THE PROTECTION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND ENSEMBLES IN GREECE.

GREECE Historic Cities and Settlements

LE PREMIER PLAN D’ ATHENES

PLAKA Historic Buildings

ATHENS Important Historic buildings

ATHENS Historic buildings in the commercial center.

Historic cities and settlements NAFPLIO KORONI MONEMVASSIA

Historic cities and settlements. ASTYPALAIA HYDRA POROS

The problems that usually come up in the historic cities and settlements originate from : - The lack of maintainance of the old stuctures and the high cost of restoration works compared to the profitability of the possible new uses, - The over-exploitation of land and the uncontained development of short-term economically modern functions and intensive activities - The uncontrolled car traffic.

The obligation for preservation of real property in Greek legislation originates from: 1. The law 5351 / 32 ‘on antiquities’: Special Decrees for the declaration of historical buildings and historical sites are issued based on this law. 2. The 1975 Constitution and especially from article 24, with its subsequent amendments. 3. The residential law 1337/83, which was modified by the law 2508/97 which was concerned with the subject of ‘Viable residential development of the cities and human settlements of the country and other provisions’

4. Within the zoning laws and more specifically from: 4.1. The General Building Code (Law 1577 / 85, article 4), which allows for the procedure for the characterization of human settlements as traditional and of buildings as ‘listed buildings’ this code was supplemented with and improved by the law 2831 /00, which extends the subject of protection to the architectural heritage The Presidential Decree 28/4/88 ‘on maintenance, repair or restoration of architectural and static elements of listed buildings’, which imposes severe penalties for the unsolicited destruction, alteration or demolition of listed buildings and traditional structures inside traditional human settlements.

5. The law 2039 /92, which validates the Granada Convention which refers to the basic principles of maintenance and prominence of architectural heritage. 6. The law 3028 /02 ‘For the protection of Antiquities and cultural heritage in general, which extends the subject of cultural heritage and the extent of the protection offered and also incorporates the concepts of usage of a monument and its integration into social life.

The above mentionned legislation includes regulations for : Preserving the historic entity as a whole, including its natural environment, Preserving the individual historic buildings and elements, Keeping the functional character of the historic city Dimunuating vehicular traffic and promoting pedestrianizations. Controling new interventions in the city, to keep the historic character of the area

THE CASE OF PLAKA (the historic core of Athens) A special study and intervention for its protection and development

In the case of Plaka, the pressure for the spreading out of the archaeological excavations at the expense of the 19th century city on one hand and the pressure for the broadening of the commercial and administrative district of the city with its high building coefficients on the other, together with the intense traffic load of public spaces and the unrestrained development of tourist and entertainment venues, had led to the architectural, functional and social degradation of the area resulting in driving out most of the residents and losing the multifaceted aspect of the area’s historical character.

LEGISLATIVE MEASURES, SOCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES AS WELL AS WORKS FOR THE UPGRADING OF PUBLIC SPACES SUPPLEMENTED THE LEGISLATIVE MEASURES.

Precise indication of the area that needed protection, Safeguarding of the area’s traditional urban web

Traffic arrangements that included a wide network of pedestrian ways

Pedestrianization anf fixing parking plots in Plaka

Listing of historic buildings

Existing land uses

Establishment of land use restrictions and building rules for the incorporation of the new constructions into the historic environment

Replacement of public utility networks (sewage, water supply),installation of underground natural gas supply and cable television networks and repavement of pedestrian ways and public spaces.

THE SITUATION TODAY Despite the initial positive consequences of the 1979 interventions, from that time until today, the functional development and enhancement of the Plaka as well as the wider historic center of Athens has depended on the degree of observing the measures and regulations established then Many commercial shops has been replaced by tourist shops, which naturally create more disturbances to the area’s pedestrian ways. The monitoring and control of the special measures regarding traffic circulation seems inadequate judging from the excessive illegal traffic and parking incidents today.

Although a large number of traditional buildings in the area have been recently restored, there are still many buildings that have major structural problems while others have lost their architectural elements due to bad interventions or the addition of modern elements. Furthermore there are buildings where only the façade was preserved and a new modern interior was constructed. Open excavation areas destroy the break up the coherence and function of public areas while free open areas, have been excessively occupied by restaurant tables and chairs and tourist merchandise. Moreover there are still empty lots, many times used as parking areas, which break up the continuity of the urban web and injure the image of the area.

The intervention in Plaka is an internationally acknowledged example and it received many distinctions (Europa Nostra award in 1983 and award within the framework of Habitat ΙΙ in 1998). The methodology applied in the design and intervention and the establishment of a special office – which monitors the development of the area till today – were considered groundbreaking for the time and constituted a model for later interventions. Today we see that one of the major problems faced by the implementation of integrated protection schemes in Greece and the greater Mediterranean area in general, is to secure the functional balance of historic cities and to contain their residents, especially when there is excessive tourist development. In these cases, the main objectives are to create growth perspectives together with tourism development while ensuring the residents’ quality of life.