“European Day of Languages 2012” (Warsaw, 24-29/9/2012)-Events of the Press Office (24-25 & 29/9/2012)

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy in Warsaw participates in “European Day of Languages” events, that will take place in Warsaw (24- 29 September 2012).
Various events will be open to the public, including screenings of films, such as “Diolkos – for 1.500 years” (25 September, 13.00 p.m, Russian Cultural Institute, RONIK). 
A special stand promoting Greek tourism will provide information and material at the University campus of the Old Library  on the 25th of September.
A demo-lesson of Greek language is, also, included in the programme on the 25th September.
Finally the Greek language will be promoted through the city game organised on the 29th September.
26 Cultural Institutes and Embassies of European countries, the European Commission (Representation in Poland), FRSE, the University of Warsaw, the Municipality of Warsaw, the Polish Ministries of Culture and Education take part in this year`s project.
“European Day of Languages” events include an  international conference on ”ICT and Social Media in Language Education”, city game, language picnic, theatre workshops etc..
For more information about the programme of “European Days of Languages 2012″: www.edj.waw.pl

Events during the European Football Championship – Participation of the Press Office

On the occasion of the European Football Championship “EURO 2012”, organized in Poland and Ukraine from 8th June until 1st July, the Press Office participated in several events.  

• “Cultural Week of Greeks in Poland” (Warsaw. 2-8 June 2012) 
  The events, that took place at “Galleria Freta” in the historical center of Warsaw, were organized by the musician of Greek origin Milo Kurtis and under the auspices of the Greek Embassy in Warsaw.
  They included concerts, exhibitions of paintings, sculptures and photographs, films, classes of Greek dances, a theater performance, a debate on Greece`s current affairs, gastronomy etc.
  Several musicians, such as Milo Kurtis and “Naxos Quintet”, Kostas Georgiadis and the group “Edesea”, Apostolis Anthimos, Jorgos Skolias and “Sefardic Trio”, Maja Sikorowska, the group ‘Olympus’, several artists, such as the sculptor Christos Mandzios, the painter Michalis Chrisoulidis and the photographer Kostas Kawardzis, the film director Athena Savidis, the journalist Dionysios Sturis, the philosopher and musician Ilias Vrazas, the byzantine choir of the orthodox church of St. Mary Magdalene in Warsaw, were among those who have performed during the cultural week. 
• Greek Embassy`s event in honour of the Greek National Football Team (Warsaw, 9 June 2012) 
  Representatives of business, academic and artistic sectors of Greeks in Poland, Polish academics, journalists and representatives of Polish authorities, Greek journalists covering the participation of the Greek football team in “Euro 2012”, the General Secretary of Sports, Panos Bitsaxis, were among the participants. 
• Celebrations of Legionowo City hosting the Greek National Football Team (Legionowo, 2 June 2012)
  A ceremony during which the official city-keys of Legionowo were handed over to the charge d`affaires of the Greek Embassy, Stavros Spyridakis. 
• Polish Railways’ promotion of European countries during the Football Championship and for six months afterwards (May – December 2012)
  For the promotion of the European Football Championship in 20 trains, Polish Railways have painted 16 of them in the colours of European countries` flags. On the 19th of May there was a parade of 5 trains painted with the colours of Greek, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech and Russian flags on a central bridge of  Warsaw. 
  The Press Office collaborated with representatives of the Polish Railways (PKP) in order to present the Greek flag on a Polish train. 
• “Fan`s Dictionary” for the volunteers` communication during the European Football Championship
  The dictionary includes common phrases in major European languages and was issued in cooperation with the UEFA, the EUNIC Cluster Warsaw (EU National Institutes for Culture) and the French Institute in Warsaw. The Press Office translated the leaflet into Greek language. 

“Lady in Gold” unearthed on Crete

Archaeologists made an important discovery when they unearthed an ancient female skeleton covered with gold foil in a grave in the ancient city of Eleutherna on the northern foothills of Mount Ida near Rethymno, Crete. The finding dates back to the early Archaic Period.

