"Walking with the Philhellenes": A historic walk throughout Athens thanks to technology

Smart signs on the streets of Athens that create a rich historical walk using a mobile phone

Screen Shot 2022 02 03 at 9.27.01 AM Greek Revolution, History

Smart signs on streets that bear the names Philhellenes, in order to remind them Athenians And the Athenians, but also to recommend to visitors his significant contribution philhellenic movement in Greek revolution, are placed throughout the city, thus creating a rich historical walk using a mobile phone.

Starting from 62 points, with the contribution of an important scientific team, the Municipality of Athens implements an idea started by the Hellenic Society of Environment and Culture (ELLET) and became a reality with the sponsorship of the embassies of the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy and of Great Britain.

On Filellinon Street, where the first unveilings took place, the mayor of Athens, Costas Bakogiannis, invited the citizens and visitors of Athens "for a walk with the philhellenes".

"It is a walk, a tour in the history of the capital, in the history of Greece. The Philhellenes even gave their blood for Greece, for freedom. The Philhellenes decisively helped to make the Revolution an international event, which changed the course of history ".

On the spot, the professor, Thanos Veremis, who wrote the historical texts of the walk together with a group of scientists, honorably referred to an important personality per country of those participating in the action, in order to highlight their contribution to the liberation struggle.

In the event that followed at the Athens City Hall, Mr. Bakoyannis noted that in Athens "Every corner is a living monument, for all that, big, small, hidden or overt, that have happened and been imprinted on this very special canvas of our city. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Revolution, we invite you to discover together the unknown aspects of the history of the Greeks, through texts and photographs of reputable historians, as they are recorded in archives and Institutions of our country. It is of great value to get to know them, to mentally follow in their footsteps and, through exploring the city, to re-establish ourselves with our past ".

Using technology

Ο historical walk is based on a website with information on each route associated with the philhellenes of the liberation struggle. When the visitor scans the QR code of the sign with his mobile phone, he can read or listen in Greek or English, much richer information than a public sign can hold. Thus Athens is transformed into a living museum full of memory paths.

Both the unveiling and the event were attended by the Ambassadors of the United States of America, Jeffrey Payat, of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Ernst Rachel, of Italy, Patricia Falcinelli and of Great Britain, Matthew Lodz.

Lord Byron, Santarosa, Webster, Triber, Lenorman, Hayden, Mager are among the 29 personalities to whom the 62 smart signs in the action refer.

The historian, Maria Efthimiou, using evidence and real examples of foreign names that are preserved even today in local communities, showed how deeply the action of the Philhellenes influenced the Greek state, Greek society and its future. The committee that signs the content also includes Antonis Klapsis, Andreas Koukos, Manolis Koumas, Iakovos Michailidis, George Mylonas, Konstantinos Papanikolaou, Evanthis Hadjivassiliou, while the photographic archive has been donated by the School of Gennadio to Athens. the National Observatory of Athens, the National History Museum, the Speech and Art Center "Diexodos" and the Hill School.

In addition to the mobile application, users can browse the content from a computer on the website www.walkingwiththephilhellenes.gr