In 1906, the architect Christian Doll designed Villa Ariadne for the archaeologist Arthur Evans and his colleagues, who were excavating the palace complex of Knossos, to live and work there. The name of the house is an obvious reference to the daughter of the mythical King of Crete, Minos. In 1926, the Villa was granted to the British School of Archaeology, but its story was to be much more turbulent than Evans had ever imagined. During World War II, when the Germans invaded Athens in 1941, the Greek Government and the Royal Family fled to Crete. There, King George II took refuge in Villa Ariadne, before fleeing to Egypt. The same building housed a hospital of the Allies, as well as the residence of the German Commander of Heraklion after the German conquest of the island. On May 9th, 1945, the unconditional capitulation of the German conquerors of Crete was signed at Villa Ariadne by the German Commander of the island, Hans Benthack. Today, the space is used for hosting cultural events.
Main Bibliography
- Bury John – Meiggs Russell, A History of Greece. To the Death of Alexander the Great, Translated by Rouli Tataki, K. N. Petropoulos, Anna Papadimitriou - Grammenou, Konstantinos Buraselis, Angelos Matthaiou, Athens 2011.
- Αλεξάνδρου, μτφρ. Ρούλη Τατάκη, Κ. Ν. Πετρόπουλος, Άννα Παπαδημητρίου Γραμμένου,
- Κωνσταντίνος Μπουραζέλης, Άγγελος Ματθαίου, Αθήνα 2011.
- Lefèvre François, Histoire Du Monde Grec Antique, Translated by Anastasia Kefala, Mina Kardamitsa, Athens 2016.
- Καρδαμίτσα, Αθήνα 2016.
- Antonopoulou Zeta, Τα Γλυπτά της Αθήνας: Υπαίθρια Γλυπτική 1834-2004, Athens 2003.
- Karaiskou Vicky, Νεοελληνική Γλυπτική: Ματιές και αναγνώσεις, Athens 2011.
- Pavlopoulos Dimitris, Ζητήματα Νεοελληνικής Γλυπτικής, Athens 1998.
- Γλυπτά, Αθήνα 2020.
- Pavlopoulos Dimitris, Από τον Ιερό Λόχο στον Κωνσταντίνο ΙΒ’: Νεότερα Αθηναϊκά Γλυπτά, Athens 2020.
Main Webliography
http://www.athenssculptures.com
https://explore.cure-project.gr
https://www.thisiscrete.gr/gr/historical-monuments
https://www.wikipedia.org
Informations
Additional
Creator: Christian Doll
Date: 1906
Material: Stone, concrete
Location: 90 Knossos Ave., Knossos
Type: Historic Residence
Subject: World War II
Access: Outdoor spaces accessible all 24 hours
Accessible to people with disabilities
Access for People with Disabilities