The findings were inside a 2,700-year-old twin tomb, the only one in ancient Eleutherna, located very close to a necropolis of fallen warriors. The woman, of high social or religious status, was interred with a second skeleton in a large jar placed behind a false wall, to ward off body snatchers.

The tiny gold ornaments, ranging from 1 to 4cm long, in different forms (square, triangle, and diamond-shaped) were found next to the remains of the woman, discovered a few weeks ago by a team led by archaeology professor Nicholas Stampolidis of the University of Crete – head of the Eleutherna excavation.

A unique jewelry piece depicting a bee as a goddess was also found amongst the thousands of gold plaques. Excavators also unearthed perfume bottles, hundreds of amber, rock crystal and faience beads and a gold pendant in the form of a bee goddess.
The findings are so extraordinary that they justify the decision made recently by the Archaeological Institute of America to include the excavations at ancient Eleutherna among the best worldwide.

YouTube: Introduction to the Excavation of Orthi Petra Eleutherna 

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Poems on the Underground – Greek contemporary poetry

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy in Warsaw promotes the contemporary poetry of Greece and participates to   “Poems on the Underground” events (6-30 September 2010).
“Poems on the Underground” (Wiersze w Metrze) has been inspired by other similar projects  in many cities: Dublin, Paris, New York, Barcelona, Stockholm, Stuttgard and Moscow, organised for the first time in London in 1986.
Wiersze w Metrze promotes contemporary European poetry in public city spaces, through happenings, haiku competition, poetry city game and a performing poetry festival.
Many cultural institutes and embassies participate to the project, which takes place under the auspices of the the mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz.
Greek contemporary poetry will be represented by two acclaimed poets, Kiki Dimoula and Nasos Vagenas.
Kiki Dimoula has recently been awarded the European Literature Prize for 2010. Her poetry has been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Danish, Spanish and many other languages.
Dimoula’s poetry is haunted by the existential dissolution of the post-world era. Her central themes are hopelessness, insecurity, absence and oblivion. Using diverse subjects and twisting grammar in unconventional ways, she accentuates the power of the words through astonishment and surprise, but always manages to retain a sense of hope.
Nasos Vagenas, professor of Theory and Critique of Literature in the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of Athens, in 2005 was awarded with the State Poetry Prize for his poetic collection ‘Stefanos’.
His poetic work includes the books: ‘Field of Mars’, ‘Biography’, ‘Roxani’s Knees’, ‘Wandering of a non-traveller’, ‘The Fall of the Flying’, ‘Barbarous Odes’ , ‘The Fall of the Flying B’, ‘Dark Ballads and Other Poems’, ‘Stefanos’.
His poetry has been translated into English, German, Italian, Dutch, Romanian, Serbian.
Two poems of Kiki Dimoula and Nasos Vagenas have been translated in polish language for “Wiersze w Metrze” by the professors and students of the Department of Greek Studies of the University of Warsaw (Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies “Artes Liberales”).

Enjoy a Movie under the stars in Athens

The arrival of summer in Athens is a big event: the high temperatures and the sweet climate just won’t let anyone stay at home. One of the most popular summer activities of the Athenians, as for back as the early ’50s, is the open-air cinema tradition.
Catching a movie in an open-air cinema means that winter is gone for good. Athens is home of more than 30 open-air cinemas, located on terraces, and gardens or jammed between apartment blocks. “Zefyros” in the beautiful Athenian neighborhood of Petralona, “Thission” in Dionysiou Aeropagitou pedestrian precinct or “Vox”” on a terrace in Exarchia square to name but a few.
The movies that are usually projected are reruns of first-run films from the winter period and remakes of famous classical movies.Watching movies under the starry sky, while enjoying your cold drink is a unique experience and the best choice for the warm summer nights in the city.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Lighting the way to 2010 Youth Olympic Games

The official ceremony for the Lighting of the Olympic flame that will burn at the inaugural Youth Olympics Games in Singapore will take place today (July 23) at Ancient Olympia.
In the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge and Minister of Culture Pavlos Yeroulanos, the priestess will stand in front of the 2,600 year-old Temple of Hera and by using a concave mirror will light a silver torch with the sun’s rays.

