About us

Imagining Greece: How Tourism Shaped a Nation
Imagining Greece is a digital exhibition that explores the evolution of tourism in Greece from the end of World War II to the closing chapters of the Cold War. The exhibition examines multiple aspects of the phenomenon by showcasing a wealth of textual and visual material curated from a wide range of state and private archival repositories and sources, including the Greek National Tourism Organisation, architectural firms, advertising agencies and both domestic and foreign press and periodicals. It is further enriched by an ongoing oral history project that captures firsthand experiences from specialists and the general public. We hope this exhibition will bring the history of tourism in Greece to life while deepening understanding of its profound impact—both on Greek society itself and on the millions of international visitors whose journeys have helped transform Greece into one of the world's most beloved destinations.

Our Team
We are an interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning history, visual culture, design studies, architectural history, cultural heritage, and digital humanities. Led by Professor Eirini Karamouzi (Principal Investigator) and Dr Mary Ikoniadou (Co-Investigator), our team includes:

Dr Stavros Alifragkis and Dr Emilia Athanasiou (Scientific and Artistic Curators, Lead Researchers), Dr Christos Christidis (Special Advisor), Despina Tsilimagkou (Digital Humanities Director), Dr Marina Emmanouil, Dr Metaxia Papageorgiou and Dr Aphrodite Kamara (Researchers). Our work has been generously supported by the Onassis Foundation, the National Bank of Greece and Research England. We are honoured to have the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and the Greek Ministry of Tourism as our patrons, and we work closely with Greece’s National Historical Museum.

Our Goal
Our goal is to make Imagining Greece a widely accessible digital exhibition that serves as a valuable resource for schools, universities, tourism professionals, and the public in Greece and beyond. We aim to promote a deeper understanding of tourism as a crucial element of Greek culture, economy, politics, and society. The exhibition is organised around four thematic experiences: Picture, Travel, Discover, and Remember. Each theme presents carefully chosen artefacts in an intuitive, easy-to-explore journey. Visitors will explore a rich collection of promotional materials, including advertising, audio-visual culture, periodicals, commercial and government sources, tourist guides, tourism infrastructure and architecture, cultural artefacts from folklore, feasts and festivals, leisure activities, books about Greece, souvenirs, vacation photographs, and postcards. The entire spectrum of Greece as a tourism destination is accessible through the thematic experiences, the interactive map, or the chronological timeline.

The Future of Imagining Greece
Imagining Greece will continue to grow with new artefacts, and we welcome your contributions. If you have relevant materials to share, please contact us at: info@imagininggreece.com

Legal Notice / Disclaimer
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace and contact the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this digital exhibition, ‘Imagining Greece: How Tourism Shaped a Nation, 1945-1989’, and to obtain their permission for the use of copyrighted material. We apologise for any omissions in acknowledging copyright. If you own the copyright for any material used on our website and believe it infringes upon your rights, please contact us directly at info@imagininggreece.com. Please note that all images and materials remain the property of their respective copyright holders, and may not be reproduced, distributed, or otherwise used without their prior permission.

Acknowledgements
We thank the numerous institutions and private individuals who have contributed their valuable archival materials to this project:

Benaki Museum’s Photographic Archives Department, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, Greek Film Archive, Greek National Tourism Organisation, Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive, Hellenic National AudioVisual Archive - Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, Hellenic Touring Club, Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece – National Historical Museum, Historical Archive of the National Bank of Greece, Constantinos A. Doxiadis Archives, ‘Konstantinos G. Karamanlis’ Foundation, The Library of the Hellenic Parliament, Modern Greek Architecture Archives of the Benaki Museum, National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, Neraida Floating Museum - John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, Olympic Airways Workers Cultural Center, Philatelic Postal Museum, Spyros Vassiliou Archive - Dominum Artifex NPO, The Alpha Bank Art Collection, The Ghika Gallery - Benaki Museum.

Dimitris Antonakakis – Atelier 66, Archimidis & Eleni Athanassiou, Tasos Biris – Tassos Biris Architectural Firm, Vassilis Bogakos, Vassilis Giannakis, Panos Haratzopoulos, Erifyli Hontolidou, Maro Kardamitsi-Adami, Yannis Karlopoulos, Kostas Katsigiannis, Konstantinos Lyssaridis – ETETH SA, Eirini Philippides, Marina Philippides – AMK Architecture + Design, Jenny Perivolari, Christos Rallis & Georgia Sovatzoglou, Vassia Stylianidi – WOBI Architects, Vaggelis Stylianidis - Stylianidis Vaggelis Architects, Nicos Valsamakis – N. Valsamakis Architectural Firm, Ioannis Vikelas – Vikelas Architects.

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Travel / Institutions & Companies / Transport / Moutzouris the train on the Pelion railway line

Moutzouris the train on the Pelion railway line

Μουτζούρης tο τρενάκι του Πηλίου

Media date: 1995

Moutzouris, as the Pelion train was once called —a name inspired by the soot and smoke it left in its wake— is now a popular tourist attraction in the Pelion region. Its scenic 15-kilometre aller-retour route, lasting approximately 90 minutes, begins in Ano Lechonia and ends in Milies. Historically, the train operated along the Volos-Miles route, a significant railway line constructed to support the development of southern Pelion communities, and facilitate the transportation of agricultural products. The first phase, reaching Lechonia, began in 1892 and was completed in 1896. The second phase extended the line to Milies and was completed in 1903, marking the railway’s full operation. The design and supervision of the railway network began in 1881 under the direction of Evaristo de Chirico (1841-1905), an engineer of Greek descent and father of the renowned Italian surrealist painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978). Giorgio was born in Volos and studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts between 1903 and 1905. As a young boy, he witnessed the construction of the railway —an experience that left a lasting impression and would later influence his artistic work. This 600 mm-wide railway line is one of the narrowest in the world. It ceased operation between 1971 and 1996, but today the train once again winds its way through the stunning landscape of Pelion, with its verdant slopes covered in dense vegetation, and its remarkable examples of local vernacular architecture. Along the route, passengers are treated to magnificent views of the Aegean Sea and several ornate arched bridges. One notable example is the five-arched stone bridge of Kalorema, while another highlight is the crossing of the large metal bridge at Taxiarchis, also known as the De Chirico Bridge. Milies station marks the end of the journey. This advertisement, featured in the annual booklet of the Hellenic Railway Organisation (ΟΣΕ), invites visitors to include a journey on the Pelion train in their vacation plans, promising a memorable experience. The image depicts the historic steam engine, now permanently stationed at the Volos Railway Station, where it serves as a sightseeing attraction.

Commissioner: Greek Railway Organization

Engineer: Evaristo de Chirico (1841-1905)

Contributors:

Location:

Railway Station Volos,

Thessaly
Documenter: A.K., E.A.

References

https://www.hellenictrain.gr/en/mythical-route
Relevant Artefacts