Mentis fibre manufactury: pictures and impressions

If you are part of the global service economy and you (or your kids) have never set foot in a manufacturing installation / workshop the restored space of the Mentis fiber manufactury, in the neighborhood of Kato Petralona, Athens, offers you the opportunity to do so. Just to be clear, this is no major sight, but it is one of those "weird" little places that I like to introduce you to, and which give you a better, deeper feel of the real character of Athens than the major archaeological sights and monuments. Obviously, this is not the place for you if you'll only be staying in Athens for a couple of days, but that's what you have this blog for... If this post raises your curiosity you may combine with a visit at the Pireos St. Annexe of the Benaki Museum which is a very short walk away (400m-5min).

If you are walking along the popular Thission area you may divert to Thessalonikis Street, parallel to the tracks of Metro Line 1, and find yourselves in the boring, residential, but totally characteristic of Athens, neighborhood of Kato Petralona. Located at 6 Polyfimou St., an alley fairly close to Petralona Metro Station (Line 1), Mentis gives you the chance to take a peak at a miniature manufacturing, albeit sanitized, installation, and the various knitting / threading machines still quietly humming along.

Mentis, first established in 1867 in the town of Nafplio and soon after moved to Athens, had been the oldest commercial and manufacturing enterprise of Greece in operation, until it shut down in 2011, and had gone through various business cycles of expansion and contraction. Its last owners decided to donate the one remaining building and all its stock and equipment to the Benaki Museum and turn it into a center for the preservation of traditional textile techniques. In an ironic way, this move epitomizes the treatment of industry, and industrial entreprises, in the last 30 years or so: almost every time a Greek factory shut down, its building was either left to crumble or was turned into some kind of "cultural space". No question about a factory being an actual, you know, factory!

On the other hand, this is a rather separate case, since this small facility is still actually producing, at a small scale for various clients, alongside its educational programmes. During its times of glory it had manufactured cordons, laces, crests, tassels and other accessories I know little about, for the Greek army, priests and local and foreign dignitaries, including the Shah of Persia. 

Entrance is free. Hours of operation: Tue-Sat: 10:00am - 3:00pm. Tel.: 210-34.78.792

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Impressions from the Benaki Museum

The Benaki Museum is one of the most central and historic museums in Athens; the first private foundation of its kind, whose operation started in 1930 in what is its current "central building", on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. Every time I think of the central building, the words of a knowledgeable English acquaintance come to mind: "It's nice but it's a private collection; not a Museum!". I can't be the judge of this aphorism but what I can tell you for sure is that it has managed to garner the respect of most art lovers and private collectors in Greece, who often choose to make donations to the museum, thus expanding its reach. Recently it has embarked on a networking mission, with famous museums around the world. There are currently 8 different buildings, in various Athens locations, housing different types of collections. This post is from a recent visit in the central building (1 Koumpari St. & Vasilissis Sofias Ave.), which houses a collection of artifacts covering the whole range of Greek history, from pre-historic times to modern day Greece. The accompanying legends under each showcase are in Greek and English.

 

The neoclassical mansion housing the Benaki Museum, at Leoforos Vassilissis Sofias & 1 Koumbari St., Athens, Greece

Showcase in the ground floor of the Benaki Museum, with ancient Greek helmets (around 5th cent. BC)

Interior view of the mansion housing the Benaki Museum - ground floor

The first 8 rooms of the ground floor quickly cover the period from prehistory to late Roman times. This is the period that is covered by other museums (National Archaeological, Acropolis and Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art) in immensely greater detail. Rooms 9-12 cover the Byzantine Empire and early post-Byzantine times, with some wonderful religious paintings of the Cretan School (whose most well-known child is Domenicos Theotokopoulos, a.k.a. El Greco).

