What I can see

The War Museum of Athens narrates the war and military history of Greeks from ancient times to the present, through a rich collection of weapons, miniature models of battles and replicas of antiquities. Among the exhibits, the Saroglou collection and artworks of Thalia Flora-Karavia and Umbertos Argyros related to war and military themes stand out. There are some museuological failures, with the main one being the lighting of the exhibits. War planes and machine guns are on display in the precinct. The building was designed by Thucydides Valentis and built during the years of the military dictatorship. The ground floor of the building is recessed, in relation to the rest of its volume. The vertical concrete ribs of the floor’s facades disunite the flat surface, causing a play of volumes, light and shadow. It is considered the most representative example of brutalist architecture in Athens, with Bauhaus references. There are, however, citizens and architects who consider it an unattractive building, a pompous “square mushroom”, typical of the junta’s aesthetics.

What I can't see

It was built on a plot that belonged to the Duchess of Plakentia, which her heirs sold to the Greek state. Earlier, there were artillery barracks here, which were completely abandoned after World War II. Initially, the plot was intended for the construction of the National Gallery, but it was finally built on another plot. In addition to the exhibition spaces, the museum has a library, a 450-seat auditorium, a 70-seat conference hall, a multi-purpose space, an archive, audio-visual material, engravings, and acts in the fields of monument conservation and book publishing. In addition, it has annexes in Thessaloniki, Nafplio, Tripoli and Chania.

Info

• Address: 2 Rizari St.
• Phone: +30 210 7252974-6 / 210 7244464
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.warmuseum.gr

Bibliography