted that there are many endangered monuments and sites in Europe which demand our support.

Our efforts should not be limited to the final seven. I also hope that this new programme will strengthen cooperation between public and private organisations. This is vital if we are to achieve the best possible results for cultural heritage.

We have the pleasure of welcoming you to Athens for the 50th Anniversary Congress of Europa Nostra and the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage awards ceremony to be held in the Odeion of Herodes Atticus. What message would you like to convey to Europa

Indeed, I would like to encourage greater cooperation between Europa Nostra, civil society and educational authorities to raise awareness of heritage issues among young people. We have to educate and mobilize the younger generation because we need their energy and passion too if we are to meet long-term challenges in the heritage sector.

The European Agenda for Culture sets a framework for European cooperation on culture and includes cultural heritage within its main strategic objectives. The Commission is committed to strengthening its close collaboration with national cultural heritage authorities, as well as civil society. Once again, I would like to congratulate Europa Nostra for building bridges between different civil society organisations. I welcome the heritage sector’s efforts to

strengthen its impact through the creation of the European Heritage Alliance, initiated by Europa Nostra. I encourage the development of a European platform for cultural heritage with the broad participation of civil society organisations. I believe this will play a role in enhancing and structuring dialogue.

Europe is facing an unprecedented economic and financial crisis; some would even say a crisis of values.

What is the role/contribution of heritage and of policies related to heritage in this context?

The financial and economic crisis has put pressure on budgets for culture and heritage. In some cases, we have seen severe and painful cuts, which have unsurprisingly resulted in a great deal of discontent.

There are still those who believe culture is a luxury when times are tough. We have to challenge this misconception. I think we all have a responsibility to be more vigorous in explaining that, far from being a luxury, investment in culture is a necessity to ensure the healthy development of our societies – and that this is all the more imperative in light of the current crisis.

As European Commissioner responsible for culture, I take these concerns seriously and I am addressing them in my daily work. I believe that in times of crisis, it is essential to support economic development. Culture and heritage have proven to be important for the creation of jobs and for strengthening our cities and regions. Our cultural and creative sectors – both profit- and non-profit – all play an important role in the European economy.

But, of course, the value of culture extends way beyond its economic

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impact. History has shown that economic crises can pave the way for the worst kinds of populism, even extremism and radicalisation, which have led to the collapse of democracies in the most tragic cases. We have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We need to recognise that culture is an essential part of our social fabric. It is at the heart of social cohesion and inclusion. It fosters dialogue and can help us understand other points of view and overcome prejudice.

Therefore, I am convinced that, if we want to safeguard stability, democracy and hope, we should cherish and support culture, cultural heritage, our artists and cultural professionals.

On 23 April, President Barroso launched the ‘New Narrative for Europe’ initiative, together with Vice-President Reding and myself. This is an invitation for our citizens, in particular artists, intellectuals and young people, to contribute to a reflection on the European ‘story’. I believe that cultural heritage certainly has an important role to play in this debate.

If you had to recall a visit to two European cultural heritage sites that have left a mark on you, which would they be?

That’s a far from an easy question to answer because I very much appreciate the extraordinary wealth of our cultural heritage in the European Union. It is also very difficult to compare one site with another, because you can appreciate them for so many different reasons.

I broadly view cultural heritage in two categories: firstly, sites which one could describe as having an archaeological, historical or aesthetic importance; and, second,

those which have these qualities but are also still very much in use.

I tend to find this second category more interesting because these sites strengthen the connection between the past and the present, not only in a symbolic manner, but also by illustrating the contribution of cultural heritage to local economies and societies as a source of growth, jobs and social inclusion.

So, for example, I greatly admire what has been achieved with the restoration of Antwerp Station, which was among the winners of the 2011 Prize. The 19th century terminal was transformed into a modern through station, while returning the structure of the station to its former glory. As the jury noted, the contemporary and historical are in perfect symbiosis.

The re-development of King’s Cross Station in London, which is among this year’s winners, is a similarly inspiring achievement. In both cases, the trains kept running throughout the restoration works, which is impressive in itself.

