The National Historical Museum in Athens has launched a fascinating program of exhibitions, publications, and events celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence, which began with a proclamation of revolution against Ottoman rule in the Peloponnese on March 17, 1821, ekathimerini.com reports.
According to the museum’s deputy director, Maria Papanastasiou, the program aspires to “reintroduce the Greek and international public to the ideas, causes, people, events and consequences of the 1821 war.” This will be achieved “via a comprehensive narrative that will encourage reflection, conversation and creativity,” she said at a recent press conference.
The NHM was established in 1882 and was the first museum in the newly liberated Greek state. Aiming to mark what is perhaps the most significant event in the country’s modern history, it has teamed up with a plethora of state agencies, private foundations and individuals.
“Talking about 1821 is like talking about a mountain that never stops growing. We are dealing with a huge number of testimonies and pieces of information, but also huge expectations. How we approach the revolution is instrumental to our knowledge of ourselves today,” noted Thanos Veremis, professor emeritus of political history at the University of Athens and one of the members of the program’s supervising committee.
On Sunday, October 13, the museum will be inaugurating an exhibition on daily life in Greece during the early 19th century and important events from the War of Independence narrated through dioramas using a series of Playmobil figures designed for the event.
The program includes two photography exhibitions and publications of Greek translations of 19th century texts by philhellenes. It ends in March 2021 with an exhibition at the Old Parliament on the revolution and its impact, focusing on its heroes and on the social and ideological shifts that influenced the prevailing mind-sets prior to and after 1821.
Sections of this show will go on tour, and each of the different venues will add to the exhibits with their own, pointing to how different parts of the country were affected by the Greek Revolution.
The exhibition runs through May 2020 at the National Historical Museum (13 Stadiou, tel 210.323.7617, www.nhmuseum.gr). Opening hours are Tuesdays to Sundays from 8.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. The Playmobil figures created for this show are not on sale at the museum or at stores.
Read the full article at ekathimerini.com
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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Tilemahos Efthimiadis
