The Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece, is the official residence of the President of the Hellenic Republic. It previously served as the Royal Palace, until the abolition of the monarchy by referendum in 1974.
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Timeline
1868 Upon the birth of the Heir, the state allocates funds to build a palace for the Crown Prince upon reaching maturity. 1889 Crown Prince Constantine I engaged to Princess Sophia of Prussia. 1891-1897 Construction. 1897-1913 Use as Crown Prince's Palace by Crown Prince Constantine I and Crown Princess Sophia. 1913-1924 Becomes Royal Palace after King George I is assassinated. 1924-1935 Presidential Palace (Monarchy Overthrown) 1935-1974 Royal Palace (Monarchy returns) 1974- Presidential Mansion (Monarchy abolished)
Location
The Palace is located on Herodou Attikou Street, in what is now central Athens. When it was constructed, it was outside of Athens city limits. Since then, the city has expanded around the palace. This was the most desirable spot for wealthy Athenians to build stately mansions which still adorn the street. It is across the street from the National Gardens of Athens (originally the Royal Gardens which were for the private use of the royal family). It is not far from the Hellenic Parliament (originally Greece's first Royal Palace), the first Olympic Stadium, the Acropolis of Athens, and Zappeion Megaron. It sits on 2.8 hectares (seven acres) of land which have a pool and pavilions. clean up
Design & Construction
The design of the palace was entrusted to architect Ernst Ziller. He became the Official Court Architect under King George I and designed an estimated 700 buildings all over Greece for both official and private use. It is said the King George I ordered Ziller not to make the building too pretentious, so it would blend with the other mansions on the street, and not to model it after any other palaces in Europe. Following these guidelines, Ziller designed a three-story, symmetrical, neoclassical mansion. Construction of the palace took six years.
Additions
Since this was to be the Crown Prince's Palace, no large ballrooms were included in the design since it was believed that most large scale, official entertaining would take place in the much larger Old Royal Palace. So, the palace's main reception room was the large salon on the second story. However, when the palace became the main royal residence, a large ballroom became needed. So, in 1909, Ziller was again commissioned to design an extension which was used as a ballroom and is today called the Credentials Lounge. Another extension was needed when Princess Sophia of Greece (daughter of King Paul and Queen Frederika) became engaged to Prince Don Juan Carlos I of Spain (now King and Queen of Spain). So, in 1962 the King commissioned architect Alexander Baltatzis to design an addition which became the largest room in the palace and today is called the Reception Hall.
Functions
The Palace has had to serve as the offices and main residence of the Crown Princely Couple, Royal Family and President of the Republic, respectively. It also where all official receptions are held in Athens from 1913 onward.
