Greek capital displays its rich architectural heritage in "Open House Athens"

Historical monuments of the 19th century, ultramodern cultural centers, luxurious lofts and religious sites turned from former industrial spaces, all opened their gates to visitors.

"In the program this year there are 95 buildings, and 550 volunteers who have undertaken to guide the visitors," Renata Douma, Communications Manager at Open House Athens 2019, tells Xinhua.

For the first time this year, the Greek Parliament participated in the action, introducing the visitors to the building of the Former Public Tobacco Factory, designed in 1927.
Today it has many uses, including the City Library and the Benakeios Library of the Parliament and is proclaimed by the Ministry of Culture as a historical preserved monument.

Ergon House, consisted of a restaurant and a food market, as well as the first foodie hotel in Athens was constructed in 2019, is the concept of Ergon Agora and has a special place in the list.

"This hotel is unique because everything in its architecture reminds something from Greece. All the materials used, could be found in our grandmother's home, in many Greek homes," Douzis George, entrepreneur and co-founder of Ergon House, told Xinhua.

Open House Greece is an urban non-profit company with the aim of promoting architecture and culture in Greece and abroad through the annual Open House events in Athens and Thessaloniki. It was founded in 2012 and belongs to the wider family of Open House Worldwide.

"Through the personal experience we offer to the public we would like to introduce them to the concept of architecture and to understand the value it has in our everyday life. We want to offer a celebration of architecture, a celebration for the city, where everyone can admire for free buildings that they could not otherwise visit," Douma concludes.

A number of parallel actions enriched the main event this year, from special interest tours and "treasure hunts", to competitions and special parties. OHA visitors also had the opportunity to participate in a photo competition by uploading on social media photos taken during the event.

In 2018, 460 volunteers took part in the "Open House" project in Athens and guided the tours in 107 spaces, with a total of 35,000 visits.

The idea of the Open House began at London in 1992 and has since spread to many cities around the globe.