The Old Palace or the Hellenic Parliament

The Old Palace of the royal family in Athens was built based on designs by the Bavarian architect Friedrich von Gaertner (1792-1847). Its construction began in 1836 and king Otto was installed there in 1843. It is a rectangular neoclassical building, consisting of four peripheral wings and a central wing, surrounded by Doric colonnades and porticoes to the west. It was the seat of royal power for almost seven decades, during which it suffered the consequences of two fires (in 1884 and 1909).

In 1909, the royal family temporarily moved to the Tatoi palace and, after the assassination of George I in 1913, to the palace of Constantine I on Herodes Atticus Street. During the following period, the Old Palace was used in various ways, until the government of Eleftherios Venizelos decided to establish the Parliament and the Senate there. To implement this decision, between 1930 and 1935, extensive interventions were carried out based on plans by the architect Andreas Kriezis. The inauguration of the Senate took place in 1934 and of the Parliament in 1935. Between 1934 and 1989 the Old Palace also housed the Council of State, while from time to time it also housed various other services such as the Ministry of Security (1936-1944) and the General Staff of the Army (1940-1941 and 1945-1951). From 1946 onwards it was used as the seat of the Greek Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Pictured: The Royal Palace in 1890. ©Municipal Photography Museum of Kalamaria ‘Christos Kalemkeris’.