As soon as the flame is lit, the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame will begin travelling in five cities across the globe: Berlin, Dakar, Mexico City, Auckland and Seoul.
Yesterday, a successful rehearsal was conducted and hundreds of tourists, visiting the site where the Ancient Olympics were held from 776 BC to 393 AD, witnessed the event. The first ever Youth Olympic Games will be held from August 14 to 26 in Singapore.

Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism: The Archaeological site of Olympia

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Christmas in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) Christmas in Athens, the favourite holiday for young and old, is here again to fill the city with games, light, and music. Impressive ornaments, a unique and different Christmas tree, games and events for children of all ages, digital music and games, treats and street bands, as well as hundreds of fireworks will make up this year’s holiday scene in Athens.

Sparkling lights and designer holiday decorations will turn the city’s squares, the National Gardens and Zappeio into a fairytale setting.
Syntagma square will be the heart of celebrations with an impressive Christmas tree created with some 250 natural fir trees which, after the holiday season will be planted in one of Attica’s most fire-ravaged areas.
City of Athens: City of Athens launches Christmas events

Athens Downtown Goes Online

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Within the framework of the Information Society Operational Programme, the Gazi district – the post-industrial hotspot of Athens- is equipped with free high-speed wireless internet.  Athens citizens and visitors to Technopolis and the surrounding area can access the internet with the use of the necessary equipment. The Gazi Project has been incorporated into the Information Society Digital Strategy Programme and was completed with the support of the City of Athens IT Company (DAEM).  A similar network has already been installed in Syntagma Square, Kotzia Square and Thissio.

Greece: Patras Museum Inaugurated

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Greece’s second largest archaeological museum and one of Europe’s most modern was inaugurated on Friday (June 24) in the city of Patras, in the Peloponnese.  Finds from the Mycenaean period, as well as the extraordinary mosaics that date back to Roman times, all of which highlight the city’s legacy, are two of the most important areas of interest in the New Patras Archaeological Museum.  The museum’s architectural design was meant to match the city’s landscape and the 500 square metre outdoor pool at the entrance emphasizes the city’s ties with its port and water. The exhibits reconstruct Patras’s long history dating back to prehistoric times.   Gifted by nature, Patras is nowadays a commercial hub and Greece’s third most important city. Culture Minister Antonis Samaras noted that the “museum highlights the rich yet unknown cultural heritage of the broader area of Achaia.”   Secretariat General of Information: About Greece-Culture, Museums, Antiquities ; Ministry of Culture: Odysseus-Greek archeological monuments; City of Patra: www.patras.gr

Athens Cultural Summer 2009

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The City of Athens, via its Cultural Organisation, invites one and all to join a major celebration this summer featuring 586 events that will take place in squares, open spaces and theatres around the city.  The events harmoniously combine traditions and contemporary ideas and offer something for everyone, including residents, children and visitors to Athens. The basic components of the “Cultural Summer 2009” programme are European Music Day featuring 27 events, the ‘Culture for All’ programme with 430 events, the Athens Festival with 118 events and the 7th Athens International Dance Festival with 12 performances.

Athens: A New Look for an Old City

(photo: When it opens in June, the New Acropolis Museum will display treasures from the Parthenon /Cameron Hewitt) 
(www.minpress.gr / NBC, 28.04.09)  NBC’s Rick Steve reports on Athens’ dramatic change. The city of about 4 million has made a concerted effort to curb pollution, clean up and pedestrianize the streets, spiff up the museums, build a new airport, and invest in one of Europe’s better public-transit systems.  Athens still has its “big three” sights: the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the remarkable National Archaeological Museum. In June the fourth big sight of the city is opening – the New Acropolis Museum.
The new museum is a world-class space, custom-built to showcase the Parthenon sculptures, a state-of-the-art building worth a look itself.   Besides sightseeing, Athens is ideal for strolls and wanderings through the Plaka district, through the Monastiraki flea market and the Psyrri neighborhood. Read more…

