From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Old Parliament House, Athens
Old Parliament House, Athens
The National Historical Museum of Greece
Parliament in session, at the end of the 19th century
including the assassination of Prime Minister Theodoros
Established 1960
Deligiannis on the Parliament steps on 13 June 1905, and
Location Stadiou Street, Athens, Greece the declaration of the Republic on 25 March 1924. After
the parliament was moved, the building housed the Min-
Website www.nhmuseum.gr
istry of Justice. In 1961 the building underwent extensive
restoration and became the seat of the National History
The Old Parliament building (Greek: Παλαιά Βουλή, Paleá
Museum, administered by the Historical and Ethnological
Voulí) at Stadiou Street in Athens, housed the Greek Par-
Society of Greece.
liament between 1875 and 1932. It now houses the coun-
try’s National Historical Museum (Εθνικό Ιστορικό
Μουσείο, Ethnikó Istorikó Mouseío).
History
The site was originally occupied by the house of the
Athenian magnate and politician, Alexandros Kontostav-
los. After Athens became the capital of Greece in 1833,
King Otto selected it as temporary residence, pending the
construction of the Royal Palace (which houses Parlia-
ment today). In 1835, a large dance and banquet hall was
added to the house, and after the 3 September 1843 Revo-
lution, which forced King Otto to grant a constitution,
the National Assembly convened here. In October 1854,
Bronze statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis in front of the Parlia-
however, the house burned down in a fire. Construction
ment House
of a new building then began in August 1858, with the
foundation laid by Queen Amalia, on plans by French ar-
In front of the building stands a large equestrian stat-
chitect François Boulanger. Construction was halted the
ue of General Theodoros Kolokotronis, cast in bronze.
next year due to lack of funds, and not restarted until af-
It was sculpted by Lazaros Sochos in Paris in 1900, and
ter Otto’s overthrow in 1863; the plans were then mod-
erected in its current place in 1904. Its pedestal features
ified by the Greek architect Panagiotis Kalkos, and con-
bronze reliefs of the Battle of Dervenakia, and of a session
struction was complete by 1871. In the interim, Parlia-
of the Peloponnesian Senate during the Greek Revolu-
ment had been housed in a brick building on the back of
tion. The statue faces Stadiou Street; Kolokotronis turns
the square, hastily erected in 1863, which became collo-
his head towards the Parliament House and his hand is
quially known as "the Shanty" (η Παράγκα).
pointing the opposite way where, during the 19th centu-
The Hellenic Parliament would remain in the building
ry, the Royal Mews were located. According to a popular
from 1875 until its move to its current location in the Old
joke, the hero of the Revolution was showing parliamen-
Palace in 1932. As such, it witnessed some of the most
turbulent and important events in modern Greek history,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Old Parliament House, Athens
tarians that, because of their subservience to the King, and memorabilia from historical personalities, historical
the stables were their rightful place. paintings by Greek and foreign artists, manuscripts, as
well as a large collection of traditional costumes from the
The National Historical Muse- various regions of Greece. The collection is displayed in
the corridors and rooms of the building, while the great
um central hall of the National Assembly is used for confer-
ences.
The museum houses the collection of the Historical and
Ethnological Society of Greece (IEEE), founded in 1882. It
is the oldest collection of its kind in Greece, and prior to External links
its transfer in the Old Parliament, was housed in the main • Old Parliament: From Action to Memory, from the
building of the National Technical University. Foundation of the Hellenic World
The collection contains historical items concerning • Official site of the museum
the period from the fall of Constantinople to the Ot- • Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism
tomans in 1453 to the Second World War, focusing espe- • Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs
cially in the period of the Greek Revolution and the sub- Coordinates: 37°58′39″N 23°43′58″E / 37.9775°N
sequent establishment of the modern Greek state. Among 23.73278°E / 37.9775; 23.73278
the items displayed are weapons, personal belongings
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Parliament_House,_Athens&oldid=436584112"
Categories:
• Buildings and structures in Athens
• History of Athens
• Museums established in 1960
• Museums in Athens
• Hellenic Parliament
This page was last modified on 27 June 2011 at 23:12. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
2