What I can see

This three-storey neoclassical building is the head office of the President of the Hellenic Republic. It features some eclectic elements and is flanked by two separate wings. The facade is simple and rigorous. The entrance consists of a portico in the Ionian Order, while the upper is adorned with Corinthian columns. The ballroom and the rear wing were added later (1909 and the 60s respectively).

What I can't see

Initially King George the First had commissioned Hansen to build his Piraeus palace. Such an undertaking, however, was considered too expensive, since Greece was insolvent and this would be built with public money. So, later, George I commissioned Ernst Ziller to amend the Hansen design so that the new palace could be built in the royal vegetable gardens’ grounds, ie were the Presidential Palace is currently located. The original purpose of the building was to be inhabited by the heir to the throne. Following a fire at the old palace (the current Parliament) in 1909, the royal family moved temporarily to the new palace, were they eventually settled permanently. The building was designed as to look like that of any rich Athenian family, following the intervention of Queen Sophia, who asked Ziller to avoid giving the building a palace-like character.

Info

• Address: 2 Vas. Georgiou B & Herodou Atticou

Bibliography