What I can see

This neoclassical building, with its characteristic propylon, was constructed to meet the needs of the Chemistry Department of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens and its laboratories. The designs of the architect Ernst Ziller were approved by the architect of the Berlin Chemistry Institute Friedrich Zastrau and the chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann. Its amphitheater has been described as a “miracle of acoustics” and has been visited and used by many generations of prominent scientists. The beginning of the museum’s collection dates back to 1838 and includes over 10,000 rare objects and 20,000 books, many of which are also rare. Some documents of the University of Izmir that were rescued in 1922, are also exhibited here. The objects are mainly physics and chemistry instruments and what Constantin Carathéodory was able to save before the burning of Izmir.

What I can't see

It was built at the insistence and suggestions of Anastasios Christomanos, the founder of chemistry in Greece. Christomanos was targeted, as many at the time considered the proposals contrary to those of national education. The General State Chemistry Laboratory, the National Bureau of Weights and Measures, the Naturalist Society, the Botanical Museum, the Hellenic Astronautical Society, the first university winery and the first Roentgen ray generator (1897) also operated here. The historical significance of the building is also linked to the installation of a radio for the Greek army that was marching in Asia Minor (1919-1922) and the secret installation of the student radio station during World War II, from which the announcement of liberation was broadcast in 1944.

Info

• Address: 104 Solonos St.
• Website: https://www.uoa.gr/to_panepistimio/moyseia/fysikon_epistimon_kai_technologias

Bibliography