Location
Zappeion Megaron is located in the centre of Athens near the Greek Parliament. It is about a ten-minute walk from Syntagma Station. Zappeion Megaron is an impressive building in the same area of the National Park.
Who was Evangelos Zappas?
Evangelos Zappas was a Greek businessman from Epirus. He took part in the Greek War of Independence and played a major role in the revival of the Modern Olympic Games in Greece. Specifically, he offered much money to the Greek Government for the set up of the ‘Olympic Trust Funds’. Moreover, Zappas gave money for the organisation of the Games in 1896 at the Panathenaic Stadium. That is why the first Modern Games were called “Zappeion Olympiads”.
The Zappeion Conference and Exhibition Centre.
The Danish architect Theophil Von Hansen constructed the building which was inaugurated in 1881. It was the first Conference centre in Europe. The entrance of the building is consisted of 8 Corinthian columns. The main building has a patio in the centre, two floors, 25 rooms and a conference hall of 4,000 square meters.
The use of the building
Public exhibitions, international exhibitions, exhibitions related to the Olympic Games, book and art exhibitions, medical conferences, technology conferences. Moreover, the Prime Minister, Konstantinos Karamanlis signed the induction of Greece into the European Union Community in 1979 in Zappeion Megaron.
Λεξιλόγιο -Vocabulary
| 1. δίνω | to give |
| 2. το κτίριο | building |
| 3. η έκθεση | exhibition |
| 4. το κέντρο | centre |
| 5. υπογράφω | to sign |
| 6. η είσοδος | entrance |
| 7. Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες | Olympic Games |
| 6. κατασκευάζω | to construct |
