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
NEON assigns Alexandros Tzannis with the implementation of the NEON City Project 2025
The NEON organization is activating an old quarry on Filopappou Hill to present the exhibition Athens Dies In Dreams At Sunrise by Alexandros Tzannis, curated by Galini Noti. The new commission to Alexandros Tzannis is part of the NEON City project 2025 program, in which NEON commissions a Greek artist to create a work that is exhibited in a public space for a specific period of time. The aim of the program is to present contemporary art in public and historical spaces, contributing to the interaction between art, society, and the city. Alexandros Tzannis' exhibition Athens ...More
Elli Droulia’s “Indefinite Breaths” at Lexikopoleio, November 27, 2025 (6:30-8:30 p.m.): “I was drawn to the form of haiku, a glimpse in a breath, an indefinite feeling of something specific…”
One of the most important figures in libraries and intellectual life today, Elli Droulia—former director of the Library of the Hellenic Parliament—is preparing to present her haiku poetry collection, Indefinite Breaths, at the Lexikopoleio bookstore. On this occasion, the renowned historian and philologist gave an interview to Days of Art in Greece about her favorite Japanese poetic form, Greece's place in the "Western canon," and her multifaceted work. Days of Art in Greece: This coming Thursday, there will be a launch at the Lexikopoleio bookstore for your poetry collection entitled Indefinite Breaths, written in haiku form. ...More
Yannis Smaragdis: “Throughout history, our governors have failed to understand the core strength of Greek culture” | An interview to Panos Liakos
Having captured on the silver screen—to huge public acclaim—the achievements of some of the most iconic figures of Greek and world culture, from Cavafy and El Greco to Kazantzakis and Papadiamantis, Yannis Smaragdis proves that cinema is the great "popular art of our times." On the occasion of the premiere of his latest film, based on the works and days of Greece's first and, according to many, most important governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias, the renowned Greek director spoke to Days of Art in Greece. As our conversation unfolds, on the other end of the phone line, I ...More
Leigh Fermor House| Open Call-Fellowships Programme 2026-2027
The Benaki Museum announces two (1+1) positions for the Leigh Fermor House fellowships program for the academic year 2026-2027. For more information about the work placement program at the Leigh Fermor House and how to apply, click HERE. As part of the Leigh Fermor House work-in-residence program, the Benaki Museum collaborates with three academic institutions: Freie Universität Berlin (Centrum Modernes Griechenland), Princeton University (Stanley J. Seeger ’52 Center for Hellenic Studies), and UCLA – University of California Los Angeles (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture). Through corresponding proposal submission and evaluation procedures ...More
Leave A Comment