The cultural and folklore character in Xanthi of yesterday and today
The route is about 800 meters long, lasts about 50 minutes and is of low difficulty. In it, the visitor will come into contact with an incomparably rich cultural character, which Xanthi has highlighted over the years and has been indelibly imprinted on its urban fabric. There are several surviving points that remind and can reconstruct the so-called Belle Époque period (1871-1914), during which the city experienced great economic and artistic flourishing.

The frescoes with Bavarian or German landscapes in the Kougioumtzoglou Mansion and the ceiling paintings with decorative and floral motifs in the Daniel Mansion or the Megha Kin cinema and the "Apollo" theater, in which the French actress Sarah Bernhardt is rumored to have played in some performances, give a taste of the arts of painting and theater, as they were expressed at that time.

On the other hand, dozens of places and buildings function today as expressions of the city's folklore, where artistic events and events of small and large scale take place. Starting from the Daniel Mansion and ending at the Adamides House, near Mitropoleos Square, the visitor will have the opportunity to get to know the city through buildings that functioned and function as seats of cultural associations, groups, writers and artists who have been and are active in the city of Xanthi.

Apart from the established Old Town Festivals (late August-early September), some of these spaces are functional throughout the year. They function either as visitable exhibition spaces, such as the Folklore and Historical Museum of F.E.X., the House of Shadow and the Municipal Art Gallery, or as venues for events, concerts, etc., such as the House of Culture of F.E.X.

56. Olympia Cinema

Brief documentation:

The building was designed from the beginning to function as a cinema. It was built in 1906 at a central point of the traditional settlement and belonged to the family Sophocles Arsenakis and Ourania Orfanidou. After the death of the latter in 1969, the building passed into the ownership of the son of the family, Romulos Arsenakis. During the period 1919-1946 it operated under the name "Pantheon", and then received the name "Olympia". In recent years it has been operating as a commercial enterprise (cafe, bar and video game store).
It is a ground floor building of folk architecture, made of stonework and brickwork, while it also includes reinforced concrete interventions. The main area of the building is constructed in a rectangular shape, while the floor is sloping, as there was the projection room with the stage. Next to the central hall there were smaller ones, which served as auxiliary spaces of the cinema. In the west courtyard an external staircase led to the room where the projection engineer was located. In the courtyard during the summer months there was an open-air cinema.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST


History:

he building was designed from the beginning to function as a cinema. During the period 1919 – 1946 it operated under the name "Pantheon", and then received the name "Olympia". It maintained this function until the mid-2000s. Since then, it has been used as a commercial enterprise (café, bar and video game store).
It was built in 1906 at a central point of the traditional settlement. It belonged to the family of Sophocles Arsenakis and Ourania Orfanidou, who inherited it from her mother Aspasia Orfanidou, wife of Ioannis Orfanides. After the death of Ourania Orfanidou in 1969, the building became the property of the family's son, Romulos Arsenakis.


Elements of architecture:

he ground floor building of folk architecture was designed from scratch to function as a cinema. The main space of the building is made in a rectangular shape. The floor is sloping, as there was the projection room with the stage. Next to the central hall there were smaller ones, which served as auxiliary spaces of the cinema. In the west courtyard an external staircase led to the room where the projection engineer was located. In the courtyard during the summer months there was a summer cinema.


Description of other elements:

The building is constructed of masonry with relief zones of brickwork and reinforced concrete interventions, which are evident on the northeast side of the building.


Purpose - Use: Cultural space, Commercial space


Characterization: Government Gazette 612B/30-4-1976 and Government Gazette 661/Β/17-5-1976, Government Gazette 1097/14.12-1995


Dating (period): Early 20th century


Year of construction: 1906


Location of the monument: 41.14314086714824, 24.887804210787554


Bibliographic references:

•    Thomas Exarchou, Islets Polis Xanthi 2, P.A.KE.THRA., Xanthi 2003
•    Elina Athanasiadou – Xenia Pasternak, Integrated intervention on a building island in the old town of Xanthi, unpublished diploma thesis, Department of Architecture, Democritus University of Thrace   


 Address: Orfeos 14


Visitable: Yes

 

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