The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, speaking at the event “National Strategy for Regional and Local Development – We Discuss, Decide, Move Forward, TOGETHER for Kilkis,” in the presence of government officials, local government authorities, and local stakeholders, presented the actions and projects that have already been implemented by the Ministry of Culture, as well as those that are underway or have been planned, during the six-year period 2019-2025.
“I want to emphasize,” said Lina Mendoni, “that this is a major initiative of the Prime Minister and the Government, which is being carried out under the coordinating responsibility of Deputy Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis. The same process is organized in every Regional Unit of the country, giving all local stakeholders the opportunity to discuss their problems with the responsible Ministers and state officials.”
At the Ministry of Culture, the “Cultural Charter for Development and Prosperity” has been drafted and implemented since 2019 for each of the 13 Regions, for each Regional Unit. The goal is to prioritize the necessary projects for each area and to study the essential reforms that need to be made. The general assessment for Kilkis was not encouraging at all, as things in Culture had fallen considerably behind. Thus, since 2019, the Ministry of Culture has made it a priority for Kilkis to be included among the emerging cultural, and consequently, tourist destinations.
“For this reason,” said the Minister of Culture, “we have prioritized the overall upgrade of the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis. We know from thousands of studies, as well as from cultural reality, that a museum functions as a focal point of interest, and around it not only cultural activities develop, but also others in specific sectors and external economies that are directly connected with culture, promoting development.”
The Ministry of Culture included the upgrade of the Archaeological Museum of Kilkis building in the National Development Program, with a budget of approximately 2,500,000 euros, followed by funding of 1,000,000 euros from the Regional Operational Program of Central Macedonia-NSRF 2021-2027, for the re-exhibition of its Collections. Finally, with national resources, the responsible Ephorate of Antiquities is intensively advancing the preparation of studies for the expansion of the Museum on an adjacent plot of land granted by the Ministry of Rural Development.
Conservation, restoration, and enhancement works are underway at the significant archaeological sites of Byzantine Gynaikokastro, the burial mounds in Paionia, ancient Europus, and Palatianós, with a total budget exceeding 2,000,000 euros from community and national funds. A very important project completed by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Kilkis is the digital cultural routes project, with a budget of nearly 500,000 euros. Today, anyone wishing to visit Kilkis can organize their trip by virtually exploring the important archaeological sites, as well as the cemeteries and battlefields of World War I, along with landscapes of exceptional natural beauty.
In Kilkis, since 1999, the International Festival of Puppet Theater and Pantomime has been organized. “We cooperate,” said the Minister of Culture, with the Municipality through a Programmatic Agreement and financially support the Festival. We have discussed with the Municipality the possibility of exploring whether the Administration Building, which is currently unused, could be utilized for the Puppet Theater and Pantomime Festival, an internationally outward-looking event. It could expand its activities throughout the year, which would have excellent results for the city, as it could make it a destination.
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