Old Parliament House, Athens

Old Parliament House
Old Parliament House
Παλαιά Βουλή
	Main entrance
General information
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Location	Athens, Greece
Current tenants	National Historical Museum of Greece
Construction started	15 August 1858
Inaugurated	11 August 1875
Client	Hellenic Parliament
Design and construction
Architect(s)	François Louis Florimond Boulanger; Panagis Kalkos
Website
	www.nhmuseum.gr
References
	"Το Κτήριο της Βουλής των Ελλήνων" [The Building of the Hellenic Parliament] (PDF).

The Old Parliament House (

Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1935. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum

.

History

The site was occupied originally by the house of the Athenian magnate and politician,

Panagiotis Kalkos

, and construction was complete by 1871. During the interim, Parliament had been housed on the back of the square in a brick building, hastily erected in 1863, which became colloquially known as "the Shanty" (η Παράγκα).

The Hellenic Parliament would remain in the building from 1875 until its move to its current location in the Old Palace in 1935. As such, it witnessed some of the most turbulent and important events in modern Greek history, including the assassination of

Theodoros Deligiannis on the Parliament steps on 13 June 1905, and the declaration of the Republic on 25 March 1924. After the parliament was moved, the building housed the Ministry of Justice. In 1961 the building underwent extensive restoration and became the seat of the National History Museum, administered by the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece

.

Kolokotronis statue

In front of the building stands a large bronze

Greek Revolution. The statue faces Stadiou Street; Kolokotronis turns his head towards the Parliament House and his hand is pointing the opposite way where, during the 19th century, the Royal Mews were located. According to a popular joke, the hero of the Revolution was showing parliamentarians that, because of their subservience to the King, the stables

were their rightful place.

The National Historical Museum

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 its transfer to the Old Parliament, was housed in the main building of the National Technical University.

The collection contains historical items concerning the period from the

Greek Revolution

and the subsequent establishment of the modern Greek state. Among the items displayed are weapons, personal belongings and memorabilia from historical personalities, historical paintings by Greek and foreign artists, manuscripts, as well as a large collection of traditional costumes from the various regions of Greece. The collection is displayed in the corridors and rooms of the building, while the great central hall of the National Assembly is used for conferences.

External links

Media related to Old Parliament House, Athens at Wikimedia Commons

37°58′39″N 23°43′58″E / 37.97750°N 23.73278°E / 37.97750; 23.73278