ESIEA Building

The Journalists’ Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA), founded in 1914, has represented journalists working in Athens for more than a century. It is housed at 20 Akadimias Street, and its so-called Mansion constitutes a landmark building of the capital and a symbol of free and dynamic journalism. Within the Mansion, which serves not only journalists and members of the Union but also scholars, writers, scientists, and researchers, operate the ESIEA Educational Foundation, the Journalism Institute “Ioannis Kondylakis,” and the “G. Pournaras” Library, which includes a reading room and a hall functioning as a museum. There, visitors can explore manuscripts, books, and historical artefacts, including manuscripts by Kostis Palamas, correspondence between Eleftherios Venizelos and members of the Union, a manuscript by Rigas Feraios, editions by Adamantios Korais, as well as the Ellinika Chronika of Augustos Mayer.
Recognizing the multifaceted work of ESIEA and its Educational Foundation, AIGEA AMKE contributed, through two significant donations, to the renovation and modernization of the Mansion’s facilities. Initially, it supported the project for the redesign and equipping of the hall of the Journalism Institute “Ioannis Kondylakis,” enabling it to function as an “academy” (lecture and educational seminar hall), library, archive, and reading room. It subsequently undertook the renovation of the “Georgios Karantzas” Hall on the first floor of the Mansion. Following its complete reconstruction, the hall now hosts book presentations with projections, press conferences, conferences with simultaneous interpretation and live streaming, and is equipped with modern audiovisual and electronic systems. The spaces were designed and the works supervised by architect Konstantinos Staikos.

DONATION OF THE NON-PROFIT CIVIL COMPANY AEGEAS

• Design and construction of library units and provision of electronic equipment for the hall of the Journalism Institute “Ioannis Kondylakis.”
• Renovation of the “Georgios Karantzas” Hall.