Post-Byzantine painting of St. Nicholas, at the Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece

The 1st floor deals with late post-Byzantine times as well as the "period of foreign domination" (~14th-18th century) which, for most of the Greek areas, meant Ottoman rule. This is where the Museum truly begins to shine, housing an impressive collection of folk art from Greeks of all walks of life and geographical latitudes.

 

The reconstructed interior of a traditional Greek house

A large, beautifully painted, wooden chest from Mytilene. Above it, the painted wooden chest top reminiscent of Chinese art, actually portrays women in traditional clothes from Samos island.

One of several porcelaine plates; this one in honor of Greece's royal couple; King George I and Queen Olga. The inscription reads: "Married on 15 October 1867 [old calendar date] - God Save the Royal Couple" and the circles around name various geographic areas, several of which were not part of the Greek State at the time.

The, smaller, 2nd floor presents paintings and collectibles from the period just before the Greek war of independence (1821), with special focus on the nautical tradition of Greece. It also houses a temporary exhibition space and a very nice roof garden cafeteria / restaurant with views towards the National Garden right across the street.

 

Detail from a 1794 icon, by painter Abraham, titled "The Last Judgment", with little devils poking the sinners!

The temporary exhibition currently on display (till 31 August 2014) is "Tobacco: 101 notes on oriental tobacco" and presents the story of the tobacco cultivation and trade in Greece in the last two centuries with various interesting posters and exhibits, even for an avid non-smoker like myself. Many a Greek poems have been written on cigarette packs, and the ones below belonged to famous poet Yiannis Ritsos.

Many a Greek poems have been written on cigarette packs, and the ones below belonged to famous poet Yiannis Ritsos.

Finally, the 3rd floor houses artifacts and paintings from the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the formation of the modern Greek state. I was mostly impressed with the paintings collection. The paintings found here are the originals of images presented in every Greek history school book, engrained in the collective minds of Greeks of all ages, depicting the heroes of the Greek revolution and the first statesmen of the modern Greek State.

Well, well... if it ain't old Vladimir Putin! Actually, that's a portrait of "The General Thanassoulas Valtinos (1802-1870)"

 

This oil painting by Belgian Henri Decaisne is one of the few paintings that I did not recognize from Greek history school-books. Probably because it depicts a "Failed Military Operation", at the time that the Greek revolution had almost failed (1826), only to be saved later by the intervention of the Great Powers of the time.

Last but not least, you may search the archives of the Benaki Museum -paintings included- through this handy search page, even after your visit. For opening hours and more practical info check out my "Athens Museums" page.

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Epigraphical Museum: A great museum not worth your time (and money)

The title of the post is not meant as a joke, but as a quick capturing of what you need to know about the Epigraphical Museum. It is a specialized museum, hosting exclusively epigrams, that is inscriptions written on marble and stone from all over ancient Greece. It is the largest museum of its kind in the world, although you wouldn't know it from the size of the building and the exhibition rooms. I guess most of the artifacts are kept in storage rooms. An archaeologist specialized in the study of ancient Greece would probably have a field-day in here, but for the rest 99.99% of the population this is probably not the most exciting place in the world. If you think of checking it out just out of curiosity -it is practically next door to the National Archeological Museum- the 3Euro ticket (reduced tickets: 2€) will probably deter you. Who knows! Maybe, it's even meant to deter you, so as to avoid any unwelcome breaking of inscriptions by careless visitors! Explanatory signs are written in Greek and English, but some larger, informative wall posters are only written in Greek.

