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
The Hellenic Open University in the international project SLSIM – Education and visit to Mozambique in April 2025
The School of Applied Arts and Sustainable Design of the Hellenic Open University (ΗΟU) announces the participation of faculty members in the international project SLSIM - Smart Learning for Sustainable Innovation in Mozambique, which is implemented in the framework of cooperation between European and African universities and organisations. SLSIM project (https://slsim.eap.gr/) aims to enhance the quality of higher education in Mozambique through the use of digital technologies and the promotion of innovative and sustainable educational practices. The HOU's participation in the project focuses on the transfer of know-how in the field of design, communication and development ...More
Cavafy in his time: 32 essays| Book launch in Patras| 03 April 2025
Opportuna Publications presents in Patras the collective volume Cavafy in his time: 32 essays, which has just been published, edited by Takis Kagialis, Professor of Modern Greek Literature and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Extroversion at the Hellenic Open University. The aim of this collective project is the historical reconstruction of Cavafian poetry and the integration of the poet and his work into the cultural context of their time. The thirty-two original studies that make up the book focus mainly on the lifetime of C.P. Cavafy (1863-1933). Their aim is to drastically reassess the historical ...More
Thirathen Museum| Isidoros Papadakis & Alekos Fanourakis| 02 April 2025
A lute player is heavily Cretan. A composer heavy-sweet and weightless. How did these two come together and what will they get out of it? Alekos Fanourakis with his lute, with original and subversive compositions of his own, but also with his own approach to old and well-known tunes. Isidoros Papadakis with his piano and bass clarinet (what is that?) and a mood of acrobatic, cohesive but also sympathetic (as in "sybaines,fos mu, tin fotia). The two of them, in a mystical conversation. On Wednesday, April 2 at 20:30 at the Thirathen Museum, for another educational ...More
Greece at the 62nd Bologna International Children’s Book Fair (31 March-3 April 2025)
With a dynamic presence and emphasis on cooperation and creativity, Greece will participate again this year in the 62nd Bologna Children's Book Fair, from Monday 31 March to Thursday 3 April 2025, at the Bologna Fiere exhibition centre, with the aim of supporting Greek candidates for awards from international organisations and promoting talented young Greek authors. At the Greek pavilion (Hall 30 Stand A38 B37), the publications of the Ministry of Culture and its supervised institutions and other cultural institutions will be presented. In addition, some 50 Greek publishers and cultural institutions will present more than ...More
Leave A Comment