Public buildings and also private homes and businesses in Athens will open their doors to the public next weekend under the project “Open House Athens” that will be celebrating the cityʼs architecture and design.
The Open House project started in London in 1992 and has spread to 20 cities throughout the world including New York, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Helsinki, Melbourne, Barcelona, Chicago, Rome and Lisbon. The first “Open House Greece” took place in Thessaloniki two years ago, attracting 22,000 visitors.
According to the organizers, 49 buildings in the Athens municipality will open their doors to the public, turning the Greek capital into a big museum. “Our aim is to promote worthwhile architecture. We want to give the public a chance to discover the value of good architectural planning in the built environment and learn things, experiencing built spaces,” said Giota Mouratidou member of the non-profit organization “Open House Greece.”
Some of the buildings included in the project are the Athens Town Hall and Municipal Gallery, the Home for the Arts and Letters, the Acropolis Museum, the Benaki Museum, the Islamic Art Museum, the offices of Pataki Publications, the Megaron Hypatia and private homes on Filopappou hill, Lycabettus and in the Ambelokipi district.
Moreover, the event will include school tours, a launch event at the Benaki Museum on Friday night and a photography competition.
“Open House Athens” is held in collaboration with the Hellenic Architecture Institute, with the support of the Technical Chamber of Greece, the Athens municipality and Monumenta. The project is organized under the auspices of the tourism ministry and the Greek National Tourism Organization.
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