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
University Studio Press| Cast Museum A.U.Th. and Gilliéron Workshop
Title: Cast Museum A.U.Th. and Gilliéron Workshop Editors: Eleni Manakidou, Christina Mitsopoulou Publisher: University Studio Press Subject: Archaeology/ Αncient Art Year: November 2025 Pages: 236 Τechnical Features: 17Χ24 The publication concerns the exhibition of the same name organized at the Museum of Casts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is dedicated to the workshop of the artists Gilliéron, which operated in Athens. In a dialogue between the university's Museum of Casts and the research program of the "Gilliéron Archives" research program of the French School of Athens, previously unknown or obscure evidence of the development ...More
Stathis Kalyvas talks with Elias Kanellis at the Athens Conservatory | January 15, 2026
On Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., Stathis Kalyvas, professor of political science at the University of Oxford, will be in conversation with Elias Kanellis at the Athens Conservatory. Stathis Kalyvas is a figure whose work is seen as a catalyst for ideological and political conflict. He is a thinker who has methodically challenged established certainties regarding the interpretation of our recent history, and this makes him interesting—and unexpected. As a political scientist, Stathis Kalyvas has had a decisive influence on the way in which recent Greek history is discussed, since his research on the ...More
The Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture settles in the heart of Athens
In the heart of the capital, in the historic center of Athens, in the landmark building at 134-136 Ermou Street and Evvoulo Street, in Kerameikos, the Hellenic Foundation for Books and Culture (HFBC) is being established. The building, owned by the Ministry of Culture, has been granted to HFBC by decision of the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, to house its operations and develop its activities. The property had been granted to the Association of Greek Archaeologists in 1986 by decision of Melina Mercouri. The concession was revoked in 2023 by decision of Lina Mendoni due ...More
Historical Archives-National Bank of Greece| “Refugees after the Treaty of Lausanne. The National Bank contributes to their integration into their new homeland.”| Βy Giannis Loukas
The Historical Archive of the National Bank of Greece, faithful to its mission of preserving the Bank's historical past and our national memory, is organizing the exhibition "Refugees after the Treaty of Lausanne. The National Bank contributes to their integration into their new homeland." The exhibition marks the centenary of the signing on May 5, 1925, of the "Agreement between the Greek State and the National Bank of Greece on the management of the properties in Greece of the exchanged Muslims." The resettlement of refugees from the Asia Minor Catastrophe, although underappreciated, was one of the ...More
Leave A Comment