The Old Parliament

The Old Parliament House was founded in 1858 by Queen Amalia, upon French architect François Boulanger’s design, to house the Parliament and Senate. However, after King Otto’s eviction, the Senate was abolished, and architect Panagiotis Kalkos modified the building’s designs by abolishing the arena of the Senate. The building was completed in 1875. On August 11, the official opening of the Assembly of the Parliament took place with Prime Minister Charilaos Trikoupis. For 60 years, the building on Stadiou Street housed the country’s turbulent political life. Finally, in 1935, Parliament moved to the Former Palace on Syntagma Square, where it is still housed today. The building of the Old Parliament was given by the decision of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos to the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece to establish the National Historical Museum. Still, the implementation of the decision was delayed due to the war. The Society finally settled in the Old Parliament in 1960 and two years later opened to the public the new exhibition of the Museum. Today, the Old Parliament is an architectural jewel in the centre of Athens and now houses the country’s National Historical Museum. The great central Hall of the Assembly is a place of historical memory suitable for significant historical and cultural events. The surrounding rooms house the permanent exhibition of the National Historical Museum, and the upper floor gallery is used for temporary exhibitions.