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Hellenic Parliament
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Published: August 31, 2006
Russia has its Kremlin. The United States has its Capitol Building. And Greece has its Hellenic Parliament.
The Greek Senate and Parliament meet within the stately halls and chambers of the Hellenic Parliament building. It is located on the east side of Athens' Syntagma Square. Fluted Doric columns, representing incorruptibility, guard its entrances.
The Hellenic Parliament is also known as the Old Palace. It was built for the New Greek King, Otto of Bavaria, after Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1831.
German architect Friedrich von Gaertner built the palace on the highest land within the city limits. His design is spacious and elegant. Four three-story sections and two courtyards surround a two-story building in the center. The interior is decorated with wall murals depicting scenes from Greek mythology and the War of Independence.
(Sadly, only one of the murals remains today. A 1909 fire destroyed most of the murals and art treasurers in the palace. The surviving mural is in the west wing of the building.)
Otto moved into the Old Palace in 1843. However, he was an unpopular monarch and was overthrown in 1862. His successor, George I, lived in the palace until he was assassinated in 1913.
George's heir, Constantine, never moved into the Old Palace. He lived in his own mansion until he abdicated his throne in 1924. A short time later, the Greek government deposed the royal family and made Greece a republic.
After that, the palace went through several transformations before becoming the Hellenic Parliament. It was used as a hospital and orphanage before Constantine abdicated. After the republic was born, it became a state facility. Government and private groups such as the City Police and the Hellenic Red Cross had offices there.
For a while in 1925, it looked as though the Hellenic Parliament would be headquarters for the Greek military. However, this plan was scrapped a year later when the government decided to move Parliament there instead.
The remains of the old central section (the one destroyed by the 1909 fire) were razed, and a new section was built. Its crowning touch is two glass-sheathed assembly halls. The Hellenic Parliament also has offices for Parliament members and staff, a large library and an exhibit area. Its interiors are clean-lined, with dark wood fixtures and window fretwork. They boast marble floors, frosted windows and crystal chandeliers. Photos of the Hellenic Parliament can be found online at www.parliament.gr/english/ktirio/arxeio.asp.
The Hellenic Parliament has undergone a few "facelifts" in recent years to keep up with the times. An 800-vehicle underground parking lot was added in 1999. A kindergarten classroom followed in 2000.
The Hellenic Parliament is also outfitted with broadcast equipment for live coverage of government proceedings on Vouli TV. ("Vouli" is Greek for "will"; in this case, it means "will of the people.") Vouli TV offers gavel-to-gavel coverage whenever Parliament is in session. Taped coverage and public affairs show dominate nighttime programming and daytime slots when Parliament is in recess.
The Hellenic Parliament is close to several must-see sights in Athens. The Acropolis and the National Zoo are nearby. Syntagma Square has its share of commercial shops and cafes, but it is also a place to sit and watch Athenian life go by. The luxurious Hotel Grande Bretagne, built in 1852, sits directly across the square from the Hellenic Parliament and is a fine place to go for a cup of Greek coffee.
A few feet from the front door of the Hellenic Parliament lays Greece's Unknown Soldier. The monument was built in 1932. It is the site of many national festivities and celebrations. Evzonoi-Greek soldiers garbed in traditional military dress- stand guard. A solemn changing of the guard ceremony occurs several times daily.
Standing watch over it all is the Hellenic Parliament, a symbol of Greece's devotion to independence and democracy.
Sources: http://skyscapercity.com, http://en.wikipedia.org, www.parliament.gr, www.sosig.ac.uk, www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Greece,
The Greek Senate and Parliament meet within the stately halls and chambers of the Hellenic Parliament building. It is located on the east side of Athens' Syntagma Square. Fluted Doric columns, representing incorruptibility, guard its entrances.
The Hellenic Parliament is also known as the Old Palace. It was built for the New Greek King, Otto of Bavaria, after Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1831.
German architect Friedrich von Gaertner built the palace on the highest land within the city limits. His design is spacious and elegant. Four three-story sections and two courtyards surround a two-story building in the center. The interior is decorated with wall murals depicting scenes from Greek mythology and the War of Independence.
(Sadly, only one of the murals remains today. A 1909 fire destroyed most of the murals and art treasurers in the palace. The surviving mural is in the west wing of the building.)
Otto moved into the Old Palace in 1843. However, he was an unpopular monarch and was overthrown in 1862. His successor, George I, lived in the palace until he was assassinated in 1913.
George's heir, Constantine, never moved into the Old Palace. He lived in his own mansion until he abdicated his throne in 1924. A short time later, the Greek government deposed the royal family and made Greece a republic.
After that, the palace went through several transformations before becoming the Hellenic Parliament. It was used as a hospital and orphanage before Constantine abdicated. After the republic was born, it became a state facility. Government and private groups such as the City Police and the Hellenic Red Cross had offices there.
For a while in 1925, it looked as though the Hellenic Parliament would be headquarters for the Greek military. However, this plan was scrapped a year later when the government decided to move Parliament there instead.
The remains of the old central section (the one destroyed by the 1909 fire) were razed, and a new section was built. Its crowning touch is two glass-sheathed assembly halls. The Hellenic Parliament also has offices for Parliament members and staff, a large library and an exhibit area. Its interiors are clean-lined, with dark wood fixtures and window fretwork. They boast marble floors, frosted windows and crystal chandeliers. Photos of the Hellenic Parliament can be found online at www.parliament.gr/english/ktirio/arxeio.asp.
The Hellenic Parliament has undergone a few "facelifts" in recent years to keep up with the times. An 800-vehicle underground parking lot was added in 1999. A kindergarten classroom followed in 2000.
The Hellenic Parliament is also outfitted with broadcast equipment for live coverage of government proceedings on Vouli TV. ("Vouli" is Greek for "will"; in this case, it means "will of the people.") Vouli TV offers gavel-to-gavel coverage whenever Parliament is in session. Taped coverage and public affairs show dominate nighttime programming and daytime slots when Parliament is in recess.
The Hellenic Parliament is close to several must-see sights in Athens. The Acropolis and the National Zoo are nearby. Syntagma Square has its share of commercial shops and cafes, but it is also a place to sit and watch Athenian life go by. The luxurious Hotel Grande Bretagne, built in 1852, sits directly across the square from the Hellenic Parliament and is a fine place to go for a cup of Greek coffee.
A few feet from the front door of the Hellenic Parliament lays Greece's Unknown Soldier. The monument was built in 1932. It is the site of many national festivities and celebrations. Evzonoi-Greek soldiers garbed in traditional military dress- stand guard. A solemn changing of the guard ceremony occurs several times daily.
Standing watch over it all is the Hellenic Parliament, a symbol of Greece's devotion to independence and democracy.
Sources: http://skyscapercity.com, http://en.wikipedia.org, www.parliament.gr, www.sosig.ac.uk, www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Greece,
