The cultural treasure of the city
Municipal Library of Patra
Adress: 110 Maizonos Str., Patras
Tel. of Reading Room +30 2610 224813
mail: [email protected]
https://patraslibrary.weebly.com
Municipal Library of Patra
The origins of the Municipal Library of Patras lie in the donation of the library of the “Patra Craft Company” to the Municipality of Patras in 1903.
Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη Πατρών – Αναγνωστήριο / Municipal Library of Patras – Reading Room
In 1908, after petitions through the local Press, the Municipal Library of Patras was founded, and the first Supervisory Committee was elected. The Library was housed in the school on the corner of Gounari and Karaiskaki Streets. Two years later, in 1910, the official opening ceremony took place.
The Library closed in 1926, abandoned, and its contents were stored in the basement of the Municipality until 1944, when a group of book lovers transported them to the house of former mayor Ioannis Vlachos and subsequently to the Karamandani Mansion, on 42 Maizonos Street.
Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη Πατρών – Αρχιτεκτονικό σχέδιο / Municipal Library of Patra – Floorplan
In 1947 the postwar Municipal Library was inaugurated, with 18,200 books, mostly donated by the public. In 1948, by royal decree, the Library became a legal entity governed by public law. In 1955 the new building was inaugurated, and the books transported there.
Since 2011, the Library is part of a newly founded legal entity governed by public law, under the name “Municipal Library-Cultural Organization of the Municipality of Patras”. It comprises the Central Library (110 Maizonos Street) and the Annex (Eleftheria Square, 26 Fokaias Street). The ground floor houses the Children’s Department and the Municipal Gallery. Visitors can use the reading room, borrow books, access the Internet, use the computers for research purposes, and there are workstations for people with disabilities.
Head of the Library is the librarion Ms. Aikaterini Kourou
Future plans
The Municipal Library of Patras falls under the category of public libraries. Within this framework, its plans include the restoration of the buildings and the upgrading of services and functions, in order to develop into a large central public library that will support the right to self-education and public education, providing access to every resident of the city. Furthermore, it may also become the centre of a network of municipal/public libraries in the neighbouring municipalities and regions.
Δημοτική Βιβλιοθήκη Πατρών – Εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα / Municipal Library of Patra − Educational programme
For the moment, a study for the creation of a modern section for children/teenagers, a department for digital technologies and an exhibition of rare books and documents is underway.
Moreover, funding is being sought for the installation of digital services through the use of radio-frequency identification technology (RFID).
ΕΚΔΟΣΕΙΣ
A Farewell to Konstantinos Tsoukalas (1937–2026)| A throwback to the interview published in issue #11 of Days of Art in Greece
Konstantinos Tsoukalas (Athens, 1937–2026) was a distinguished Greek sociologist, academic, author, and politician. With a background in law, philosophy of law, and sociology, he taught at universities in Greece and abroad and emerged as one of the most important figures in Greek social thought. He served as a professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as scientific director and president of the National Center for Social Research, and in 2015 was elected to the Hellenic Parliament as a national representative. In 2025, he was elected a full member of the Academy of Athens, in ...More
AUTh and NKUA Open Applications for a Master’s Programme in Church History and Civilization
Applications are now open for the interinstitutional Master’s programme “Greece: Church History and Civilization”, jointly offered by the Department of Social Theology and Christian Culture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Department of Social Theology and Religious Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The programme is open to graduates of theology and humanities departments, as well as to graduates of other university departments, Higher Ecclesiastical Academies and equivalent institutions abroad. For the academic year 2026–2027, up to 80 students will be admitted. The programme lasts three semesters and leads to a postgraduate ...More
Paul Cartledge Re-examines Athens’ Most Famous Leader| 15 September 2026
Pericles, the Athenian leader whose name has become synonymous with the cultural and political achievements of fifth-century BCE Athens, will be the subject of a forthcoming lecture by the distinguished historian Paul Cartledge. Entitled Pericles: Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric, the event will take place on 15 September from 6 to 7 p.m. BST at London’s Senate House, with the option of hybrid attendance. The lecture is organised by the British School at Athens as part of the BSA Friends’ Lecture series. Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge, will revisit Pericles’ political career, ...More
MSc Earth Sciences and Environment
Title: MSc EARTH SCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENT Scientific Discipline: Environment University: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) Language of instruction: Greek Duration: 4 semesters For more information you can visit the website: https://earthsciences-environment.geol.uoa.gr/ Description The modern era is characterised by rapid economic and technological development, rapid population growth and movement, and increasing urbanisation, conditions which imply increased demand for raw materials and energy resources, increased construction activity, general environmental stress and increased exposure to natural and technological hazards. The MSc ...More
Leave A Comment