26. Hilmi Pasha Mansion – 1905 Boutique Hotel
Brief documentation:
This building was erected in 1905 as the residence of the senior administrative official Halil Hilmi Pasha. In the 1920s the building was bought by the lawyer Emmanuel Karyotakis (1884-1951), MP with the Liberal party of Eleftherios Venizelos in the years 1928-1933 of the prefecture of Rodopi, to which Xanthi belonged until 1944. During the Bulgarian occupation in World War II (1941-1944) the building was requisitioned and used to house services of the Bulgarian administration.
After the liberation, the building functioned as a Center for Foreigners, while in 1954 it returned to the possession of the Karyotakis family. On the ground floor of the building operated for many years a seamstress shop, owned by Chrysoula and Charikleia Veliou. In 2006 it was resold to the current owners who fully restored it internally and externally and turned it into a luxury hotel.
It is a three-storey building of urban character, which is influenced by neoclassical architecture. The ground floor was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store, while the two floors served as a living space with separate access. The exterior of the building is decorated with false pillars and false capitals, while its various levels are separated by stepped cornices.
Inside the mansion there is decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes. During the period of use of the building by the Bulgarians in World War II, many alterations were made to it and the painting decoration inside was overlayed.
Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST
History:
This building was erected in 1905 as the residence of the senior administrative official Halil Hilmi Pasha. In the 1920s the building was bought by the lawyer Emmanuel Karyotakis (1884-1951), MP with the Liberal party of Eleftherios Venizelos in the years 1928-1933 of the prefecture of Rodopi, to which Xanthi belonged until 1944. During the Bulgarian occupation in World War II (1941-1944) the building was requisitioned and used to house services of the Bulgarian administration.
After the liberation, the building functioned as a Center for Foreigners, while in 1954 it returned to the possession of the Karyotakis family. On the ground floor of the building operated for many years a seamstress shop, owned by Chrysoula and Charikleia Veliou. In 2006 it was resold to the current owners who fully restored it internally and externally and they converted it into a luxury hotel.
Elements of architecture:
It is a three-storey building of urban character, which is influenced by neoclassical architecture. The ground floor was designed from the beginning to function as a commercial store, while the two floors served as a living space with separate access. The exterior of the building is decorated with false pillars and false capitals, while its various levels are separated by stepped cornices.
Description of other elements:
Inside the mansion there is decoration with ceiling paintings and frescoes. During the period of use of the building by the Bulgarians in World War II, many alterations were made to it and the painting decoration inside was overlayed.
Purpose - Use: Residence, Commercial space, Administrative building, Hotel
Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Culture, Decision DILAP/C/1118/18603, Government Gazette 530/88
Dating (period): Early 20th century
Year of construction: 1905
Location of the monument: 41.1422718318089, 24.887009626363092
Bibliographic references:
• Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 134
Address: Evripidi Chasirtzoglou 3
Visitable: No