The Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni in her speech at the Thermopylae Forum 2023 conference “society and culture at the heart of Regional Development” stressed the particular cultural and developmental importance of the upgrading projects of Thermopylae, with the unification and promotion of the sites of exceptional archaeological and historical interest, which is initiated by the Ministry of culture and Sport in cooperation with the municipality of Lamia.

Lina Mendoni said: “The Project” exploitation of the area of the Panhellenic exhibition of Lamia and redevelopment – promotion of the archaeological site of Thermopylae “has already been included in the Recovery Fund with the development organization of Local Government” AMPHICTYONIES A.E ” and a total budget of 21,000,000 €. This project includes two interventions, with a total budget of € 2.300.000, related to archaeological works and renovation and enhancement of the archaeological site of Thermopylae.

The first intervention has as its object the fixing and restoration of the “wall of the Phocians” mentioned by Herodotus. Of the wall, built in the 6th century. E. g. by the Phocians in the context of the sacred Wars for the containment of the Thessalians, which became known in history, as it was used by the Spartans during the Battle of Thermopylae for defense against the Persians. The remains of this historic wall, near the hill of “Kolonos”, where the final phase of the heroic battle unfolded, are today difficult to recognize and unvisited for the public. This is projected to change after the planned fixation, supplementation, restoration and informational marking interventions.

Our second intervention aims to unify the archaeological site of Thermopylae and to highlight and facilitate the visitation of the individual points of interest through a grid of routes-walking paths and places of stop, view and information, which will connect the area of the battlefield, the hill of “Kolonos” and The Wall of Phocians and the buildings of the Ministry of culture with the modern hero of Leonidas, the parking area and the adjacent historical information center of Thermopylae. Additional landscaping, lighting and phytotechnical configuration of the site, construction of a road junction and traffic regulation are planned.

All the above are in direct continuity and relevance with the project of upgrading the Thermopylae Historical Information Center, which has been designed by the municipality and concerns both the building facilities and the surrounding area, as well as the museographic and museological infrastructure and configuration of the exhibition areas and lecture halls and educational programs. The aim of the upgrade is the modernization of the technological infrastructure, the improvement of the services provided to visitors, the renewal and enrichment of exhibition content and digital multimedia applications of audiovisual documentation and information. In the Department of museological and museographic studies, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Fthiotida has already worked closely with the municipality, while a cooperation plan between the municipality of Lamia, the Ministry of Culture and sports and the Onassis Foundation, which concerns digital audiovisual productions, is currently under development.

Lina Mendoni also reported that:

In the region of Central Greece within the framework of the cooperation between the Ministry of culture and the region, projects with a total budget of 6,000,000 € have already been completed, projects of more than 43,000,000 € are in progress, while projects of an additional 25,500,000 €are under planning and maturing for the forthcoming implementation.

• In Fthiotida, in particular, the Ephorate of Antiquities in cooperation with the region and the municipality of Lamia has completed or is currently implementing projects of more than €12.000.000.
• In the field of infrastructure for the protection, maintenance, promotion and promotion of the monuments of cultural heritage, in addition to the excavations and other works carried out in the framework of the construction of the lamia-Xyniada section of the central Greece motorway E65 and the development of medium voltage natural gas networks in Lamia, two important technical interventions are currently underway: the first, in cooperation with the municipality of Lamia, concerns the consolidation of the southern part of the walls of the castle of Lamia and their rocky background and the second, in collaboration with the municipality of Stylida and I.M. Fthiotida, the restoration of part of the wall of the Holy Monastery of Pammegiston Taxiarches Fairy.
• The restoration and promotion of the sanctuary of Asclepius in Dafnounda-a total budget of more than 1,300,000 €- of the important port city of Phocians and Locrians in the area of Agios Konstantinos, which came to light during the construction of Pathe, is in progress •
• In progress is the renovation of the building infrastructure and the enrichment of the permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Lamia, with a total budget of 1.000.000 €. New findings, resulting from rescue excavations and systematic investigations at various ancient sites of Fthiotida, are added to the existing potential of the exhibition, which is further upgraded with new technical equipment and supervisory means, while modernization of E/M facilities and air conditioning is imminent.