My job means I spend a lot of time in Brussels, which boasts many

striking examples of cultural heritage, especially from the art nouveau period. One of my favourite sites is the Institut de Sociologie Solvay, better known as the Solvay Library, which was among the 2012 winners. I have visited the building on many occasions, to attend debates, official dinners, musical evenings and so on. Every time I go there, I am always struck by the beauty and craftsmanship of the interior.

It really is something special.

Finally, you will not be surprised if I choose a wonderful site from the ‘country I know best’ – the Omeriye Hamam Turkish Baths in Nicosia. The baths, parts of which date back to the 14th century, were initially restored in 2003 and received the Europa Nostra Prize. I have been there several times to enjoy a bath followed by a traditional massage and scrub.

There is nothing like a good pampering in such magnificent surroundings! The baths are currently undergoing further restoration works and I hope they will re-open soon.

Commissioner Vassiliou and Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra

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Heart of Passion The Story of the Benaki Museum

“We will not start selling our collections. Not while I’m here,” states Angelos Delivorrias, director of the Benaki Foundation and Museum, and professor at the University of Athens, as he lights another cigarette. He looks up from the papers on his desk he has been staring at intently for the last few minutes and looks at me over his reading glasses with an uneasy smile. “The objects from our collections should travel and be seen by the world, but selling – like the Metropolitan Museum in New York (the Met has sold over $3.7 million of art ed.) - is not an option. We can talk about permanent loans or loans for special exhibitions.”

The reason the subject came up in the first place is the dire financial situation of all cultural institutions in Greece, dependent as they are on government support and sponsoring, both increasingly rare to muster up these days. Even the Benaki Museum, which is the oldest Museum of Athens and has its own resources, cannot escape the deluge.

Benaki Museum

Antonis Benakis (1873-1954)

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“The money that is needed for culture is peanuts compared to other areas, but still they cut the budgets. We have to fight for ideals and ideas. We are not in the same position as the British Museum or the Louvre. We are revising the system to try and save as much we can. We make cuts here, there, everywhere. I already had to fire 80 people. The budget was cut by 20% and then by another 20%.

We are not taking it lying down.

We have organised groups of volunteers for fund-raising, to find new members for the museum, to actively pursue the Greeks of the diaspora in the US and Australia.

I will end up being the oldest museum director in the world. I started in 1973, so I celebrate 40 years this year. I officially retired in 2005. I wanted to leave, but I cannot. I cannot leave now.�

Delivorrias is unhappy with the situation, but at the same time he exudes optimism. The reason for his positive demeanor can easily be discovered while following him around the main building of the Benaki Museum. The collection

Commemorative plaque containing the heart of the founder

Nikos HadjikyriakosGhikas Museum

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138 Nikos HadjikyriakosGhikas Museum

is stunningly beautiful. It fills the heart and soul as much as the day most of the objects were bought by Antonis Benakis (1873-1954), the founder of the museum. Although he died over 50 years ago, he is still very much a part of the museum.

His soul is captured in the objects he collected; his heart is literally part of the building. At his request, it has been entombed behind a commemorative plaque in the hallway. His distinctive face, with the famous mustache like a dancer’s full split, is captured for eternity in a bust at the entrance of the

museum. He was born and raised in Alexandria and grew up in a wealthy family keenly aware of the history of his home country. From a young age, Antonis had the soul of the true collector with a keen eye for quality. On the 22nd of April 1931, the ancestral neoclassical family mansion became a real museum. On many old photographs, Benaki can be seen walking through his own museum, holding objects with great satisfaction and a smile on his lips.

He was happiest when surrounded by beautiful objects or when he was in the company of his sister

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‘Benaki’ is the only museum in Greece which shows the full history of the country; from prehistoric art from the Cyclades to classical archaeology; from ancient golden wreaths to Egyptian funerary portraits; from golden Byzantine cups to the reconstruction of a Skyrian living room; from priceless paintings and rare frescoes to traditional clothes and costumes; from Islamic religious artifacts to modern art. When Benaki died in 1954, the museum possessed 26,666 objects and 10,410 books and manuscripts. “We filled the gaps in the collection since then with tens of thousands of objects. We reorganised and brought an internal structure to it. We created a system of satellite museums, which means that different collections are housed in different buildings with their own staff and facilities.”

