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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
Displaying 54 artefacts
National Historical Museum
Hydra Hellas 1959 artifact

Hydra Hellas 1959

Brochure
The Village Hotel: Alonisos Island artifact

The Village Hotel: Alonisos Island

Brochure
The Village Hotel in Aegina Island artifact

The Village Hotel in Aegina Island

Leaflet
Visit Greece in the 1930s artifact

Visit Greece in the 1930s

Poster
The Village Hotel in Zagori artifact

The Village Hotel in Zagori

Brochure
The Grand Staircase at the Palace of Knossos artifact

The Grand Staircase at the Palace of Knossos

Poster
The islet of Pontikonissi in Corfu artifact

The islet of Pontikonissi in Corfu

Poster
The Acropolis of Lindos Rhodes 1954 artifact

The Acropolis of Lindos Rhodes 1954

Poster
"Neraida" manoeuvring in Hydra Port artifact

"Neraida" manoeuvring in Hydra Port

Photograph
Therma Hot Springs in Lesvos artifact

Therma Hot Springs in Lesvos

Postcard
Thessaloniki International Fair in the '50s artifact

Thessaloniki International Fair in the '50s

Postcard
The Asclepius Hydrotherapy Centre in Kammena Vourla Hot Springs artifact

The Asclepius Hydrotherapy Centre in Kammena...

Postcard
Achilleion Palace at Corfu artifact

Achilleion Palace at Corfu

Postcard
The "Albergo Gelsomino" or "Aktaion" in Kos artifact

The "Albergo Gelsomino" or "Aktaion" in Kos

Postcard
The Theatre in the city of Zakynthos artifact

The Theatre in the city of Zakynthos

Postcard
Views from Edessa artifact

Views from Edessa

Postcard
View of Athens from Lykabettus hill artifact

View of Athens from Lykabettus hill

Postcard
Young woman from Rhodes wearing the traditional women's costume of Emponas, 1950 artifact

Young woman from Rhodes wearing the tradition...

Photograph
Young woman from Symi wearing the local costume, 1950 artifact

Young woman from Symi wearing the local costu...

Photograph
Young women from Leros wearing local costumes, 1950 artifact

Young women from Leros wearing local costumes...

Photograph
Women from Nisyros wearing local costumes, 1950 artifact

Women from Nisyros wearing local costumes, 19...

Photograph
Woman from Karpathos with a little boy wearing local costumes, 1950 artifact

Woman from Karpathos with a little boy wearin...

Photograph
Kammena Vourla, view from the sea showing Mount Knemis in the background artifact

Kammena Vourla, view from the sea showing Mou...

Postcard
Nafplio, the waterfront with the Amphitryon Hotel in the foreground artifact

Nafplio, the waterfront with the Amphitryon H...

Postcard
Thessaloniki, the White Tower prior to the construction of the New Promenade Quay artifact

Thessaloniki, the White Tower prior to the co...

Postcard
Agios Kirikos Thermal Springs in Ikaria artifact

Agios Kirikos Thermal Springs in Ikaria

Postcard
From Porto Lago, to Lakki in Leros artifact

From Porto Lago, to Lakki in Leros

Postcard
Hellenistic Gymnasium at Kos artifact

Hellenistic Gymnasium at Kos

Postcard
Kos, the Tourist Pavilion artifact

Kos, the Tourist Pavilion

Photograph
Kos, the Tourist Hotel "Batis" artifact

Kos, the Tourist Hotel "Batis"

Photograph
Kos, the Tourist Hotel "Zephyros" artifact

Kos, the Tourist Hotel "Zephyros"

Photograph
Thermal Baths in Niisyros artifact

Thermal Baths in Niisyros

Photograph
The Tourist Hotel at Lakki, in Leros artifact

The Tourist Hotel at Lakki, in Leros

Photograph
The fallow deer statue in front of the Governor's Palace in Rhodes artifact

The fallow deer statue in front of the Govern...

Postcard
Albergo del Cervo and Albergo della Cerva, Rhodes artifact

Albergo del Cervo and Albergo della Cerva, Rh...

Photograph
Sea Baths La Ronda at Mandraki, Rhodes artifact

Sea Baths La Ronda at Mandraki, Rhodes

Photograph
Kallithea Thermal Baths in Rhodes artifact

Kallithea Thermal Baths in Rhodes

Photograph
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
"Neraida" arrives at the port of Hydra artifact

"Neraida" arrives at the port of Hydra

Photograph
Tourists on the Hydra Waterfront in the 1960s artifact

Tourists on the Hydra Waterfront in the 1960s

Photograph
Water bike in Vouliagmeni beach artifact

Water bike in Vouliagmeni beach

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
Port of Kavala artifact

Port of Kavala

Photograph
Edessa, the Tourist Pavilion artifact

Edessa, the Tourist Pavilion

Postcard
The waterfalls' pools in Edessa artifact

The waterfalls' pools in Edessa

Postcard
Edessa's canal network artifact

Edessa's canal network

Postcard
Ancient theatre of Dodona before restoration artifact

Ancient theatre of Dodona before restoration

Postcard
Linaria beach at Panormos, Kalymnos artifact

Linaria beach at Panormos, Kalymnos

Postcard
At the port of Kalamata artifact

At the port of Kalamata

Postcard
Zakynthos, the waterfront artifact

Zakynthos, the waterfront

Postcard
Koumpelidiki Church in Kastoria artifact

Koumpelidiki Church in Kastoria

Photograph
1928 Hellenic State Railways promote Sounion artifact

1928 Hellenic State Railways promote Sounion...

Poster