Malamatenia Skaltsa Prof. of Art History and MuseologyDepartment of Architecture, A.U.Th.Nikos Kalogirou, Prof. of ArchitectureDepartment of Architecture, A.U.Th

K. Kotsakis, Prof. of ArchaeologyDepartment of Archeology, A.U.Th. (consultant)

A proposal for the Metro Station at Venizelou Street, ThessalonikiThe preservation of antiquities and the indentity of space

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Interpretation and Integration of Cultural Heritage into Community’s Everyday LifeThe archaeological findings at the Venizelou-Metro station and their treatment as a social asset. The lost opportunity for an open air Museum of the History of Thessalonikiby prof. Matoula Scaltsa

What is the difference between three proposed alternative choices for the presentation of antiquities at the Venizelou Street? i.e. What is the difference between1. the removal of findings to another place 2. their preservation in situ, which causes the abolish of the Metro-station construction or 3. their in situ presentation along with the metro-station function?  And finally, in the 3rd case, what is the difference betweena. isolating the antiquities from the passengers’ every day passing by and b. experiencing them in their way to their destinations, walking on a glass floor over the biggest part of them and having a full view of the whole excavation?

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How is museological theory participating as an agent tool with social implications?Theory of museology concentrates on exhibition and presentation. The act of exhibiting and presenting exhibits, movable or immovable, big or small, isolated or as part of a bigger collection, presupposes an interpretation, which uses the tools of theoretical approaches, mostly borrowed from other disciplines.

Exhibiting archaeological findings, works of art or artifacts or even naturalia is not an act of choosing a sum of techniques and good practices,

but rather an act of interpretation, deeply ideological and fully affected by the presuppositions of the interpreter.

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How is museological theory participating as an agent tool with social implications?

When we highlight something instead of something else, when we put something on a pedestal and not something else, when we put something here and not there, we have made a choice,

we have proceeded to a classification,

to a valuation,

we have made an interpretation based on our ideological beliefs and our theoretical approaches.

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The case of the Venizelou Metro station antiquities

expresses completely different ideological and theoretical starting points, if we decide

a. to move the antiquities,

b. to preserve the antiquities in situ, abolishing in that way the function of the Metro station,

c. to present the antiquities and at the same time have a fully functional station and

- on top of that, to succeed in providing a kinesthetic experience for the passengers through the biggest part of the archaeological site and not just a mere visual contact of it.

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Proposal for the construction of level -1The glass floor

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Representation of the station at -1 level with the suspended glass floor

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Our proposal and the New Museologya.promotes the function of the Metro station along with the presentation of the excavated antiquities, proposing their temporal removal for the construction needs and their transferring in the same place.

b. stems from our belief that equal priority should be given to community’s interests and protection of cultural objects.

Our proposal based on “New Museology”, promotes : the systematic integration of cultural heritage to the

community’s interest, the co-existence of public benefit with heritage

protection, the priority of the social subject (especially the

non specialist) versus the object of culture, the educational dimension of exhibiting and

presenting museum objects, monuments or sites, the equal presence of stakeholders to the

conversation for heritage management, the equal cultural value of cultural products as products of human agency.

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Proposal for the construction of level -1

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Representation of the station at level -1

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The main points of the proposal are as follow:

• the integration of the archaeological site to the everyday life of the people using the subway, aiming at maximizing participation and minimizing the disturbance to the antiquities,

• The passenger, walking in and down to the train platforms, walks on a glass floor which covers the biggest part of the antiquities, having at the same time the opportunity to have a full panoramic view of the whole of the excavation, allowing in this way for a kinesthetic experience,

• reversing the image of a safeguarded and isolated archaeological site, accessible only to specialists,

The axis of Venizelou Street

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1. Jewish Museum2. Aghios Minas Orthodox Church3. Catholic Church4. Bezesteni Market5. Hamza Bey Mosque6. Old Town Hall-Neobyzantine

Building7. Ministry of Macedonia and

Thrace8. Panaghia Halkeon Church9. Yahoudi Hamam10. Diikitirion Square11. Bit-Pazar Market12. Hebrard’s Markets13. Eleftheria’s Square14. The Port15. The Lambrakis’ sculptural

Monument16. Modiano Market10

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The main points of the proposal are as follows (2):• the connection of the historical trajectory of the underground antiquities with the multicultural history of the city, since we proposed the presentation of common diachronic functions,

• the creation of a space occupied by antiquities as well as by people, presenting not only ruins of roman and byzantine past, but also by visible landmarks of the present city around the metro station,

• the protection of the findings during their removal and transferring, excluding technical solutions not tested yet,

• balancing the cost in time and resources needed in relation to the importance of this project for the function of the Metro station, the trade importance of the Venizelou street area and the city as a whole.

