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
Markos Kampanis’s Artistic “Odyssey” in London—A Warm Afternoon at the Hellenic Residence | By Panos Liakos
By Panos Liakos Film Historian, Classicist, Translator Braving temperatures that were unusually high for the season and by the city’s standards, people from academia, the media, artists, and staff of the Greek Embassy in London gathered on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the Hellenic Residence, where, from June 26 through July 3, the series of works by the prominent Greek visual artist Markos Kampanis, titled “Odyssey,” will be on display. Ambassador Ioannis Tsaousis It was literally a multifaceted “vernissage,” as those of us in attendance enjoyed, on the one hand, an exceptional introduction by ...More
National Documentation Centre| New Webinar Series: “Open Science and the European Research Infrastructure OPERAS”
The National Center for Documentation and Digital Content (EKT) is launching a new series of webinars “Open Science and the European Research Infrastructure OPERAS,” as part of the creation of the national node of the European research infrastructure OPERAS. The first seminar of the series is entitle "Webinar 1 The OPERAS Infrastructure: Strengthening Open Academic Communication" and will take place on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 (11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.), via the Zoom online platform. The weminar will present the work and services of the OPERAS research infrastructure to the Greek academic and research community. OPERAS is a ...More
15th Aegean Film Festival | July 16–24, in Patmos
The 15th Aegean Film Festival returns to Patmos from July 16 to 24, 2026, celebrating fifteen years of existence with an anniversary program featuring Greek, European, and world premieres of award-winning films from major international festivals, iconic environmental documentaries, and tributes to leading figures in European cinema. The jury for the competition program consists of Ada Solomon, President of the European Film Academy, and Christian Jeune, Head of the Film Department and Deputy General Manager of the Cannes Film Festival. The third member of the jury will be announced at the start of the Festival. Greek ...More
National Library of Greece | Acquisitions Bulletin, June 2026 | Santorini Register
\According to its cover page, the register was compiled in Santorini on April 30, 1827, and is titled Register of the Upper Tax Office. It initially lists, in alphabetical order by first name, the farmers of the Epano Meria district (Oia and Thirasia) on Santorini and their annual harvest, and then calculates the total annual harvest and its value per settlement for the entire island, including barley, peas, beans, millet, sesame, cotton, raisins, figs, wine, and visanto. This is an important source for the study of Santorini’s agricultural economy and its communal finances during the years ...More
Leave A Comment