Penelope Delta (1874-1941) whose children’s books have entertained and educated generations of Greeks. Antonis is even the central character of her book Trellantonis (Crazy Antonis ed.) about the adventures of a group of young rascals growing up in Alexandria at the end of the 19th century. The Benakis felt strongly for Greece’s culture and Greece’s independence.

The German invasion of Greece affected them deeply. Penelope Delta decided to take her own life in April 1941 when the Nazis entered Athens.

The world renowned Benaki Islamic Art Museum, for instance, is housed in two villas donated

by Lambros Eftaxias, a former president of the Foundation. A new seaside centre with multiple uses, creatively called The New Building was opened in 2004 and is the new home for the important modern art collection. Another gift, the Kouloura Mansion in Palaio Phaliro, will show the children’s toys collection. The Penelope Delta House in Kifissia houses the historical archive. The Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas Museum in downtown Athens used to be the atelier and home of the leading Greek painter, sculptor, engraver, iconographer, writer and academic Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas (19061994). It is a homely museum that makes you feel as if the artist just popped out for a quick drink, especially in his private atelier on the top floor,. The house combines wonderfully eclectic personal designs with a wide collection of

works of art from paintings to furniture.

Icon of Christ Pantokrator (16th century)

“We still receive properties on a regular basis. It is wonderful, but it comes with the costs of maintenance. It is a real challenge.

But we will not give up. We cannot,” Delivorrias explains as he leads me through galleries of traditional Greek costumes in the main building of the Benaki Museum, next to Parliament House in the centre of Athens. Even in these troubled times, he shows determination to navigate the Benaki Museum - or maybe more accurately Museums - through the rough and troubled seas ahead, 140 years after ‘Crazy Antonis’, as his sister used to call him, was born with a heart of passion.

Iznik Tile from the early 18th century with the footprints of the prophet Muhammad.

benaki.gr

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New Narrative for Europe

Interview with José-Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

José Manuel Barroso (1956) has been President of the European Commission for more than eight years. Exclusively for this Greek Special, he talks about the future of Europe, the role of cultural heritage and his new initiative, called the “New narrative for Europe.”

Why did you think it was necessary to launch the initiative for the New Narrative for Europe? What do you expect from it, what should the Europeans get out of it, how do you avoid it becoming just an intellectual discussion among artists and scientists who already believe in a European idea and project?

Over the last sixty years a Europe long devastated by wars has been transformed into a peaceful Europe. A Europe long divided has been reunited. The claim of the peoples of Europe for their fundamental rights to freedom, to dignity and to justice

has overcome oppression and humiliation. It has been anchored in a community of destiny where diversity and unity are both legitimate and guaranteed. Today the founding raison d’être of the European community and the European Union remains of course valid. This is about a quest for peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights. And let us remain loyal to the vision of the founding fathers.

But, today Europe is very different to how it was in 1957 or in 1989, having a truly continental dimension and a global outreach.

And we are also different in

Athens National Archaeological Museum

New Narrative for Europe Launch Viviane Reding, José Manuel Barroso, Androulla Vassiliou and Paul Dujardin, Director General of the Centre for fine Arts of Brussels (Bozar), holding a microphone (from left to right)

Opening of the Acropolis Museum

the world because the forces of globalisation, combined with information technology, have resulted in a new dimension of interdependence that affects every European country and every European citizen. We need, in this different world of the beginning of the 21st century, notably for the new generation that does not really identify itself with the founding narrative of Europe, to continue to tell the story of Europe. If you wish, this is like a book, we have to pursue beyond the first pages, even if the first pages were extremely beautiful. We have to continue our narrative, to continue to write the book of the present and of the

future. This is why we need a new narrative for Europe.

And this is why we are organising gatherings of intellectuals, artists, cultural promoters to debate about our Union’s future, to give us their ideas on this new narrative for a 21st century Europe. And I certainly expect them to come not only with support, but also with criticism.

One of the themes discussed during the launch of this initiative in the BOZAR Centre in Brussels was what it means to be European. Can you describe the moment you felt, for the first time, an European?

