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Experience

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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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Picture
Travel
Discover
Remember

Discover / Culture /Heritage

Festivals Heritage Folklore Local Feasts

Displaying 94/94 artefacts

Delphi Greece 1958 artifact
Delphi Greece 1958
Brochure
Ancient Greece 1962 artifact
Ancient Greece 1962
Brochure
Onesiphorus Mosaic detail, Rotunda Thessaloniki artifact
Onesiphorus Mosaic detail, Rotunda Thessaloni...
Poster
Delphi Greece 1961 artifact
Delphi Greece 1961
Brochure
Olympia 1955 artifact
Olympia 1955
Brochure
Olympie Grèce artifact
Olympie Grèce
Brochure
Thessaloniki Greece 1958 artifact
Thessaloniki Greece 1958
Brochure
Kastoria Hellas artifact
Kastoria Hellas
Brochure
Olympia Greece 1959 artifact
Olympia Greece 1959
Brochure
Sparti Mystras 1959 artifact
Sparti Mystras 1959
Brochure
Horse from the Hekatompedon artifact
Horse from the Hekatompedon
Poster
The Calf-bearer artifact
The Calf-bearer
Poster
The Lenormant Relief artifact
The Lenormant Relief
Poster
The Head of Apollon at Olympia artifact
The Head of Apollon at Olympia
Poster
Grèce 1929 artifact
Grèce 1929
Poster
Parthenon of Athens Greece artifact
Parthenon of Athens Greece
Poster
Acropolis of Mycenae, The Lions Gate artifact
Acropolis of Mycenae, The Lions Gate
Poster
Epirus 1990 artifact
Epirus 1990
Brochure
Travelling to Olympia in the 1980s artifact
Travelling to Olympia in the 1980s
Brochure
Thessaloniki & East Macedonia 1964 artifact
Thessaloniki & East Macedonia 1964
Brochure
Temple of Athena Nike artifact
Temple of Athena Nike
Poster
Panagia Platsani Church in the Isle of Santorini artifact
Panagia Platsani Church in the Isle of Santor...
Poster
Paros Santorini 1959 artifact
Paros Santorini 1959
Brochure
Paros Santorini 1960 artifact
Paros Santorini 1960
Brochure
Chios 1967 artifact
Chios 1967
Brochure
Rhodos Greece 1957 artifact
Rhodos Greece 1957
Brochure
Rhodes 1958 artifact
Rhodes 1958
Brochure
Rhodes 1959 artifact
Rhodes 1959
Brochure
Corfu 1957 artifact
Corfu 1957
Brochure
Thessaloniki 1956-57 artifact
Thessaloniki 1956-57
Brochure
Argolis 1959 artifact
Argolis 1959
Brochure
Delphi 1956 artifact
Delphi 1956
Brochure
Pylos Grèce 1959 artifact
Pylos Grèce 1959
Brochure
Pylos Griechenland 1961 artifact
Pylos Griechenland 1961
Brochure
Korfu Hellas 1958 artifact
Korfu Hellas 1958
Brochure
Corfu Greece 1961 artifact
Corfu Greece 1961
Brochure
Corfu Greece 1963 artifact
Corfu Greece 1963
Brochure
Cephalonia Ithaca Zakynthos 1960 artifact
Cephalonia Ithaca Zakynthos 1960
Brochure
Kefalinia Ithaki Zakynthos 1961 artifact
Kefalinia Ithaki Zakynthos 1961
Brochure
Kythera 1967 artifact
Kythera 1967
Brochure
Samos 1967 artifact
Samos 1967
Brochure
Thessaloniki 1959 artifact
Thessaloniki 1959
Brochure
Thessaloniki 1960 artifact
Thessaloniki 1960
Brochure
Thessaloniki 1961 artifact
Thessaloniki 1961
Brochure
Pylos Messinia Grèce 1965 artifact
Pylos Messinia Grèce 1965
Brochure
Delphi, The Treasury of the Athenians artifact
Delphi, The Treasury of the Athenians
Postcard
Heniochos of Delphi artifact
Heniochos of Delphi
Poster
The White Tower in Thessaloniki artifact
The White Tower in Thessaloniki
Poster
Minoan Snake Goddess artifact
Minoan Snake Goddess
Poster
Banknote Museum of the Ionian Bank artifact
Banknote Museum of the Ionian Bank
Photograph
The Youth of Antikythera artifact
The Youth of Antikythera
Postcard
The Varvakeion Athena artifact
The Varvakeion Athena
Postcard
Smiley gold death Mycenaen mask artifact
Smiley gold death Mycenaen mask
Postcard
Head of the Piraeus Athena artifact
Head of the Piraeus Athena
Postcard
Head of Volomandra Kouros artifact
Head of Volomandra Kouros
