Visit to Kalambaka by a delegation of the Committee "Greece 2021"
SPOTLIGHT

Visit to Kalambaka by a delegation of the Committee "Greece 2021"

• The Greek language kept the Nation erect long before the Revolution of 1821
• An exceptional proposal for an exhibition on "How Greek Education Embraced the Revolution of 1821"

The importance of the Greek language and how it kept the Nation alive in critical moments through time, long before the Revolution of 1821, is highlighted in the splendid exhibits of the Museum of Greek Education in Kalambaka. The rare editions collected by the Museum's founder, PavlosBalogiannis are indisputable witnesses to this fact. Among these original editions are works by the Great Greek Scholars of the Modern Greek Enlightenment (Ad. Korais, Evg. Voulgareos, Konstantinos Koumas, etc.), books from the period 1500-1830 which were published in Venice, Vienna, Paris, London, the myths of Aesop in authentic publications (1600-1850), and also fairy tales published at the most important publishing houses of Greece.

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"Once again, today, it is evident that to celebrate the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, we need bright ideas, we need passion. Like the one Mr. PavlosBalogiannis has, he dedicated his life to collecting what defines as Greek Education from within and outside the borders of Greece", said the President of the Committee "Greece 2021" Gianna Aggelopoulou-Daskalaki, during the visit of a Committee delegation to the Museum. The delegation consisted of the Members of the Assembly AikateriniPolymerou-Kamilaki, former Director of the Ethnological Center of the Academy of Athens, Giorgos Rorris, painter, Nikos Kanellopoulos, professor, and the Member of the Executive Board of the Committee, Georgios Mylonakis, Secretary-General of the House of Parliament.

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"The presence of the President and the Committee delegation "Greece 2021" is an exceptional honor. We have organized an outstanding exhibition where we highlighted the role of Greek Education regarding the cause of the Greek Revolution. It shows how Greek Education really "embraced" the momentous event of the Revolution. We propose that this exhibition travels to all the Greek cities, if feasible, even to cities abroad, because it demonstrates the historical truth about our Nation's great moment," the founder of the Museum, Mr. Balogiannis, stated.

The Committee delegation enthusiastically completed the tour of the Museum. The Museum exhibits more than 1,500 books and objects of Greek education and training from the era of Kapodistrias to present. In Greece, this is a unique institution of its kind, and it was created thanks to the personal effort and passion of its founder, who searched the material in antique shops in Greece and abroad.

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The Committee delegation took a guided tour of the Museum hall that houses the exhibition on Greek Education and the Revolution of 1821. The exhibition includes posters, notebooks, and other valuable material concerning 1821. Furthermore, the Museum has submitted a proposal to the Committee's electronic platform regarding further enlargement and arranging of the exhibition and the possibility to travel to other parts of Greece.

"We will all see to it that this project becomes real. This effort you are making honors you. And I wish there are more similar proposals and we commit to trying to make them known", the Committee President said.

In the statements made during the visit, the Mayor of Meteora, Mr. Theodoros Alekos, thanked the Committee for visiting the city of Kalambaka and the Museum of Greek Education. "As you have experienced, it is a wonderful museum which is a crown jewel for the city of Kalambaka and the region. I want you to support it and make it known, not only in our country but all over the world," he said.

"The Greek soul resides in Greek education. It is manifested most eloquently in the Museum of Greek Education and History. It is our duty to take this treasure of education and the Greek Revolution and send it to every corner of the country, to every corner where a Greek heart beats," said the Mayor of Trikkaion and Member of the Assembly of the Committee Dimitris Papastergiou.

"The material of the exhibition must be used with digital technologies, with archival specifications, so it can be saved and passed on to future generations and exhibited not only in Greece but also among the Greek diaspora", said the Assembly Member Professor N. Kanellopoulos. At the same time, the Assembly Member, Mrs. Kamilaki, emphasized that Thessaly deserves such a Museum because it contributed to the Revolution's preparation not only with weapons but also spiritually.

Finally, the former Dean of the University of Ioannina Georgios Kapsalis thanked the Committee and its President for their assistance in highlighting the great work of the Museum.