Our belief on presenting monumentsMuseums, museum exhibitions and presented sites should invite people.

They are not only safeguards of cultural heritage, but they should also communicate it.

Protection and preservation should aim at the social integration of cultural heritage as a social asset.

Sometimes though, they do not participate in what should be their mission: social identification and democratization of knowledge.  

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The resultWe had the belief that this proposal worked towards a direction of fulfilling a vision to bring together culture with public.

Archaeologists at the Central Archaeological Council of the Ministry of Culture decided differently.

Protected isolation prevailed over social integration. At least the social pressure from the city did not let abolish the function of the metro station.

Nevertheless there were voices from the part of archaeologists insisting on the in situ preservation of the antiquities, on another fenced archaeological site into the city.

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The Conceptual Procedure of the Architectural Planning by prof. Nikos Kalogirou

The conceptual planning focuses on presenting the monuments of the neighboring area

along with the diachronic palimpsest of Thessaloniki into the excavated antiquities,

Creating an open air and vivid museum and giving

a chance for the rebirth of a public space of the city centre of Thessaloniki. 16

The Objectives of the Proposal

A journey to the history of the city of Thessaloniki through a living experience.

The sense of totality and urban character through the dynamic coexistence of the archaeological site with everyday experience of the passenger-visitor.

The preservation and presentation of the archaeological site at its full extend in situ.

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The architectural proposalProposal for the area around the station

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The architectural proposalProposal of the entrance to the station with entrance pavillion-kiosk

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The architectural proposal- The creation of a coherent public space with the form of a joint square – passage in two open spaces-entrances to the platforms

- The planning of open spaces of the crossroad of Egnatia and Venizelou Street on the one side with the Bezesteni-roofed market ottoman monument and on the other side with the Hamza Bey Mosque monument

- The Re-design of Egnatia Street as an urban boulevard.

- Priority to the pedestrians with: the construction of a main pedestrian walk, the remaking of the remaining ones and the visual contact with the archaeological site through openings

- The use of soft intervention materials such as planting, ecological materials, light and shade constructions.

- The marking of the entrances to the station with pavilions-landmarks.

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The axis of Venizelou StreetProposals for the surrounding areas

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1. Jewish Museum2. Aghios Minas Orthodox Church3. Catholic Church4. Bezesteni Market5. Hamza Bey Mosque6. Old Town Hall-Neobyzantine

Building7. Ministry of Macedonia and

Thrace8. Panaghia Halkeon Church9. Yahoudi Hamam10. Diikitirion Square11. Bit-Pazar Market12. Hebrard’s Markets13. Eleftheria’s Square14. The Port15. The Lambrakis’ sculptural

Monument16. Modiano Market10

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Proposal for the overall environmental redesign of the axis of Venizelou Street includedthe redesign of the parallel to Venizelou street, Ionos Dragoumi Street,

the connection to the Port and the Eleftherias square

the markets of the city centre and the Diikitirion (Ministry of Northern Greece) and

the presentation of the following monuments:

the Eleftheria’s Square, the Diikitirion Square, the orthodox church of St Minas, the Jewish Museum, the ottoman Bazar Hamam, the ottoman Hamza Bey Mosquethe main city’s Modiano grocery market the Markets planned by the French engineer Hernest Hebrard after the city’s big fire of 1917,the ottoman roofed textile market the Bit Bazar brick-à-brack area and the facades of the middle-war art deco block of flats.

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The Means of the Planning Proposal for the construction of level -1

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Isometric illustration of the Venizelou Station

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The Means of the PlanningThe access to the train platforms passes over a glass floor above the biggest part of the antiquities giving the opportunity for a full view of the whole of excavation of the archaeological site, while the exit to Venizelou Street will follow independent side stairways.

A precondition in order to arrange the inner public space is the restoration of the findings and the ancient walls of the buildings at their surviving height.

A glass suspended floor will be placed over part of the archaeological site, working as an inner square and an entrance hall. In that way the visit to the station creates a kinesthetic experience with natural light, while the urban character of the space is being highlighted.

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Representation of the station at level -1

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The Means of the Planning

The use of materials, textures, lights and signs,

The side walls will be formed as vertical “gardens”, trying to make a connection to the physical environment.

