Home FEATURED NEWS Special Venues: Technopolis Athens

Special Venues: Technopolis Athens

Text by Gorazd Čad

Aug 11, 2016

Events full of industrial power

WAY OUT THERE
Abandoned industrial buildings are in most cases left to decay and such was the case with the old Gas Works in Athens. Fortunately, however, the balance of opinion tilted to the view that reusing these kinds of buildings had a lot of benefits to offer, not solely environmental and economical, but also social and helping with continual growth as well as also keeping alive the memories of the past. With all of this in mind the reuse of an abandoned industrial site has a positive effect on the quality of life for the near vicinity and it is also reasonably cheaper and ecologically friendlier than all the new buildings sprouting up today.

After almost thirty years of lying fallow the former factory opened its doors in 2004 under the name of ‘Technopolis’. Its transformation opened up fresh options of using old and outmoded infrastructure in new and innovative ways. The “Art City” is suitable for different kinds of meetings and offers incredibly interesting spaces with an industrial feel, topped off by museum collections and loads of space for organising events.

STAY
Picking a hotel in Athens is more a thing of taste than anything else, as the offer is so diverse. Hotels that offer panoramic views of the city are the perfect getaways from the surging Athenian energy. Amongst the most famous congress hotels are the Intercontintenal Athenaeum and the Hilton Athens, both offering a well rounded and quality offer. In their vicinity is also one of the best hotels in Athens, the Grande Bretagne, which features the legendary hotel terrace where you can enjoy frst class Italian cuisine and incredible views.

Looking at the Acropolis and the vibrant city we feel really thankful that Athens is an eternal city and that it will keep attracting visitors with its almost magnetic charm.

MEET IN STYLE
An event in the former factory, where you can still almost smell the coal in the air, is an unforgettable experience. The charm of a bygone area, conveyed through its stacks, enormous cauldrons (gasometers), chimneys and ovens, “conspires” with a certain reverence to establish the site as a “factory” for the protection and production of art.

The major facilites in it are named after famous Greek poets; Andreas Embirikos (Room D1), Angelos Sikelianos (D4), Yannis Ritsos (Amphitheatre “Athina 9 ,84” radio station), Kostis Palamas (D10), Takis Papatsonis (D6), Constantine Cavafis (D7) and Kostas Varnalis (8).

Hundreds of events have been staged in the premises since May 1999, including: Exhibitions of visual art, Sculpture, Photography, Video-art and Technology; Conferences; Seminars: International Festivals; Concerts; Theatre and Dance performances; Forums on employment and entrepreneurship; Educational programmes; Product presentations and much more.

Most of the spaces are very flexible and especially suitable for corporate events as well as fairs. The factory offers very efficient branding and can adjust the space to specific events and needs.

OFF THE BEATEN MICE TRACK

Technopolis is situated in a pleasant part of town with many bars and coffee shops, as well as the Psirri and Gazi neighbourhoods, which are known for their vibrant night life and restaurants. It is especially lively in Psirri, where the Six d.o.g.s. amusement centre is located and is open throughout the day.

This year Technopolis is offering the world famous hit Dinner in the Sky®, a culinary experience, where you enjoy your meals while sitting 50 metres in the air. The views of Athens and the top notch cuisine can be enjoyed by 22 congress guests at a time.

LOCALISM

The gasworks were founded in 1857 in order to cover Athens’ need for public lighting. They were the country’s first energy plants. By the end of the 19th Century the gas network had been expanded to provide gas to industries and households. It was the last factory in Europe that was functioning in a traditional way until the day it closed.

The symbol of “Technopolis” is an original sculpture titled “The Millennium Globe”, a work by Nikos-Yiorgos Papoutsides that illustrates the globe surrounded by olive branches and symbolizes the wishes and hopes that peace and humanity prevail across the whole world.

GET THERE

Technopolis in Gazi can easily be reached by METRO, the “Keramikos” station only 50m away from the venue’s entrance on Iakhou street. Aside from the METRO (Line 3, “Keramikos” station), there are many bus lines (049, 815, 838, 914, Β18, Γ18 and Tram 21) that will take visitors to Technopolis, in which case, they will have to disembark at the “Fotaerio” stop on Pireos street.

DID YOU KNOW
Europe’s largest gasholder is located in the town of Oberhausen in Germany and has a holding capacity of 347,000 cubic metres. The largest gasholders in the Athens Gasworks (Gasholder 3) had a holding capacity of only 15,000 cubic metres.