Let me give you not just a single moment but two dates. First, 1970, I was at my home in Lisbon.

My parents were subscribing a French magazine that still exists today, Paris Match. And I saw a photo with this title “la mort du dictateur,” the death of the dictator. I was a teenager then and at school we were taught that our country was a great country, one of the greatest in the world because we were a great colonial power.

And there was this picture in this magazine telling me how negative the image of the Portuguese dictatorship was, and I started to ask my parents difficult questions.

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25th Anniversary of the accession of Portugal to EU, Lisbon, Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, June 2010

Second date, 1974, I was in the mass of people, descending the streets in Lisbon, celebrating the democratic revolution and freedom. Yes, I belong to these generations of Europeans for whom Europe is freedom, democracy. That is why we identify so closely with the new Members States of the European Union, all of us we joined the European family with the same enthusiasm coming from a rightwing dictatorship or a communist totalitarian regime.

In your view, how can our shared cultural heritage contribute to the New Narrative for Europe?

First, culture is a core value and a strong unifying element in European integration. And when I had the great privilege and honour to represent the European Union receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 in Oslo, I made a point about stressing that precisely culture and science are at the core of our European project, as a way of going beyond borders, beyond

national frontiers. Because you cannot really commit to this idea of culture without accepting the idea that you have to go beyond borders.

Indeed culture is also about a world view shaped by our heritage, it is about a way of life, what we could call “Europeanness.�

And it is becoming clear that our European culture, and cultural heritage, offer an ideal platform for responding successfully to the challenges of the 21st century. I am thinking here of our commitment to knowledge, research and innovation, but also environmental protection. And also to our vision of a world where we will always stand by those who fight for the universal values that are so dear to us and on which we have founded our Union. In a nutshell, more than ever, we must defend these principles of openness, but also of unity that lie at the core of our European culture. I really believe it is a forward-looking project to which we must commit ourselves.

No cultural heritage site has only one identity....the same is true for each and every European citizen;Â multiple identities reflect the complexity of who we are and where we come from. Europeans and their politicians often seem to think that multiple identities are a real threat, Europa Nostra sees it more as a true opportunity....what is your view?

I certainly share your view.

Multiple identities are indeed a true opportunity. And the reality is that Europe has always been nurtured by differences. The basis of our unity is a pluralist, multilingual culture that has been able to assimilate the heritage of other cultures. The wealth of our culture lies in our openness to other societies, our openness to the world. The uniqueness, richness of European unity precisely stems from the fact that it is not achieved through some sort of levelling process driving us to uniformity, but through a fruitful blending of differences, contrasts, and yes, even tensions.

Martin Schulz, Herman van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso (from right to left) at the Nobel Prize ceremony

This was beautifully expressed

by Denis de Rougemont, whom I had the great honour and good fortune to know when I was a young student in Geneva, he said that:“Culture demands a paradoxical pact: diversity must be the principle of unity, differences must be highlighted, not in order to divide but in order to enrich culture even further. Europe is a culture, or else it is nothing.”

And this is precisely why since my first mandate as President of the European Commission I have always been paying a special attention to the European Union’s cultural agenda, which is a transversal agenda touching upon many other policy fields such as external relations or regional development, for example. And today, I remain more than ever convinced that culture offers us a unique insight into today’s diverse societies and shows us what can be achieved when people meet and inspire each other.

Let us also reflect on the important connection between culture and business: Europa Nostra believes that European businesses, Europe’s Culture and Cultural Heritage are closely interrelated. Do you think that the economic but also the social potential of cultural heritage has been fully recognized and exploited by the European Unions Institutions?

It has certainly been fully recognized. Culture is obviously a source of growth for the future.

And this is something important.

This is why the debate about culture is also important for the debate about economy and social cohesion. The European Commission strongly believes that Europe needs to invest more in its cultural and creative

sectors because they significantly contribute to economic growth, employment, innovation and social cohesion. And our program “Creative Europe” precisely aims at strengthening the competitiveness of the cultural and creative sectors.

