The Piraeus Bank celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the Greek War of Independence with a series of events.
The online lecture series “21 Lectures on ‘21,” which features many specialists from the University of Athens, is moderated by historian Maria Efthymiou.
The series of lectures is part of a more comprehensive Piraeus Bank initiative celebrating the Greek War of Independence.
The project is encompassing academic research, cultural events, as well as artistic and literary events, with the participation of significant institutions and experts.
Its purpose is to highlight the brave struggle of Greeks for liberty in 1821 and assess Greece’s 200 years of statehood.
Another event scheduled is an international conference on the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence organized by the University of Athens that will take place in March.
An academic symposium, “Views on Everyday Life in Revolutionary Greece,” and the resulting publication is another event.
A series of 11 seminars titled “200 Years of Greece: Reflections and Prospects” complete the 299th-anniversary celebrations.
Chairman of the board at Piraeus Bank, George Handjinicolaou, stated that 200 after 1821 is a milestone for the Greek state:
“it is a historic moment for reflection, introspection, reappraisal, and reinterpretation of the most important events of this great but troubled journey that led us to the Greece of today.”
Participation in the National Historical Museum
The Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece, which established the National Historical Museum, participates in the bicentennial celebrations.
The “Re-Constitution 21” initiative is a floating exhibition highlighting the naval battles of the Greek War of Independence.
A sailing boat, donated by the Maria Tsakos Foundation, will host this exhibition as it sails across the Aegean.
The ship will be docking at all the islands that helped shape the Greek maritime effort and the country’s more remote islands.
The exhibition will include heirlooms from the war as well as digital educational presentations. The floating exhibition will stop at Chios and tour the northeast Aegean.
Piraeus Bank will collaborate with the National Historical Museum to put on two temporary exhibitions.
They will be set up at the Silversmithing Museum in Ioannina and the Open-Air Hydropower Museum in Dimitsana.
In Ioannina, visitors will be able to see the dress of Kyra Frosini, who was executed by the local Ottoman governor Ali Pasha.
Visitors will also see Ali Pasha’s musket and a manuscript of Greek hero Markos Botsaris, among other items.
In Dimitsana, the exhibition will feature the epaulets and ring of Theodoros Kolokotronis, relics from Patriarch Gregory V, and pistols and muskets belonging to military captain Nikitaras.
The exhibition “1821 Done Differently: The Greek War of Independence Portrayed with Playmobil Dioramas and Figurines” will take place on Lesvos and then move to Volos.
Nine participating museums and Greeks abroad
The nine participating museums of Piraeus Bank, its Historical Archives building in Athens, and a theater in New York will all host “The Society of Friends: The Brotherhood Behind the Revolution.” I
The play is directed by Ioli Andreadi, who, along with Aris Asproulis, has conducted archival research into the era and curated the script.
For younger audiences, Sofia Kalantzakou has written a story about Dimitsana and its role in the production of gunpowder.
Finally, Piraeus Bank and the Diplomacy and Greeks Abroad Secretariats agreed to encourage Diaspora Greeks to join the celebrations by bringing these events to their communities.
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