Articles

The "stone town hall", as many call it due to its last use as a town hall, is a reference point for the locals as it is a special neoclassical mansion in the old town of Messolonghi.

Building architecture

Neoclassical mansion made of exposed stone with carved frames, friezes and margins for openings. The roof has acrokerama. Marble balconies with ornate marble rafters and forged railings. It is characteristic that the main face (north) has been formed entirely of carved porolith with the decorative plating.

For the construction of the building, was used Thera land, i.e. clay from the volcanic area of ​​Santorini, for the jointing of the stone. The materials reached Messolonghi in large boats up to Ai Sostis, from there smaller boats (a kind of boat special for sailing in the shallow waters of the lagoons) brought them to the pier that existed then in Plostaina, near the mansion of Petropoulos, and finally loaded in carts that transported them to the site of the building under construction.

It is a fairly old and historic building with excellent architecture, which is a reference point for the city of Messolonghi. The building due to its age is facing serious problems, mainly inside, since for many years it has been left to its fate. Its utilization becomes necessary, as the wear and tear progresses year by year and the condition of the building deteriorates.

Building history

The building was founded at the end of the 19th century, probably built around 1860, in order to house the National Bank, which was the only bank operating in Messolonghi at that time.

On the ground floor of the building were the offices of the National Bank and in the rooms on the upper floor of the building lived the current director of the Bank with his family, while from time to time important official visitors of our city were hosted, mainly during the Easter holidays, such as Eleftherios Venizelos, King Paul, etc.

As its last use, the services of the Municipality were housed there.