Gazi

Technopolis (Gazi) is an industrial museum and a major cultural venue of the City of Athens, Greece, in the neighborhood of Gazi, next to Keramikos and very close to the Acropolis. It is dedicated to the memory of the great Greek composer Manos Hatzidakis, which is why it is also known as "Gazi Technopolis Manos Hatzidakis". It has been in operation since 1999 and is situated in the city's formergasworks which were founded in 1857, occupying an area of about 30.000 m2. Numerous exhibitions, seminars, music concerts and other cultural activities take place in the grounds.

Industrial Gas Museum

The Industrial Gas Museum opened its doors to the public in 2013. The main objective of the Museum is the promotion and protection of the old Athens Gasworks plant, an industrial heritage monument that supplied energy and lighting in the Athens metropolitan area for 130 years. 

The visit to the Museum includes a museum path with 13 stops in specific areas of the factory. The museum path tour helps the visitor follow the gas production line, admire the mechanical equipment and the old machinery, learn about the role played by the management and workers of the factory, find out about the work conditions and become familiar with terms such as industrial heritage and archaeology.

The Museum has a rich collection of photographs and archive material as well as audiovisual material, including short films and recorded interviews of factory workers and residents of the area. The museum’s collection is further enriched with items from the factory itself as well as interactive applications.

The Industrial Gas Museum is the first industrial museum in Athens. It supplements the museal map of Athens and highlights one of the few surviving industrial heritage monuments of the city.

The history of the Athens Gasworks

In 1857, the French businessman François Théophile Feraldi undertakes the project to provide gas lighting in Athens. The City of Athens grants to Feraldi the concession of coal gas production and distribution for 50 years. From then on coal gas will illuminate the streets of Athens for a period of 60 years.

In 1887, Giovanni Baptista Serpieri undertakes the management of the factory. This marks the beginning of a period of growth and development for the small Athens gasworks plant. Gasholders, steam boilers, steam engines, purification units and structures are constructed in the factory’s 7.5 acres lot. This rapid growth is associated with the expansion of the use of coal gas as a form of energy in homes and factories, besides street lighting.

In 1938 the gasworks becomes a municipal enterprise and in 1952 the Athens Municipal Gasworks Company (DEFA) is established. After WWII coal gas loses ground against electricity and other forms of energy.

The Athens gasworks cease operation in 1984. In 1986, the Ministry of Culture declares the gasworks a historic preservable monument and begins to commission studies for its protection and exploitation. 

The first art exhibitions and events are held in the plant facilities in 1999. The Technopolis City of Athens becomes one of the most renowned culture hubs in Athens.

The Industrial Gas Museum opens its doors in 2013, turning a new page in the history of the old factory. [more ]