The Foundation of the Hellenic World

The Foundation of the Hellenic World (FHW) was envisioned, founded and funded by the family of Lazaros Efraimoglou. Its mission is to preserve Hellenic history and tradition, create an awareness of the universal dimension of Hellenism and promote its contribution to cultural evolution. FHW’s innovative character has already been revealed in its Statutes, one of which prescribes that the materialization of the objectives be based on the possibilities offered by new technologies. As a result, from the very beginning and at the same time as trying to find a place to create the cultural centre, the Foundation’s administration put the Internet to use and presented to the Greek and international community the first Greek websites of historical content. At the same time, it created a pioneering laboratory of three-dimensional reconstructions, the first project of which, presented as a documentary, received the 1st Prize at the Amiens Festival of Archaeological Films. This was only the beginning of a series of programmes enriched or designed later in the two new premises owned by the Foundation. During its operation, Hellenic Cosmos has presented numerous activities, which include exhibitions, educational programmes, Virtual Reality programmes, and documentaries produced by FHW. The Cultural Centre’s museum shops display various FHW products, such as books, CD-ROMs and documentaries. At the Cyber Hall, people of all ages can navigate through FHWFHW’sbsites, which provide historical information and clever games of historical and educational content.  

The FHW Spaces

The area is being continuously reshaped to cover the increasing needs of the Cultural Centre. Therefore, Building 7, which was inaugurated in 2004 and is a multifunctional cultural area that has hosted various events, from exhibitions and educational programmes to conferences and seminars, will be replaced by a new building that is improved aesthetically and functionally. In March 2006, the construction of the “Tholos” was completed, a building that houses the most perfect, presently, Virtual Reality system of the Hellenic Cosmos with a capacity of 130 people. It is a building of exceptional aesthetic value with unique technological infrastructure, which hosts the Foundation’s digital collections. The “Tholos” resembles a planetarium regarding its natural and morphological characteristics. But essentially, their only common element is the semi-spherical shape of the projection surface. On March 20th 2008, the “Theatron” was inaugurated, a building for numerous uses, with a capacity of 1,100 people. With its main characteristics of multiformity and flexibility, it can house the most demanding productions regarding the arrangement of space and technological equipment. Its technical specifications follow the highest standards, while the audiovisual infrastructure is unique in Greece. The stage technologies allow the creation of virtual sets and the incorporation of happenings into them. The “Theatron” also possesses complete and ultramodern conference infrastructure and the possibility to support live connections of image and sound. It has an ambition to house contemporary Greek artistic expression, hosting various events, from theatrical and dance performances to exhibitions and conferences.