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
ΕΜΣΤ| In lieu of a retrospective: The sculptor Theodoros and the avant-garde| By Venia Pastaka
By Venia Pastaka Art Historian "...If Art today is acrobatics, it is not enough to dress up in the costume of a tightrope walker. We must be able to walk a tightrope... we dare and doubt." (Theodoros, Sculptor, Stigmata of Progress, traces in the sand of words, Athens 1984, p. 17.) A restless, inquisitive and pioneering spirit, Theodoros (Papadimitriou) was one of the most important artists of modern Greek art. Born in 1931 in Agrinio, he studied from 1952 to 1957 at the Athens School of Fine Arts, in the workshop of Michalis Tombros (1889-1974), while ...More
The Municipal Library of Athens reopens
The Municipal Library of Athens is entering a new era. One of the most important and historic public libraries in the country, which belongs to the Culture, Sports and Youth Organization of the Municipality of Athens (OPANDA), will reopen on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. The Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, said: "It is an important day for our city with its Municipal Library coming back to life. We have worked methodically to offer our citizens a modern, safe and fully accessible space, which had been closed since 2023. It houses our historic collection of 25,000 books, ...More
EMST| Open Call for Applications for the Residency Programme of the Cité internationale des arts in Paris
EMST | National Museum of Contemporary Art of Athens and Cité internationale des arts announce the launch of a residency programme for Greek visual artists working and residing in Greece. The aim of the programme is to encourage and facilitate their mobility while expanding their professional and artistic network. For this first year, 5 three-month residencies are foreseen in Paris and specifically at the Cité internationale des arts - Marais Site. Facilities include: Place of residence and work A monthly living stipend of €1,000 Support, meetings and networking opportunities with professionals in the field organised and ...More
Graduation Ceremony in the “Oceanography and Marine Environment Management” postgraduate programme of the NKUA
On Thursday 6/2/2025 at 14:00, the graduation ceremony of the graduates of the postgraduate program "Oceanography and Marine Environment Management" took place at the "Drakopoulos" Auditorium, Department of Geology & Geoenvironment, in the presence of many people and dignitaries. The inauguration was followed by the cutting of the graduates' New Year's cake with a gift to the lucky winner, followed by a light lunch.
Leave A Comment