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
Paintιng Exhibition. “Konstantinos Volanakis. Nostos of the sea”. Artworks from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, at the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania (21/07-31/12 2023)
The exceptional Greek painter of the sea, Konstantinos Volanakis, “returns” back to Crete, the island he was born on, for the first time. The 57 artworks of the imperial that painted imperial triumphs, of the glorious moments of Greek History, but also of humble fishing boats, make up the exhibition “Konstantinos Volanakis: Nostos of the sea, artworks from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation” which will be held at the Municipal Art Gallery of Chania and has been placed under the auspices of Her Excellence, the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The exhibition also includes oil paintings ...More
AESCHYLIA FESTIVAL 2023. “Eleusis always keeps something back to show those who come again”.
The 49th year of the Aeschylia Festival coincides with the organization of the European Capital of Culture 2023. The cooperation of the two organizations has highlighted Eleusis as a center of creation and culture. Theatre, contemporary art exhibitions, concerts and events spread across the city; a city that invites visitors to get to know and love it. In 1974, the first Aeschylia Festival was organized, which was envisioned by pr. Mayor of Elefsina Michalis Leventis, to whose memory this year's event is dedicated. In these almost five decades, Aeschylia has become a "mother" of cultural creation, ...More
Archaeological Event in Velika. On Thursday, July 20
On Thursday, July 20, an archaeological event will be held in Velika, with the cooperation of the Antiquities Service of Larissa and the Municipality of Agia, where the new findings of recent years in the wider area will be presented, as well as the highlighting projects that are being carried out. Special mention will be made about the archaeological site highlighting projects carried out through the 2014-20 NSRF of the Administrative Unit of Thessaly at Velika Castle and the Monastery of Agios Dimitrios in Stomio. Research will also be presented regarding the archaeological site of Skiathas ...More
The Archive of “Ergoliptiki S.A.”. The National Library of Greece and MONUMENTA collaborate on its rescue.
The archives of “Ergoliptiki S.A.”, one of the most important construction companies of the interwar period, are included from the beginning of June 2023 in the collections of the National Library of Greece (NLG), available for study.Its delivery by the civil non-profit organization for the Protection of the Natural and Architectural Heritage of Greece and Cyprus MONUMENTA to the Library marks the completion of a two-year cooperation program between the two institutions, with the aim of classifying, recording and partially preserving and digitizing the above material, with the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and ...More
Leave A Comment