Patras: works not in progress
Apart from the two theaters Patras has inherited, one from 2,000 years ago (the open-air Roman Odeon) and the other from 130 years ago (Ernst Ziller’s Apollon Theater), additional cultural facilities are small in size, lacking in modern equipment and any major impact on the lives of residents. The former Ladopoulos factory, opposite the new harbor, has ended up in the municipality’s hands. Covering an area of 5 hectares, of which 4.8 hectares have been built over, it contains both multistory and underground structures. As a first stage, a concert hall, virtual reality center and the carnival museum will be constructed on the premises. In addition, art workshops, exhibition and concert halls are all planned as well. The new Museum of Patras, which has been designed by the architectural office of Theofanis Bobotis and will house archaeological collections, will be built on the new national road to Athens and will be directly funded by the Culture Ministry. A permanent open-air theater with a capacity of at least 3,000 has been planned on municipal land in the area of Asyrmatos-Samakias, instead of the Agyias campsite proposed by the candidacy file. The old municipal hospital, its Hansen wings in particular, will be used as the city’s permanent exhibition area. The Historical Museum of Patras will be located in other wings, where areas will be set apart for statues, photographs, finds from throughout the ages and historical items, all displaying the city’s history over the past 3,200 years. In the 7 hectares of the campsite and the 30 hectares of the Agyias Marsh (north of the city, formerly GNTO property), a permanent summer youth center has been proposed to meet the relaxation needs of the city’s residents, both young and old. The Agora Argyri, near the intercity bus station, will be rebuilt (today it is partially ruined) and turned into a visitors’ center.
