When remodeling your home Yannis Ritsu in Monemvasia in the Municipal Museum, the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Peloponnese Region and the Municipality of Monemvasia are implementing the Agreement on a Cultural Development Program.

The project, funded by the Ministry of Antiquities, is carried out under the supervision of its competent services, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Laconia and the New Cultural Heritage Authority.

As emphasized by the Ministry of Culture in a statement, the collaboration to create an exhibition space dedicated to Yiannis Ritsos, one of the most emblematic figures of modern Greek poetry, was noted during an autopsy conducted by the Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina. Mendoni, in the house of the poet and in the monuments of Castropolitia.

The aim of the project “Transforming the House of Giannis Ritsu in Monemvasia Castle into a Municipal Museum” is to create an exhibition space to present the personality of the poet and his connection with his homeland, Monemvasia.

The permanent exhibition will present the life and work of the poet through a selection of symbolic poems for each section, constituting a place in the Greek and international literary heritage.

The connection with the historical past, the strengthening of the collective memory and the awareness of the residents of the municipality of Monemvasia about the highlighting of the history of their place and their culture are the main objectives of the design proposal of the exhibition, contributing in the long term to the sustainable development of the area.

The scope of the contract includes the necessary museological and museographic studies, as well as general work on the formation and transformation of the house into the Giannis Ritsu Museum. A different view of the poet on Monemvasia, which the exhibition will offer, will contribute to the popularization and coverage of this historically symbolic place. In a modern digital, interactive and entertaining format, it will enrich the cultural identity of the municipality, becoming a pole for attracting visitors.

The family home of Giannis Ritsos is located at the entrance to the proclaimed archaeological site of the Lower City of Monemvasia. It is accessed from the central cobbled street of the Lower City through an archway. Its original core dates back to post-Byzantine times. The entire territory of Old Monemvasia, bridge and rock, is declared an archaeological site, and the peninsula of Monemvasia is a site of special natural beauty and a historical site with a declaration, as well as monuments of settlements and walls to the peninsula.