Due to increased public interest, the National Historical Museum’s periodic exhibition “From Ancient Greece to Modern Greece (Part II): The Refugees”held with exclusive sponsorship from Piraeus, is extended until June 30, 2025.
This is the second part of the exhibition “From Great to Modern Greece”, which traces the completion of the country’s creation in terms of borders and population. The first part, presented in 2022, referred to the events that led to the formation of the Greek borders after the end of the First World War, focusing on the Asia Minor Campaign.
The support for this important Piraeus exhibition is part of the “Hellenism Memorial Days, 1922-1924” Programme, with which the Bank pays tribute and participates in the events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Asia Minor Disaster and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) with the aim of contributing to the strengthening of historical memory and to the highlighting of defining “moments” in the historical path of Hellenism that shaped the physiognomy and identity of the modern Greek State.
“Refugees” focuses on the formation of the population of Greece through population movements over the course of a century. The exhibition, which opened in December 2023 and has received very positive reviews, is divided into four main thematic sections (The Causes, Uprooting, Stereotype, Memory). The refugee condition is examined successively and an attempt is made to present the refugee phenomenon as fully as possible, through the issues that have occupied over time the ethnic populations who have found themselves in the difficult situation of abandoning their ancestral homes and settling in metropolitan Greece. Through stories, testimonies and human records, which are framed by photographic testimonies, historical documents and objects from the collections of the Museum and of many institutions and individuals, aspects such as forced flight, the difficulties of movement, reception, settlement, integration, the new homeland, and management of refugee traumas are illuminated.
The exhibition is enriched with audiovisual exhibits, although since March 2024 it has integrated into its flow ten animated videos, directed by final-year students of the Animation Department of the AKTO educational group.
It is edited by Ms. Natasa Kastriti and Regina Katsimardou in collaboration with Ms. Ifigenia Vogiatzi, Androniki Markasioti and Anna Kandia.
The expansion of the exhibition will be accompanied by the launch of a detailed multi-page printed catalogue, exclusively sponsored by Piraeus, as well as the provision of an educational brochure.
The exhibition is held under the exclusive sponsorship of Piraeus.
Opening hours: Fri-Sun, 10am-4pm
National Historical Museum
Former Parliament Building, Stadiou 13, Athens 10561