National Historical Museum of Greece
| Old Parliament House | |
|---|---|
| Παλαιά Βουλή | |
Main entrance
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Location | Athens, Greece |
| Current tenants | National Historical Museum of Greece |
| Construction started | 15 August 1858 |
| Inaugurated | 11 August 1875 |
| Client | Hellenic Parliament |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | François Louis Florimond Boulanger Panagis Kalkos |
| Website | |
| www |
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| References | |
| "Το Κτήριο της Βουλής των Ελλήνων" [The Building of the Hellenic Parliament] (PDF). | |
The Old Parliament building (Greek: Παλαιά Βουλή, Paleá Voulí) at Stadiou Street in Athens, housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1935. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum.
The site was occupied originally by the house of the Athenian magnate and politician, Alexandros Kontostavlos. After Athens became the capital of Greece in 1833, King Otto selected it as temporary residence, pending the construction of the Royal Palace (which houses Parliament currently). In 1835, a large dance and banquet hall was added to the house, and after the 1843 Revolution, which forced King Otto to grant a constitution, the National Assembly convened here. In October 1854, however, the house burned down in a fire. Construction of a new building then began in August 1858, with the foundation laid by Queen Amalia, on plans by French architect François Boulanger. Construction was halted the next year due to lack of funds, and not restarted until after Otto was deposed in 1863; the plans were then modified by the Greek architect Panagiotis Kalkos, and construction was complete by 1871. During the interim, Parliament had been housed on the back of the square in a brick building, hastily erected in 1863, which became colloquially known as "the Shanty" (η Παράγκα).
The Hellenic Parliament would remain in the building from 1875 until its move to its current location in the Old Palace in 1935. As such, it witnessed some of the most turbulent and important events in modern Greek history, including the assassination of Prime Minister Theodoros Deligiannis on the Parliament steps on 13 June 1905, and the declaration of the Republic on 25 March 1924. After the parliament was moved, the building housed the Ministry of Justice. In 1961 the building underwent extensive restoration and became the seat of the National History Museum, administered by the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece.
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