Moreover, as you know, Europe 2020 is our European strategy to get the economy back on track over the course of the decade. It aims at tapping into Europe’s potential for innovation to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Culture and cultural heritage have a clear role to play in at least four of the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives: innovation union, the digital agenda, an industrial policy for the globalization era and an agenda for new skills and jobs. That said it is certainly true that we still have to tap the full economic and social potential of cultural heritage.

And this should be a joint effort.

Could you share with us one heritage site in Europe which has a particularly important meaning to you?

Personally, as a Portuguese, I feel very close and I had so many experiences in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Monastery of the

Hieronymites) in Lisbon that it is a truly special place for me. But let me also mention, as great places of our European Civilization, the Acropolis in Athens and also Delphi where we can indeed “feel” where our civilization comes from. And I would still add the Pantheon in Rome, one of the monuments where we feel proud to be European.

What would you like to say to all those 5 million people who make up the collective membership of all Europa Nostra member organisations from all corners of Europe on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of our organisation which coincides with the launch of the New Narrative for Europe process?

First of all, I would like to congratulate all of you for this 50th anniversary. You are doing a tremendous job for the preservation and promotion of the European cultural heritage.

Keep doing it. It is key for Europe future. Architecture, music, literature, visual arts bind us together and must be preserved and valued. And please come and join the New Narrative for Europe project. We need your ideas, your experience, your creativity.

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144 PARTNER

Ancient finds in the cellar of the office

Pioneers of Greek Civil Society: Elliniki Etairia Plaka neighbourhood in Athens, one of the many successes of the organisation

The offices of Elliniki Etairia (Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage) are not in a grey office block but located in a fine old building on the oldest street of Plaka, itself the oldest district of Athens. 28 Tripodon Street is beautifully restored and as with most houses in Plaka, history is never far away. If you go down into the cellar you are confronted with large wine jars that date to the Roman Period, as well as part of a fifth century B.C. retaining wall to restrain the fall of rocks from the Acropolis. Elliniki Etairia - like most NGOs – feels more like a family of friends than a business.

Having said that however, the organisation is known to be a strong player and tough opponent.

The organisation, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, is a true pioneer in the

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combined field of nature and cultural heritage preservation in Greece.

Elliniki Etairia was founded in 1972 by Costa and Lydia Carras, in opposition to the devastation of Greece’s natural and cultural heritage either perpetrated or permitted by the then ruling dictatorship. At the time, many historical villages were destroyed the greatest casualty of this was arguably the demolition of the 15th century Venetian Christ the Saviour Church in Heraklion, Crete. Elliniki Etairia established early economic independence by securing George P. Livanos, Anthony Chandris, John Kouloukoundis and George Potamianos, members of the Greek shipping community, as co-founders. The Society’s first

major victory was in the battle to prevent the industrialisation of the South Saronic Gulf through a giant cement plant in Methana, a victory which followed the fall of the dictatorship in 1974 and set the stage for all that was to follow.

Costa Carras, who is vice-president of Europa Nostra since 1976, has not been afraid to clash with the country’s bureaucracy and vested interests. He believes people can make a difference. Even after 40 years of activism, Costa and Lydia Carras have lost none of their fighting spirit. Their enthusiasm for nature and the cultural heritage has been communicated to many more people and their own resolve remains undiminished. Project developers and official planners think twice if Elliniki Etairia is raising concerns.

Offices of Elliniki Etairia in Athens Ancient wall in the lunchroom

The Society has grown tremendously over the years.

It has as its main aims the preservation of Greece’s cultural

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Elliniki Etairia founder Costa Carras talks to one of the organic food producers during the monthly heritage lunch

heritage and the protection of Greece’s natural environment by contributing to research and awareness-raising campaigns about Greece’s cultural heritage and the constant danger it is in, education, restoration and preservation projects of both natural and historical sites, promoting local industry and, where necessary, direct legal action. It has ties to many international organisations with similar aims, such as Europa Nostra and the European Environment Bureau. It also co-founded the MIO/ECSDE (Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development)

for the Environment and an engaged expert in the field of environmental fiscal reform, and the current chairman, townplanner, Ioannis Michail. under the long chairmanship of Professor Michael Skoullos who also served for years as President of the European Environmental Bureau. Among its prominent members are Ioannis Palaiokrassas, once European Commissioner

