The ‘palace’ of Tatoi, once the summer residence of the former Greek Royal family has been approved for restoration following an announcement by the Central Council of Contemporary Monuments.
The Council has approved an architectural study and preliminary static report for restoration work to commence. The study focuses on the section of the building that includes the palace, the kitchen building and the gardens, noting that it requires “a constructional, functional and aesthetic restoration of the monument to the era of George I”, that is to its first operational phase (1884-1913), without the subsequent interventions to modernize the structure in the 1930s.
Restoration crews will only work on facades and interiors for which there is documented evidence of their former state through photographs, contemporary texts or other sources.
The building, located 27 km from Athens on the mountain of Parnitha and its 10,000 acre estate was the residence of the former Greek royal family until 1973, when a referendum abolished the monarchy and the building was expropriated. The palace complex includes personnel quarters, outposts, storehouses, mews, apiaries, and stock farms which have fallen into disrepair.
According to the honorary director general of the Ministry of Culture, Iordanis Dimakopoulos, the building will be preserved without removing “all signs of aging”.
