The Ministry of Culture is proceeding with the restoration of the Ottoman bath in Nafpaktos in order to make it open to visitors and to function as a museum, as part of its broader plan for the restoration of monuments of the Ottoman period. On the basis of the approved architectural and structural study, interventions to improve accessibility are also planned. The building of the Ottoman bath is located within the second fortification enclosure of the castle of Nafpaktos. It is part of a larger complex of interdependent religious, social, educational and economic facilities, which was built as a donation by the Grand Vezir Ammazade Hussein Pasha Kioproulou at the beginning of the 18th century, between 1701 and 1727. Both the bathhouse and the wider complex seem to have been built on the site of an earlier similar complex, which had been destroyed by the Venetians.

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said: “With the coordinated efforts of all relevant departments of the Ministry of Culture, an extensive programme of cultural projects is being carried out in Nafpaktos, with already completed interventions in the castle, the walls and the sea front, in Ottoman monuments such as the Vezir Mosque, the Fethiye Mosque and the operation of the Castle Museum. The protection and promotion of Ottoman monuments in Greece is a constant concern for the Ministry of Culture, which indicates our respect for the cultural heritage within the Greek territory in all periods. Since 2000, more than 100 million euros have been invested in the restoration and enhancement of many monuments of the Ottoman Empire throughout Greece, such as mosques, mausoleums, baths, and shrines, including the works in Nafpaktos. In this way, we highlight the cultural identity of the place over time, making the monumental heritage of Nafpaktos visitable, accessible, an integral part of the daily and cultural life of the city, and ultimately, the means to stimulate local tourism and economic development.”

The monument faces structural problems that can be found in the walls and mainly in the dome as it presents cracks and limited deformations in places. Given that the extensive collapse of parts of the monument is mainly due to man-made causes (bombardment in an earlier phase) and a complete lack of maintenance from the period of liberation to the present day, the behaviour it has shown against static and dynamic loads seems satisfactory.

The restoration study proposes the functional reorganization of the building of the bath in order to make it accessible and visitable to the general public. The building is proposed to be reopened as a museum of the wider Ottoman complex with the possibility of hosting small-scale temporary exhibitions and other events. The architectural proposal is not limited to the building itself, but also to its immediate surroundings. In particular, the way in which the public pass from the current level of the public street to the level of the bathhouse is redesigned in order to improve accessibility. Also, on the south and east side of the bathhouse, the surrounding area is restored to its original level in order to improve the visibility of the monument and the functionality of the area.