King Otto The building was constructed between 1836 and 1847, intended to become the palace of King Otto, following the transfer of the state’s capital from
Nafplio to Athens in 1834. It was erected at the expense of King
Ludwig I of Bavaria, as a personal loan to Otto. The final selection of the site for the construction of the old palace was made by Gärtner himself at the end of 1835, after rejecting the proposals of
Kleanthis,
Schaubert,
Klenze, and
Schinkel, who had suggested locations in
Omonoia,
Kerameikos, and the
Acropolis, respectively. Ludwig, Otto’s father, had also objected to the latter. Specifically, the area proposed by Gärtner for the construction was at the junction of
Stadiou Street (then a peripheral road) and
Ermou Street, on a small and gentle hill. In addition to its healthy climate, the location overlooked Athens from its easternmost edge. Thus, Gärtner was instructed to draft the building’s plans, a task he accomplished in a short time during his brief stay in Athens (from December 1835 to March 1836), a feat made possible only by his considerable expertise. The foundation of the building was laid on 25 January (Old Style) / 6 February (New Style), 1836, in the presence of Ludwig I and the ambassadors of the Great Powers. In March, Gärtner returned to Munich, leaving the supervision of the construction to Bavarian lieutenants Sloter and Hoss. From his office in
Munich, Gärtner completed the detailed studies, producing a total of 247 designs related solely to the Athens palace building. These designs are now part of Munich’s large Moniger collection, while a small number have been donated to the Parliament Museum, demonstrating the care put into every detail. The primary materials used in the building’s construction were stone, marble, and wood. The stone mainly came from
Hymettus,
Lycabettus, and the "Pinakota" area near
Strefi Hill in Athens, while the marble came primarily from
Penteli, with smaller quantities from Hymettus,
Tinos,
Paros,
Naxos, and a few from
Carrara and
Genoa in
Italy. Lastly, the wood was sourced from Evia. Notably, many locals, especially islanders such as those from Tinos,
Sifnos, Paros, and Naxos, volunteered to work on the palace’s construction without pay. Once the walls were completed in November 1840, Gärtner returned to Athens to oversee the continuation of the construction and the interior decoration, bringing with him renowned historical painters of the time, Johann Schraudolph, Ulrich Halbreiter, and Josef Kranzburger. These artists were responsible for the large murals depicting scenes from Greek mythology and the Greek Revolution of 1821, especially in the Trophy Hall. After a three-month stay, Gärtner returned to Munich, leaving the engineer Riedel in charge, who successfully completed the building in 1847. King Otto and Queen Amélie moved into the royal palace in 1843. On 3 September of the same year, General
Dimitrios Kallergis, with his men and a large part of the population, presented themselves at the windows of the sovereign to compel him to grant a
constitution to the Kingdom. This peaceful revolution made the building a symbol of Greece’s political power. The square to the west of the palace was named "Constitution Square" (Πλατεία Συντάγματος,
Syntagma Square) in honor of this event.
King George I and his successors After Otto’s abrupt departure and abdication,
George I became the new King of Greece in 1864. He moved into the palace with his family but decided in 1868 to relocate the heir apparent, known as the
Diadoch, to another building. For this purpose, he had the
Crown Prince's Palace constructed. At the same time, George I had two summer residences built: the
Tatoi Palace, about twenty kilometers north of Athens, and the
Mon Repos villa on the island of
Corfu. The royal palace was devastated by a terrible fire in 1909. The king and his family then moved to the Crown Prince's palace, from then on known as the "New Palace". Even after the reconstruction, George did not immediately return to the palace, unlike his wife,
Queen Olga, who remained there after her husband’s assassination in 1913.
Constantine I neglected the palace, and his successor,
Alexander, chose to reside at Tatoi. In 1924,
a referendum abolished the monarchy, and the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed. The royal family was forced into exile. The palace was then used for many different purposes: housing a variety of government and public services in the 1920s, functioning as a makeshift
hospital during
World War II, a refugee shelter for
Greek refugees from the
Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) in 1922, a
museum with the personal effects of
King George I (now part of the collection of the
National Historical Museum), and other uses.
The Hellenic Parliament In November 1929, the government decided to relocate the Parliament to the royal palace from its previous location in a neoclassical building on Stadiou Street, the
Old Parliament House, now the National Historical Museum. This move marked a significant transformation of the building’s role, with the republic overshadowing the former monarchy. After more extensive renovations, the
Senate convened in the "Old Palace" on 2 August 1934, followed by the Fifth National Assembly on 1 July 1935. Although the monarchy was restored that same year, the building has housed Parliament ever since. The transformation of the building into the Parliament was carried out by architect Andreas Kriezis. On 25 March 1932, the unveiling of the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which had begun construction in 1929, took place. Today, the building serves as the headquarters of the
Hellenic Parliament. Other buildings associated with the Parliament include the Tobacco Factory (housing the Parliament’s Library and Archives), the building on
Vasilissis Amalias Avenue (for administrative services), the buildings at 4 Voulis Street and 2 Mitropoleos Street (offices for regional Members of Parliament), the Exhibition Hall of the Parliament Foundation, part of the Arvanitis Mansion (for administrative services), and the building at 1A Sekeri Street (for administrative services). In 2003, new statues were unveiled to honor two prominent Prime Ministers of the country, Charilaos Trikoupis and Eleftherios Venizelos, further enhancing the republican image of the Palace. An exhibition tracing the building’s history from its origins was held in 2009. In front of the Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by a unit of the Greek army known as the
Evzones, forming the
Presidential Guard. The Evzones wear traditional Greek uniforms, with the most distinctive feature being the
fustanella. The changing of the guard occurs every hour. The Grand Change of the Guard, which includes officers and a marching band, occurs every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. It is a popular event among visitors and Athenians, regularly attracting crowds of spectators. to watch the Grand Change of the Guard ==Architecture==