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
The Melbourne Edition of TO VEMA gives a voice to the next generation of the Greek Diaspora
Students from the Greek Language and Culture Schools of the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria have participated in ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ newspaper's nationwide student journalism initiative, "Το Βήμα των Μαθητών" (Students' Voice), by producing their own student newspaper, "Το Βήμα της Μελβούρνης" (The Melbourne Edition of To Vema – Students’ Voice). The initiative marks the second stop of the "Diaspora Edition of To Vema" in Australia and showcases the voices of young Greek Australians through journalism, research, and public dialogue. The newspaper was created by Year 11 students, who researched, wrote, and edited articles that reflected ...More
Australia | The 31st Greek Film Festival kicks off with the comedy “Friends Forever”
The 31st Greek Film Festival will kick off its 2026 program on Tuesday, October 13, with Konstantinos Mousoulis’s smash-hit comedy, Friends Forever. The Festival, organized by the Greek Community of Melbourne and the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales, will take place in Sydney and Melbourne from October 13 to 25 at various venues, and will then be presented in other Australian cities in the coming weeks (more details will be announced shortly). Full of humor, emotion, and unforgettable characters, the film Friends Forever follows a series of interconnected stories revolving around a wedding that ...More
Under the artistic direction of the Greek National Opera, the grand opening ceremony of the Municipal Market of Chania
The Municipal Market of Chania, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, is preparing to reopen its doors and return to everyday life in Chania. This grand reopening will be celebrated on Friday, December 4, 2026—exactly 113 years after it first opened—with a special inauguration ceremony that will symbolically mark a new era for this historic landmark. With the major restoration project now in its final stages, the countdown to the grand opening has begun. December 4 promises to be a special day for Chania, with a major event that will place the Municipal Market at the heart ...More
SOTIRIS SOROGAS: “Images from Greece” at the Hamidiye Mosque, Chios Fortress
The North Aegean Region, under the auspices of UNESCO, is honored to present an exhibition by the renowned Greek painter Sotiris Sorogas, titled “Images from Greece,” in the evocative setting of the Hamidiye Mosque in the Castle of Chios. The opening will take place on August 30, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The exhibition, organized by the North Aegean Region and Regional Governor Konstantinos Moutzouris, seeks to foster a profound dialogue with the historical memory of Chios. Sotiris Sorogas, using charcoal and acrylic with exceptional skill, highlights the humble, everyday traces of a Greece that has been lost, capturing ...More
Leave A Comment