Mehmet Kapantzi Villa/ National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation
Mehmet Kapantzi Villa is a very important sample of eclecticism, with obvious European influences, similar to chalets and encapsulates all the intercultural architectural trends of that period in all of Thessaloniki.
Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )
1912 Inhabited by Prince Nikolaos.
1916 Hosted Eleftherios Venizelos.
1989 Following the building’s restoration, which lasted seven years, the National Bank Cultural Centre of Northern Greece launches its operation.
1997 The National Bank Cultural Centre of Northern Greece is renamed National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation.
Ottoman era (1453- 1912)
1895 Completed after 5 years of works. It was designed by Pietro Arrigoni.
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
This building is a very important sample of eclecticism, with obvious European influences, similar to chalets and encapsulates all the intercultural architectural trends of that period in all of Thessaloniki, which shows a freedom in design but also indicates a possible lack of architectural orientation. It consists of a main three-storey building (19.5 metres long, 16,5 metres wide, 19 metres high) with a basement, ground floor, first floor and an attic, as well as a four-storey tower. The elements that make it stand out are its complex volumes and its compound roof with steep inclines. The building was restored by National Bank of Greece and currently houses the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation (MIET) and the Greek Literary and Historical Archive (ELIA). Only a few parts of its interior luxurious decoration have survived. It currently houses modern-Greek paintings and engravings, exhibitions of photography, painting, architecture and history of the city, while there is also a bookstore with editions by the MIET.
What I can't see
This house belonged to the Islamized Jewish merchant Mehmet Kapantzis, later a mayor and president of the Chamber of Commerce of Thessaloniki. It cost 40,000 gold liras, an extraordinary amount at the time. After Thessaloniki’s annexation by Greece, it gained several different functions. Originally, it was inhabited by Prince Nikolaos, the first Greek military commander of the city, and then by Eleftherios Venizelos and his temporary government, during the Greek Schism. Later on, it was inhabited by refugee families, while during the Second World War it was turned into a bakery and a house for German officers. Afterwards, it housed British officers and was then abandoned to ruin for many years, until National Bank of Greece undertook its restoration, which led to MIET being housed here today. MIET’s purpose is to facilitate cultural organizations. It collaborates with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the University of Macedonia.
Info
- Address: 108 Vas. Olgas St.
- Postal Code : 54643
Bibliography
Zafeiris Ch., (1997), Θεσσαλονίκης Εγκόλπιον, ιστορία, πολιτισμός, η πόλη σήμερα, γεύσεις, μουσεία, μνημεία, διαδρομές, [Thessaloniki Handbook, history, culture, the city today, flavours, museums, routes], Athens: Exantas
Ζafeiris Ch., (2006), Θεσσαλονίκης τοπιογραφία, [Thessaloniki’s landscape], Thessaloniki: Epikentro
Ζafeiris Ch., (2014), Θεσσαλονίκη, η παρουσία των απόντων, η κληρονομιά Ρωμαίων, Μουσουλμάνων, Εβραίων, Ντονμέδων, Φράγκων, Αρμενίων καιΣλάβων, [Thessaloniki, the presense of the absent, the heritage of Romans, Muslims, Jews, Doenme, Franks, Armenians and Slavs], Thessaloniki: Epikentro
National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, (d.u.), Πολιτιστικά κέντρα- Θεσσαλονίκη, η ιστορία του κτιρίου, η αρχιτεκτονική του κτιρίου, [Cultural centers- Thessaloniki, the history of the building, the architecture of the building],
http://www.miet.gr/web/gr/miet/thess.asp?categoryid=1&p=8
Last visit 3/11/2014
Tsaktsira L, Papanthimou K., Mantziou G., Kalogirou N., (2014), Θεσσαλονίκη, η πόλη και τα μνημεία της, [Thessaloniki, the city and its monuments], Thessaloniki: Malliaris Pedia