Anti-Doping Conference in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The city of Athens will host the first EU conference on anti-doping from May 13 to 15, organised by the European Commission and the Commission’s Sport Unit. The initiative is part of the “White Paper” on sport, passed by the European Parliament.  The World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, representatives of international sporting bodies such as FIFA, UEFA, FIBA and IAAF, scientists, athletes and sports instructors from Greece and abroad as well as the EU’s 27 sports ministers have been invited to participate in the inaugural conference in the Greek capital.  

Greece: Athens in 2030

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) On April 20, Souflias heralded an ambitious 20-year plan, making provision for a future Athens facelift, as it is projected that, by that time, the population in the region of Attica will have probably doubled.  According to the minister, the plan foresees the coexistence of “sustainable development, protection of natural resources, stable economic growth, an upgrading in competitiveness and the improvement of citizens’ quality of life.”  One of the most ambitious aspects of this plan that aims at promoting Athens’ international role as a metropolitan area of Europe, is the creation of a 220-kilometer metro network comprising eight lines and covering 85% of Attica. Moreover, the plan seeks to ‘freshen up’ historic urban centres in Attica such as Athens and Piraeus downtown by turning roads along historic buildings and architectural monuments into pedestrian zones. The draft bill for the plan will be debated sometime by November, after its submission to the Parliament.  City of Athens: Urban Planning; Secretariat General of Information: About Brand Greece- Spatial Planning; Networks Attica-Piraeus Prefecture: Regeneration of Athens Pedion Areos Park (‘Field of Mars’)

EU Heads in Athens

International Biodiversity Conference

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was welcomed  in Athens in order to attend a two-day international conference on “Biodiversity Protection Beyond 2010” hosted by Greece (April 27-28). Some 230 representatives of EU member states, NGOs, European enterprises and UN agencies discussed EU policy on biodiversity, as 2010 will be a major milestone for biodiversity policy both in the EU and globally. Addressing the event, Barroso underlined the significance of protecting biodiversity, shifting from “business as usual,” to a new model, hopefully shaped by this new “message emitting from Athens.” 

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis praised Greece for its high quality biodiversity amongst Mediterranean and European countries, but stressed that environmental protection ought to know no geographic boundaries. Taking the floor, Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas warned that the world cannot turn its back on climate change and on any pressing matters of environmental protection. European Commission: Follow the Conference on-line & Dimas on biodiversity

Remarks on Greek Economy

Meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Barroso welcomed Greece’s plans to tackle microeconomic imbalances and deliver on structural reforms. The Greek government has pledged to rein in the country’s deficit by 2010 (a fall to less than 3% of GDP), in keeping with EU’s proposed measures on fiscal policy.

Honours Bestowed

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso received  (April 27) distinction from the Hellenic Parliament and the City of Athens. Hellenic Parliament Speaker Dimitris Sioufas decorated Barroso with the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament, while Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis awarded Barroso the Medal of Honour and Benefaction of the City of Athens.

The Historic Continuation of Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    The urban network of the city of Athens is still based on the ancient one. The axes of main streets are the same or follow those of ancient roads. Though the most impressive fact is the continuity in use of the urban area. And this is what is called historic sequel and the continuation of Athenian landscape.  The National Foundation of Research recently organised a series of twelve tutorials which focus on the Archaeology of Athens. Twelve scholars presented the most crucial aspects of the history of Athenian urban and suburban space from pre-historic times to modern ones. Some of the texts have translated into English. National Foundation of Research: Archaeology of the City of Athens