Postcard
The Crucifixion 9th & 13th c. artifact
The Crucifixion 9th & 13th c.
Postcard
Theatre at Philippi in East Macedonia artifact
Theatre at Philippi in East Macedonia
Postcard
Early Christian Basilica II at Philippi artifact
Early Christian Basilica II at Philippi
Photograph
The Monastery of Paleokastritsa in Corfu artifact
The Monastery of Paleokastritsa in Corfu
Postcard
Agathonos Monastery in Ypati artifact
Agathonos Monastery in Ypati
Postcard
Palazzo dei Cavalieri in the city of Rhodes artifact
Palazzo dei Cavalieri in the city of Rhodes
Postcard
Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes artifact
Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of...
Postcard
Crouching Venus of Rhodes artifact
Crouching Venus of Rhodes
Postcard
Harvester Vase from Agia Triada, Minoan Crete artifact
Harvester Vase from Agia Triada, Minoan Crete
Postcard
Ladies in blue fresco from the Knossos Palace artifact
Ladies in blue fresco from the Knossos Palace...
Postcard
La Parisienne, or the Minoan Lady, artifact
La Parisienne, or the Minoan Lady,
Postcard
The taller Minoan Snake Godess figurine artifact
The taller Minoan Snake Godess figurine
Postcard
Minoan Snake Godesses figurines artifact
Minoan Snake Godesses figurines
Postcard
Minoan rock-crystal rhyton from Zakros artifact
Minoan rock-crystal rhyton from Zakros
Postcard
Queen's Megaron Knossos Palace artifact
Queen's Megaron Knossos Palace
Postcard
The Throne Room from Knossos Palace artifact
The Throne Room from Knossos Palace
Postcard
The Prince of the Lilies fresco at Knossos Palace artifact
The Prince of the Lilies fresco at Knossos Pa...
Postcard
Bust of a goddess from the Sanctuary of Kleo in Amphipolis artifact
Bust of a goddess from the Sanctuary of Kleo...
Postcard
Platamon Castle in Pieria artifact
Platamon Castle in Pieria
Postcard
Temple of Apollo at Bassae artifact
Temple of Apollo at Bassae
Postcard
The Mega Spilaio Monastery artifact
The Mega Spilaio Monastery
Postcard
Two Churches in Monemvasia artifact
Two Churches in Monemvasia
Postcard
Clay figurine of Athena Alkidemos at Pella artifact
Clay figurine of Athena Alkidemos at Pella
Postcard
Statue of Podaleirios from the Great Thermae at Dion artifact
Statue of Podaleirios from the Great Thermae...
Postcard
Statue of Antinous at Delphi artifact
Statue of Antinous at Delphi
Postcard
Head of Hermes of Olympia artifact
Head of Hermes of Olympia
Postcard
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Agios Demetrios in Mystras artifact
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Agios Demetrios...
Postcard
The Peribleptos Monastery in Mystras artifact
The Peribleptos Monastery in Mystras
Postcard
The Remarkable Mosaics at Daphni Monastery, Attica artifact
The Remarkable Mosaics at Daphni Monastery, A...
Postcard
Marble figurines from the Early Cycladic II Period artifact
Marble figurines from the Early Cycladic II P...
Postcard
Exquisite mosaics from Delos artifact
Exquisite mosaics from Delos
Postcard
Agios Dionysios' Church in Zakynthos artifact
Agios Dionysios' Church in Zakynthos
Postcard
Hellenistic Gymnasium at Kos artifact
Hellenistic Gymnasium at Kos
Postcard
The Historical Archive Museum of Hydra artifact
The Historical Archive Museum of Hydra
Photograph
East side of the port of Hydra artifact
East side of the port of Hydra
Photograph
Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας στις Πεταλούδες, Ρόδος artifact
Μουσείο Φυσικής Ιστορίας στις Πεταλούδες, Ρόδ...
Photograph
Agia Mavra fortifications in Lefkada artifact
Agia Mavra fortifications in Lefkada
Photograph
Ancient theatre of Dodona before restoration artifact
Ancient theatre of Dodona before restoration
Postcard
Koumpelidiki Church in Kastoria artifact
Koumpelidiki Church in Kastoria
Photograph