The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, inaugurated four projects of great symbolic significance for the residents of Mytilene, Molyvos, and Petra, bringing the second day of her visit to Lesvos to a close.

Over the two-day period, a total of nine major projects aimed at protecting and showcasing the island’s cultural heritage were inaugurated—four in the urban center of Mytilene—constituting one of the largest coordinated initiatives ever implemented on Lesvos: From the reinforcement of iconic monuments and the protection of human life to the creation of new museum infrastructure, the restoration of historic buildings, and their reintegration into citizens’ daily lives. These projects, essentially reflect the Ministry of Culture’s strategy for a culture that safeguards historical memory, strengthens social cohesion, and serves as a catalyst for sustainable development, cultural and tourism revitalization, and economic prosperity for Lesvos.

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, stated: “Since 2019, we have placed culture at the center of a comprehensive public policy, with two solid pillars: Culture as a driver of sustainable development and a means of strengthening the local economy, and culture as a factor in social cohesion. Based on these pillars, we drafted the Charter for Cultural Development and Well-being, in close collaboration with the Regions, the Municipalities, the Church, and local communities, so that our initiatives would address the actual needs of the monuments and the priorities of the residents. As we conclude our visit to Lesvos, we are also inaugurating four more significant projects for culture and the protection of our cultural heritage: The project to stabilize the rocky slopes in Petra and Molyvos; the new Mithymna Archaeological Collection at the medieval Castle of Molyvos—the 34th in a row, a museum we have been operating since 2019—and the fully restored Balizante Hasan Bey Mosque—also known as the Valide Mosque—which completes the projects in Mytilene, along with the restoration of the roof and domes of Agios Therapontas, the madrasa, and the castle’s outer wall. The projects we handed over during the two-day event are part of our plan to upgrade the urban fabric of Mytilene and Lesbos as a whole, serving our strategic goal of protecting monuments, ensuring public safety, highlighting our historical identity, and strengthening the development prospects of local communities. Thanks to our excellent collaboration with the North Aegean Region, a program of projects totaling over 50 million euros is being implemented, utilizing funds from the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and national resources from the Ministry. The Ministry of Culture cares for all monuments—of every type and from every period—in the same manner and within the same institutional framework. In this way, it contributes to a more complete understanding of our collective memory and our cultural heritage. The restored monument is now a space of knowledge, memory, and culture—a symbol of our responsibility toward history and the future.”

The Minister of Culture stated that the studies for the Balizade Hasan Bey Mosque were conducted in 2014, funded, and developed by the Ministry of Culture. In 2018, the project was included in the Special Development Program for the North Aegean. However, she clarified that during the period 2015–2019, the project did not move forward because the funding program did not allocate the necessary resources. In 2022, the Ministry of Culture secured the necessary funds through the Recovery and Resilience Facility to enable the restoration of the monument. Today, the Ministry of Culture is implementing the largest cultural infrastructure program the country has ever seen, with more than 900 projects totaling a budget of 1.56 billion euros.