 

Entrance of the Epigraphical Museum, 1 Tositsa St., Athens, Greece

Anyway, I did manage to find a handful of things that were of interest: 

• First, an ancient voting machine, of the kind used by Athenians to count votes on specific proposals put forward by their fellow citizens, or to vote on ostracizing those deemed unwelcome. I think this is a major exhibit, at least from a political point of view, and I'm surprised that it's ended up in this no man's land of a museum. Its rightful place should probably be at one of the 2 major museums (the National Archaeological or the Acropolis).
• Then, a couple of inscriptions written in the "boustrophedon" type of writing. The word, meaning "like the turn of the ox tail", describes a peculiar type of ancient writing, where the 1st row begins "normally", from left to right, but the 2nd row starts from the right and goes left, with letters also "looking" to the the left. Then, the 3rd row follows the direction of the the 1st and the 4th one the direction of the 2nd, etc... I did come across this type of writing a few years ago,  by cause of a book of modern Greek palindromes, written by my wife, if I may say so [I think I should add a link to the book for the speakers of Greek among you, now that I think of it!] So, these particular epigrams rang close to home.
• Finally, the museum is interesting from an architectural point of view. Two of the rooms have large -protected- glass windows that look to the front yard, with natural light coming in from all over the place and there's a front yard and a back yard, the latter of which is practically connected to the National Archaeological Museum.

One of the halls of the National Epigraphical Museum in Athens, Greece

But I think, that sums it up pretty well, and most of you will likely find something else to spend your limited time in Athens!

 

The back yard of the National Epigraphical Museum, at 1 Tositsa St., Athens, Greece.

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Free entrance to Athens Museums and other freebies and good deals

A new year has just started and, the last post notwithstanding, I decided to provide some fresh content to the blog. Since people looking for freebies (you know who you are!) are constantly on the lookout, I thought I'd make their (your) life a bit easier, by bringing this information forward in a separate post. I think students and generally people on a tight budget will find it especially helpful. To be clear, major museums and sites rarely offer free days (read about them below) and these are just suggestions to fill in your time in a meaningful / alternative way without spending money. You may build your cheap vacation to Athens around this post, by visiting museums and other nearby attractions on the day they offer free access. Besides free admissions, there are more "concessions" (lower prices) for various specialized categories of people (young children, senior citizens, holders of membership cards, etc.), which are listed in each museum website in detail. So, here's my free list of freebies:

Free days in Athens museums:

Mondays: Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum,  

Tuesdays: Yannis Pappas Studio, Mentis Textile Workshop, Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki),

Wednesdays: Mentis Textile Workshop, Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki),

Thursdays: Benaki Museum (Central Building, Pireos St. Annexe, Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery, Mentis Textile Workshop), Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki),

Fridays: Yannis Pappas Studio, Mentis Textile Workshop, Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki),  

Saturdays: Mentis Textile Workshop, Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki),

Sundays: Yannis Pappas Studio, Maritime Tradition Park (except for Georgios Averof Battleship), Spiral Ramp (exterior) of the Hellenic Motor Museum and free screenings in the amphitheatre for museum ticket holders, Municipal Gallery of the City of Athens (Dimotiki Pinakothiki), National Historical Museum

-On the first Sunday of the month from November to March (included) there is free entrance to the National Archaeological Museum. The National Archaeological Museum also offers free entrance on March 6, April 18, May 18, June 5, last weekend of September and 28 October.

-Also, don't forget that you have free access to the upper side of Metro Stations, some of which host interesting archaeological exhibits (Syntagma, Panepistimio, Acropolis, Monastiraki stations) and that you can find some "minor" archaeological sites with open access, scattered around Athens.

Major archaeological sites offer free entrance on the following days:

Acropolis of Athens (including North and South slope of the Acropolis), Ancient Agora museum and site, Kerameikos Museum and site, Hadrian's Library, Olympieio (a.k.a. Temple of Olympian Zeus), Roman Agora of Athens: March 6, April 18, May 18, June 5, September 27 and the last weekend of September. 

If you are interested in a specific museum read below for the main groups of people given free admission to each museum and see the "Athens Museums" tab for more information on each one.

Main groups of people given free admission to museums:
Acropolis Museum: 

All persons under 18 years old from EU countries (with ID)

Children under 5 years old from non-EU countries

All visitors with disabilities and 1 person accompanying them.

Byzantine & Christian Museum:

All persons under 18 years old.

Cycladic Art Museum:

All persons under 18 years old.

