Alexandroupolis is one of the newest cities of Greece. Created in late 19th century from the settlements of French and Turks employees of their respective railroad companies. It was first known as Dedeagatch based on a local tradition of a wise dervish having spent much of his time in the shade of a local tree and being eventually buried beside it.
The city went through a varied and tumultuous history, renamed Alexandroupolis in honour of King Alexander I of Greece in 1920 (not Alexander the Great of course). A port and the last Greek city before the Turkish borders, situated near the Evros river delta, it is a city filled with life. Tetragon has special ties to it, having already had lots of projects done there (the Natural History Museum in the delta, the Lighthouse square) and was picked to design and construct the city's history museum, established through a local association of history buffs and collectors.
The Historical Museum of Alexandroupolis' permanent exhibit takes up a whole floor of the building in which the museum is housed. It guides the visitor through the area's and city's history, from ancient times till now. With the help of interactive displays, audiovisual equipment and the incredible archive it houses, it helps one learn many things about the city and its history, particularly learn about its people.
The museum is situated on the city's main street, right across the city hall. I am proud to have taken part into making its main exhibit a reality. (Photos courtesy of Stratos Bacalis)
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ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting museum, can you tell me more about the glowing floor in front of the map? What parts of that are interactive and what is a projection? How does it work? What is it exactly?
ReplyDeleteThe glowing floor is simply an inlaid map of the area, no interaction. The map is interactive though - there is a console with all the important buildings and landmarks on it corresponding to a button. Press the button and they light up on the map on the wall (satellite image of the city). After this summer's renovation, when one selects a building, relative images will be projected on the screen next to the map.
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