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The Impact of the Proposal

With the above mentioned solutions, a unique architectonic image is being approached which combines the passengers’ functions of movement, stop, observation through the realization of an open air museum.

As a whole the proposed changes will cause a slight rise of cost and some delays at the scheduled timetable.

Nevertheless, the new planning could work in favor of the surrounding area, the social integration of the antiquities and

the Metro station’s function, ambiance and upgrade

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The Project: Interpreting Monuments in an Unexpected WayIntegrating monuments into the city’s every-day life

Organizing a public interpretation event of the Venizelou street monuments on the occasion of the 36th International Museum Day (Friday 17, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May 2013) we searched for the presentation of city’s memory.

The Master’s Program of Museology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the School of Elementary Education of the University of Western Macedonia along with the A.U.Th. Departments of Archaeology, Architecture, Film and Drama Studies

worked creatively in order to involve community, cultural and educational institutions in a narration of city’s history regarding monuments of Venizelou Street axis.

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Route A• the Greek Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace, the Diikitirio Square and Art-deco facades (1),

• Venizelou Street Antiquities and Old Town Hall (2)

• Hamza Bey Mosque and Bezesteni Ottoman Market (3)

• Lambrakis Sculptural Monument (4)

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1. Greek Ministry Diikitirion Square Old Town Hall2. “Middle” Street3. Hamza Bey Mosque Bezesteni Ottoman Market4. The Lambrakis’ sculptural Monument

5. Yahoudi Hamam 6. Aghios Minas Church7. Eleftheria’s Square Jewish Museum

Route A

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The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace

The Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace

The Bezesteni Ottoman Market

Lambrakis’ Sculptural Monument

Old Town Hall – “Middle” Byzantine Street

Old Town Hall – “Middle” Byzantine Street

Route B• Yahoudi Hamam or

Pazar Haman (5) • Aghios Minas Greek

Orthodox Church (6), • Eleftheria’s Square and the Jewish Museum (7)

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1. Greek Ministry Diikitirion Square Old Town Hall2. “Middle” Street3. Hamza Bey Mosque Bezesteni Ottoman Market4. The Lambrakis’ sculptural Monument

5. Yahoudi Hamam 6. Aghios Minas Church7. Eleftheria’s Square Jewish Museum

Route B

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The Yahoudi Hamam

The Yahoudi HamamAghios Minas

Church

Aghios Minas Church

The Yahoudi Hamam

Eleftheria’s Square

Venizelou Street

The methodology

The main objective was to interpret a street at its length both in time and space through seven stops.

The museological interpretation of exhibits, in our case the Venizelou street monuments, took the following path: The interpretation of the monument, the unit,

a reference to a whole, which is the Venizelou street,

a further context, that of the city of Thessaloniki,

and to an even broader and abstract context, that of its long duration history, referring to its spatial, temporal, ideological and cultural environment in which the city successively took form and created its individual character.

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The toolsPost graduate students of Museology as well as under graduate students of Architecture, Archaeology, Visual and Applied Arts, Drama Performance, Film Studies and Education participated using their different interpretation tools from their disciplines such as

printed images, moving images,

sounds,narratives,

reproduced documents, theatrical acts and performances,

puppet shows,graphic designs and

signs spotting the monuments 35

Yahoudi Hamam

Yahoudi Hamam

Eleftheria’s Square

Aghios Minas Church

Lambrakis’ Monument

Conceptual Museological Idea and Museological Units The Main Conceptual Museological Idea was to present the character of the city, focusing on:•Different systems of administration reflecting different social and financial realities

•The commercial procedures which form social frameworks and boundaries, architectural infrastructures and cultural exchanges

•The multicultural character of the city through time

•The ambivalence of the city o between East and Westo between turning its back to its sea-front or welcoming it,

o between its introvert nature enclosed into its walls and an extrovert behavior crossing its wall boundaries,

o between an urban present and a rural past. •An ambivalence expressed in its history either as o a protest and claim by the European west or the Athens capital city or as

o a migration movement.

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Our main goals•Our goal was to understand and find ways to talk about the city’s inhabitants and communities and their human behavior, past and present.

•Each station served as a conceptual point interpreting and valuating a part of the overall narration and the Main Conceptual Museological Idea.

•Our hope , through these narratives was to give to the visitor a chance to grasp parts from the city’s multifaced character.

•2,000 visitors followed our narrative. They said they learned their city.

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http://imd2013museology.wordpress.com/

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