Christmas and New Year in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   This year’s festivities for Christmas and New Year, organized by the City of Athens, began officially yesterday (16.12), when Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis turned on the lights on the Christmas tree at Syntagma Square. The square was filled with the melodies of the City of Athens Philharmonic Orchestra and songs of the Spyros Lambrou Children’s Choir. Fireworks lit up Athens skies while the City of Athens Music Ensembles, Big Band, staged a concert. Syntagma Square will be the centre of the festive celebrations in Athens with special structures, games and the magic carousel. Individuals of all ages will have the opportunity to enjoy classic and jazz melodies, Christmas songs and carols from around the world, Byzantine hymns and traditional dances while kids can expect plenty of surprises and a range of educational and entertainment activities. City of Athens – Christmas in Athens Calendar of Events

City of Athens Launches Chrismas Events Tomorrow

City of Athens Christmas and New Year festivities will commence tomorrow, Tuesday, December 16, with the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree at Syntagma Square at 19:30. The festivities programme had been suspended due to recent tragic events.
Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis assures all Athens citizens that the festive events will take place in order to assist the city to find its rhythm once again and bring smiles mostly to the faces of young children.
City of Athens teams are waging a “battle” with time in order to repair damages and rebuild the festive scene at Syntagma Square from scratch.
Mayor Kaklamanis invites all Athens citizens to attend the launch of Christmas events and, together, convey the message that “Athens will live on and celebrate Christmas”.
Syntagma Square: The centre of the celebration
Syntagma Square will be filled with the melodies of the City of Athens Philharmonic Orchestra and songs of the Spyros Lambrou Children’s Choir, until the moment Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis gives the signal for the lighting of the Christmas tree and illumination of the city with festive lights.
Fireworks will light up Athens skies, making the start of the celebration, a celebration that will reach even the smallest city neighbourhood.
The City of Athens Music Ensembles Big Band will then stage a concert at the square.
For three full weeks Syntagma Square will be transformed into a festive scene with special structures, games and the magic carousel. Individuals of all ages will have the opportunity to enjoy a series of music and art events featuring classic and jazz melodies, Christmas songs from around the world, Byzantine hymns, ethnic music and traditional dances, to take place on a specially-built stage. The Municipality’s young friends can expect plenty of surprises and a range of educational and entertainment activities.

Greece: Daily Life in Antiquity

(GREEK NEWS AGENTA)  “Scenes from Daily Life in Antiquity” is the title of a new permanent exhibition which opened yesterday (20/11) at the Museum of Cycladic Art. The exhibition gathers 150 artefacts that offer visitors the opportunity to acquaint themselves with various aspects of public and private life in Classical Greece: political organization and administration, religion, burial customs as well as daily activities. Large panels and screens with interactive applications help create the impression that visitors are in an ancient city.

Computer Seminars for Immigrants in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   An “Unlimited Potential” centre, which began operating in October in Athens, offers free certified computer literacy seminar series for up to 150 immigrants. The centre was set up by the City of Athens Centre for Employment and Entrepreneurship and Microsoft Hellas.  The programme aims to improve immigrants’ access to the job market. The Hellenic Professional Informatics Society has taken on the organisation of the programme, while Hellas ECDL is offering accreditation exams for free. The seminars have already begun in Igoumenitsa, Epirus and are being planned for other cities, including Thessaloniki and Patras.  Athens Plus: Free computer science seminars for immigrants (p. 17)  Microsoft Unlimited Potential: Helping Create a Positive Future for Migrants in Greece  &  Press Release – Gains Without Frontiers – Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential in Central and Eastern Europe (10.11.2008)  

Thracian Art in Athens

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The City of Athens Art Gallery in collaboration with the Foundation for the Art and the Tradition of Thrace (in Greek) presents a folk tradition exhibition at the Folk Art and Tradition Centre, in Athens, until June 30, 2009. The display presents handmade objects of daily life such as jewellery, pottery, tapestry or clothing from the region of Thrace; a region which is characterised by the diversity and the multiculturalism of its inhabitants. Ethnological Museum of Thrace: www.emthrace.org ; Thrace: The Land of Orpheus & Municipality of Xanthi