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Industrial Gas Museum opens in Athens
A new museum, the Industrial
Gas Museum,
will open in Athens
on January 27, nearly 30 years after the gas works shut down.
The gas works were founded in 1857 to provide light in
public spaces in Athens.
It was the first energy plant in Greece; by the end of the 19th
century the network gas had been expanded to provide gas to industries and
households.
The plant's administration came under the jurisdiction
of the city of Athens
in 1938, with the Athens Municipality Gas Company officially founded in 1952.
The plant provided the Athenians with energy for 130 years before going out of
operation permanently in 1984.
A few years after the premises shut down they were
designated a historical monument by the Culture Ministry, with the prospect of
becoming a museum and recreation area. The gas plant provides characteristic examples of technological
and industrial architecture of the 19th century, given that most of the
buildings and the facilities, including much of the machinery, remain intact.
The repair and restoration of the buildings and the
design of the open areas were completed in 2004. By 1999, the Athens Municipality
had opened the premises under the name "Technopolis" (art city) for
the hosting of cultural and other events.
The institution, the first industrial museum in Athens, was officially inaugurated on Saturday by Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis. It will be open to the public daily, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