During its 40 years of existence, Elliniki Etairia has won many victories; the protection of the southern shores of the Saronic Gulf, the preservation of the Delphic landscape, of Pylos, the establishment of the Marine Park of Alonissos and the safeguarding

147 On October 25th , 2012 the European Parliament honoured Elliniki Etairia with the European Citizen’s Prize, the Civi Europaeo Praemium 2012. Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, in a message read out by Mrs Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, congratulated Elliniki Etairia for its special contribution to the safeguarding of cultural and natural heritage in Europe, and noted: “Today, Europa Nostra celebrates with you and is proud of you. We wish you strength and inspiration to sustain and further expand - in spite of today’s difficult times - your important work for our common cause.”

This is a very significant award for Elliniki Etairia, as well as for Greece. With this award, the continuous contribution of Elliniki Etairia for the last 40 years, but also the substantial support of civil society towards the protection of the natural environment and cultural heritage, at both national and European level, has received widespread recognition.

of historical islands and villages such as Hydra. It has restored many historical monuments within Greece and abroad. The organisation campaigns whenever and wherever it can to protect Greek natural and cultural heritage. The long lasting battle against the diversion of the Acheloos river is but one example (See the articles on conservation of monuments and the Acheloos elsewhere in this magazine ed).

One of its most active sections is the Sustainable Aegean Programme (a 2009 Grand Prix winner of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the field of awareness raising and

education) The Programme has been operating since 2005, first under Kriton Arsenis, since 2009 an MEP, and now under Georgia Kikou. It has used Lydia Carras’ fine documentary “Voice of the Aegean” and the enthusiastic contribution of volunteers to gradually shift attitudes in favour of sustainable development on the islands themselves. Simultaneously it seeks a check on the uncontrolled construction boom, which has already placed the local economy

“During a period of extreme hardship for our country, but also for Europe...,’’ noted Costa Carras, ‘’...it is particularly valuable for all of us, that this recognition is received from the European Parliament, as it is within the common society of the peoples of Europe, that our country is called upon to contribute towards the ever-changing challenges of our times.”

The European Citizen’s Prize constitutes an award for remarkable achievement or activity of citizens, groups of citizens, societies or foundations that have demonstrated a significant dedication to the promotion of a better mutual understanding and integration amongst the citizens of European countries. The award also takes into account activities or actions of citizens involved in a long-term, intra-border and intra-national cultural cooperation.

of many islands at risk and will do so for far more if the Greek Government, following the tragically mistaken prescriptions of some of its European creditors, relaxes building restrictions still further and unlawfully legalizes undisputable illegalities, in the vain hope this will bring sustained growth, while it in fact diminishes the country’s main and traditional comparative advantages.

Marine Park, in Alonissos, photo

by Giuliagi

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Published by EUROPA NOSTRA The Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe European Cultural Heritage Review (June 2013) ISSN:1871-417X

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Articles written by TV Culture (except where noted) Special Thanks Costa and Lydia Carras Elliniki Etairia Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović Dimitris Ioannidis Proofreaders Athina Mitropoulos Alex Donk Photography TV Culture Elliniki Etairia Wiki Commons (except where noted)

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ISSN: 1871-417X EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE REVIEW SUMMER 2013

EUROPA NOSTRA represents a rapidly growing citizens’ movement for the safeguarding of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. Our panEuropean network is composed of 250 member organisations (heritage associations and foundations with a combined membership of more than 5 million people), 150 associated organisations (governmental bodies, local authorities and corporations) and also 1500 individual members who directly support our mission.

Together, • we form an important lobby for cultural heritage in Europe; • we celebrate excellence through the European Heritage Awards organised by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Union; and • we campaign to save Europe’s endangered historic monuments, sites and cultural landscapes.

We are the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

Subway Treasures, Cultural Footpaths and Great Food Former Royal Estate in Danger Renzo Piano’s New Library and much more

GREEK SPECIAL

What does Europe think?

With Herman Van Rompuy, José-Manuel BARROSO and Androulla Vassiliou