German Archaeological Institute celebrates 150 years in Athens

Fidiou is a tiny street running off Academias in downtown Athens and for most it is associated with the city center’s entertainment scene, as a popular meze restaurant there tends to draw a fun crowd in the evenings.

Across the street from this restaurant, though, is a building that serves as a reminder of all the architectural gems tucked away in the Greek capital’s nooks and crannies. It dates to 1887 and is home to the German Archaeological Institute, built to the design of Ernst Ziller and bankrolled by Heinrich Schliemann.

Elegant, well-kept and with a lovely rooftop terrace, the three-story townhouse is perhaps one of the least known of the Greek capital’s historical landmarks. On May 15, however, it too drew a crowd, as the heads of the 11 committees and branches of the Deutsches Archaeologisches Institut (DAI) gathered from different parts of the world to present their annual progress reports.

Customarily held in Berlin, the annual meeting took place in Athens this year because it also marked the 150th anniversary since the institute’s establishment.

The event was, of course, attended by German Ambassador to Greece Andreas Kindl, who spoke of the importance of the institute’s presence in both countries. Indeed, not only has its work enormously enriched our knowledge of the past, it has also been affected by the many different phases the relationship between the two countries has been through: From the monarchy with King Otto and Queen Frederica, to the Nazi occupation and the recent economic crisis, every event big, and small, has had an impact on how German archaeologists and researchers carried out their work in Greece.

What’s more, the institute’s 150 years of contributing to the world’s knowledge of our ancient past is the subject of an exhibition at the Athens branch of the institute, curated by Vivi Gerolymatou and Andreas Georgiadis. It is a kaleidoscope ranging from its excavations and publications, to its research, papers and academic programs.

The centerpiece, however, is a 4.4-meter printout of a photograph of the 6th century BC Isches Kouros discovered by German archaeologists on the eastern Aegean island of Samos during excavations of the Sacred Way of the Heraion.

It is also a reminder of the fact that the German archaeologists did not just take photographs of the sites they were excavating, but of the entire area around them, giving us priceless images of Olympia, Samos, Kerameikos and the Kifissos Valley, among so many others. 

The exhibition will be on display until the end of the year, providing an excellent opportunity not just to learn about the work of the institute and how it contributed to the Greek-German relationship, but also to admire the wonderful building it’s located in.

German Archaeological Institute, 1 Fidiou, tel 210.330.7400. The exhibition is open to the public Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are available by prior arrangement via the email [email protected].