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
Hellenic Parliament Foundation | International Conference—The Evolution of Modern Constitutional Democracy: Threats and Challenges | October 21–23, 2026
The Hellenic Parliament Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy is organizing an international conference titled “The Evolution of Modern Constitutional Democracy: Threats and Challenges.” Today, while democracy appears to be spreading to ever-larger parts of the world, it is simultaneously threatened by the resurgence of authoritarianism and the rise of anti-liberal populism. Recent developments appear to be reshaping domestic and global political and economic agendas. This presents an opportunity to reflect on the prospects for progress as well as the risks of the erosion of modern representative democracy. Can democracy evolve further without, in essence, losing its ...More
Solo exhibition by Vicky Tsalamata at the Museum of Arts in Cluj, Romania | October 14–November 1, 2026
At the impressive “Art Museum of Cluj –Napoca,” housed in the former Banffy Palace—a magnificent example of 18th-century Baroque architecture—is hosting the new solo exhibition by the distinguished printmaker, renowned both in Greece and abroad, Professor Emerita of Printmaking at the Athens School of Fine Arts, Vicky Tsalamata. The exhibition, titled “La Comédie Humaine/The Human Condition in the 21st Century,” opens on October 14 and runs through November 1, 2026, in Cluj-Napoca, which is Romania’s second-largest city and the unofficial capital of the historic region of Transylvania. The exhibition is curated by art historian Dr. Dan ...More
European Conservation Day 2026 | From Print to Book: An Experience of Traditional Techniques at the National Library of Greece
The National Library of Greece invites the public to an interactive workshop introducing the art of bookmaking and traditional bookbinding techniques on Saturday, October 17, 2026. Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to learn the basics of bookbinding by creating their own notebook using the Japanese bookbinding technique. At the same time, they will learn about the history and process of traditional printing by making their own print using a handmade wooden press inspired by Gutenberg’s press. Venue: Conservation Lab, 4th Floor, NLG, SNFCC Time: 11:00-13:00 Participation is free with online pre-registration. Registration forms ...More
2026 Nobel Prize in Literature | Awarded to the Canadian classicist and poet Anne Carson | By Panos Liakos
By Panos Liakos The Swedish Academy awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature to Anne Carson, one of the most influential female voices in contemporary poetry and essay writing. At this globally critical crossroads for the future of the humanities, this particular award brings to the forefront a body of work—that of Carson—in which her background in Classics coexists with a need to preserve and creatively rework fragments of the works of Sappho, Stesichorus, and Euripides. Indeed, among other comments, the Swedish Academy described Ann Carson’s work as “bold” and “inventive,” while noting that her “playful ...More
Leave A Comment