Old Palace, currently the Parliament Building
Syntagma Square, Athens, 1836-47, conversion
1929-35
Architect:
Friedrich von Gärtner (1792-1847)
Conversion Architect:
Andreas Kriezis (1887-1962)
The building that currently houses the Parliament
of the Hellenes was initially erected as the palace of Otho, the first
king of Greece. It is a work by Friedrich von Gärtner, architect
of Ludwig I of Bavaria, who also designed the royal palace of Munich
and the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, among others. The construction
works on the old palace began in 1936 and were completed in 1847.
The building is rectangular on plan. Two large wings, each 94.18 m long
and 15.50 m. wide, are placed 44.60 m. apart at right angles to the
main axis. They are linked with three smaller, vertically placed wings
forming the building’s two courtyards. The surface covered, together
with the courtyards, is 6950 sq.m.
The building has been raised 15 m. above the surrounding terrain and
its four exterior sections comprise a ground floor and two upper floors.
The space is organised by corridors that run along the length of the
building on all floors. In the middle section, in which there is a floor
with a height of 14.20 m., are gathered all the most official, most
lavishly decorated and furnished areas in the palace: the ballroom,
gaming room and dining room.
The façades are plain, dominated by the protruding central sections
on the front and back, which show the main part of the building; they
are crowned by a pediment and have Doric porches. A Doric colonnade
can be found on the south side with a small Ionic porch on each side.
Above all porches there are balconies with parapets.
In 1884 fire destroyed the north section of the building, causing great
damage. A second fire broke out in December of 1909 and reduced the
entire central section of the palace to ash; the building was then uninhabited
until 1929. The only section of the original building that has been
preserved is the marble stairway that was completed in 1847 and served
the official reception areas.
The decision to transfer the Senate and the Parliament from the Old
Parliament Building on Stadiou St to the Old Palace was made in 1929.
The necessary changes were then made, on the basis of drawings by architect
Andreas Kriezis, so that the building could meet the new needs. The
works began in the summer of 1930 and were completed five years later.
The entire central section that had been destroyed by fire in 1909 was
torn down, and in its place the large assembly hall and Senate chamber
were constructed; the roof of the latter was covered with glass to permit
natural lighting. The rest of the building was restored to its initial
form. The floors alone were removed and replaced by reinforced concrete
slabs. Also, an additional entrance was created on the north side of
the building.
The Senate was first installed in the restored old palace building on
2 August 1934. The Parliament was transferred there a year later, on
1st July 1935, when the proceedings of the Fifth National Assembly took
place. To the forecourt overlooking Syntagma Square was added the Monument
to the Unknown Soldier designed by architect Emmanuel Lazaridis in 1932,
which has since then been the central point of national celebrations.