All visitors with disabilities and 1 person accompanying them.

Goulandris Natural History Museum

Visitors with disabilities

All children up to 5 years old.

Herakleidon Museum

Children up to 12 years old

 

Maritime Tradition Park (Faliro), except for Georgios Averof Battleship

All children under 6. 

All persons over 65.

Municipal Gallery of Athens

Everybody (free entrance)

National Archaeological Museum

Visitors under 18 years old (by showing their I.D. or Passport)

Students from E.U. countries (by showing their University Card)

Escorts of blind people and escorts of persons with mobility difficulties

National Epigraphical Museum

Visitors under 18 years old (by showing their I.D. or Passport)

Students from E.U. countries (by showing their University Card)

Escorts of persons with mobility difficulties

Numismatic Museum of Athens

Persons under 19 

Students with (college) ID

Finally, let me draw your attention to two interesting ticket packages that provide very good value for money:
A) The special ticket package (12 Euros / reduced price 6 Euros) which gives you access to the National Archaeological Museum, Byzantine & Christian Museum, Numismatic Museum and Epigraphic Museum
B) The special ticket package for major archaeological sites, meaning:   Acropolis of Athens, North slope of the Acropolis, South Slope of the Acropolis incl. Ancient Theater of Dionysus, Ancient Agora of Athens, Museum of the Ancient Agora, Hadrian's Library, Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos, Kerameikos site, Olympieio (a.k.a. Temple of Olympian Zeus) and the Roman Agora of Athens (Full price 12 Euros / reduced rate: 6 Euros).
Both packages can be purchased on site, at the box office of participating sites or museums.

Beyond museums, there's a ton of activities you may do for free (or almost free) such as visiting local parks and hills, taking a long walk across the coastal promenade, taking the Metro (esp. Line 1) from one end of the line to the other, for a complete cross-section of Athens's urban fabric or simply... walking around! Check out the labels in the right hand column for various ideas.

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Greece's Maritime Tradition Park - Phaleron Delta (pt. 2)

This is the second post about Greece’s Maritime Tradition Park (Mouseio Naftikis Paradosis) in the coast of Faliro, southwest of Athens. The first part was about the "Georgios Averof" Battleship and can be found here, together with instructions on how to get there. Today, I present you the rest of the museum-ships that have found a peaceful harbor in this part of the Athenian Riviera, next to the Flisvos Marina: A Greek type sailing-ship with a unique history,  the family yacht of the Runciman family, the world’s oldest cable laying ship still in existence, a Greek navy destroyer ship that has become a symbol of democratic resistance and an Ancient Athenian trireme. Besides my on-site visit I have come across various online sources, some of which I note at the bottom of this post.  

A small, Perama type, sailing-ship named "Evangelistria". Now docked at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece, at the coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

First in line and docked right next to Averof is a small, “perama” type sailing-ship named “Evangelistria” (Mary of the Annunciation), used in the Aegean Sea and Marmara Bay during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through the very interesting site of Mr. Nikos E. Riginos about vernacular Greek ship-building, I found out this amazing little story: The ship was built in 1939, just before WWII for a Captain Bonis from the island of Mykonos. When the war broke out and it was evident that the island would also fall under German command, its owner loaded it with rocks so as to send it to the bottom of the sea instead of having it captured by the occupying forces. At the end of the war, divers took the stones out and the ship simply resurfaced, ready for use! 

Currently you may only watch the boat from the coast. Check out some old photos of Evangelistria here and some models of Perama type ships here.

"Evgenios Evgenidis" sailing-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

Next in line is the sailing ship “Evgenios Evgenidis”, presently used as a training ship for Greek sailors. It was built in Scotland in 1929 and served as the family yacht of the Runciman family (1,2,3) till 1939. It passed to Swedish hands from 1945 till 1965. During that time it had a short… acting career, appearing in the films “Flying Clipper” and “Lord Jim”. It was then bought by the Greek Navy with the financial assistance of Greek benefactor Evgenios Evgenidis - to whom it owns its current name – and served as a training ship till 1990. It is not currently open for visits.

