Second Episode: From dreams to demolition
From Bavarian grand plans to “part-exchange” building schemes. When Greece became an independent nation state in the 1830s, King Otto arrived with his Bavarian entourage. They introduced beer… and planned a new Athens inspired by ancient aesthetics. Sofka meets architect Lazaris Zaoussis at the neoclassical Academy to discuss this city of dreams. During the 20th century most neoclassical buildings were destroyed. Architectural historian Ioanna Theocharopoulou unpacks the controversial ‘part exchange’ building system of antiparochi. Some people blame this for Athens’s chaotic collection of apartment blocks. ‘Athens is a city of the 20th century’. Famous journalist Nikos Vatopoulos shares his obsession with documenting the stories behind the buildings.