"Evgenios Evgenidis" sailing-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

After that you’ll get to see the world’s oldest cable laying ship remaining in its original condition, with both its steam engines in good condition. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. in Virginia, USA in 1909 and given away to Greece and the Greek Telecommunications Organization in 1947 by the US Government. It was the first cable laying ship to be used in Greece. It still has its original steam-powered cable laying equipment. The ship's name is "Thalis o Milissios" (Thales of Miletus), from the ancient Greek philosopher.

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-laying ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens. In the background lays the city-port of Piraeus

"Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship; detail.

At the dock of "Thalis o Milissios" cable-ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; coast of the Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

The ship at the end of the small harbor is once again a decommissioned navy ship. A “torpedo-destroyer” named “Velos” (Arrow) which was offered to Greece by the US Navy in 1959 (its former name being USS Charette DD581). Unusual for a ship, it’s been turned to a museum not because of some major naval victory but due to an act of protest. In May 1973, during the Greek junta of 1967-74, the ship’s officers together with a large part of the Greek Navy were about to stage a counter-coup and demand the restoration of democracy. Their movement was betrayed on the last day, with “Velos” taking part in a NATO exercise in the waters of Italy. When the betrayal went public, under the command of Cdr N. Pappas HN and with the crew’s agreement the ship took refuge in Italy's Fiumicino, dealing  a PR blow to the army colonels who were running the country at that time. The ship and most of its officers remained in exile till the restoration of democracy, on 24 July 1974. Since 1991 it has been turned into a “Museum of Anti-Dictatorial Struggle”, hosting a small exhibition of pictures, books and newspaper clips about these events (mostly in Greek – some in English and Italian).

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faleron Delta, SW of Athens.

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Detail from the "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Phaleron Delta, SW of Athens.

Detail from the "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

"Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

The "Velos" destroyer ship anchored in the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens. The coast of Faliro and the city of Piraeus in the background

View of the city of Piraeus, the "Peace & Friendship" indoor stadium" and the "Georgios Karaiskakis" soccer stadium from aboard the "Velos" destroyer ship in the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta.

View of Averof Battleship from aboard the Velos destroyer; Maritime Tradition Park; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

The decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

An unusual view of the Acropolis and Lykavittos Hill, from aboard the Velos destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece, Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

A hall with exhibits from the "mutiny" of the "Velos" destroyer during the 1967-74 military dictatorship of Greece

Newspaper clips detailing the "mutiny" of the "Velos" destroyer against the 1967-74 military dictatorship of Greece.

Aboard the decommissioned "Velos" destroyer ship; Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

…And just when you think that your tour is over, you notice that inside the large concrete depot, next to the “Velos” destroyer, there’s a real feast for the eyes. An exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship - the major weapon of Athenian democracy and the ship that handed Greeks the victory over the Persian fleet in the Sea-Battle of Salamis, in 480BC. This is regarded by many as one of the most decisive battles in human history, shaping the course of human civilization as we now know it. The Olympias Trireme, was commissioned by the Greek Navy and built by a Piraeus shipbuilder, with additional British financing, in 1987. It was part of the torch relay in the 2004 Olympics and it currently needs your help and support for some necessary repairs. Read the official Olympias Trireme page and follow the ship's facebook page.

An exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship inside a depot. Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Trireme Olympias; an exact replica of an ancient Athenian trireme ship at the Maritime Tradition Park of Greece; Faliro Delta, SW of Athens.

Relevant pages:
http://www.hnsa.org/ships/averof.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOxJ_6eI7yM
http://www.averof.mil.gr/ (in Greek)

http://www.faneromeni.gr/en/pages/view/diaforamerielladas/

http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/en/history-tradition/floating-naval-museum

http://www.triremeolympias.com/


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