Walking through Mikro Vati in Aulis, outside of Chalkis, one gets a pervasive impression of an otherworldly atmosphere. Few people know that Aulis, located in a bay with an industrial relief of the former Cementi AGET Heraklis, is one of the most obscure archaeological sites in the country. “And among the most important,” says my fellow traveler Yiannis Katsanos emphatically, an educator, philologist and the person who, together with a group of intellectuals, gave birth to the Biomechanical Festival, created since 2017 by the Theater of Chalkis. There, every July, overlooking the industrial outlines of Chimentadikos (like a state of science fiction), this imaginary triangle is formed, “defined by the archaeological site of the Temple of Aulidia of Artemis, the ‘orchestral circle’ created by the Theater of Chalcis in the center. an inactive quarry and a small natural ecosystem that has developed at the place where the sea enters the ancient landscape.

This palimpsest of feelings accompanies us to the archaeological sites associated with the Trojan War and the sacrifice of Iphigenia, and accompanies us to pine meadows (with grass breaking through a cement carpet spread on the ground), workers’ houses of the 20s, gutted reliefs of a landscape, a theater orchestra for festival on the opposite bank with an evocative view of the Cements, proper condition. Dense memory stratigraphy. That day, the demolition work was gradually eating away at the industrial building. This is a moot point, as Chimentadikos’ imposing shells alone can be linked to the vision of industrial archeology – modern art – ecosystem – archaeological site. Aulis can highlight the city of Chalkis as an international destination.

What I’m experiencing during the autopsy we’re doing (a continuation of an experience I had at the festival a few years ago) contributes to understanding the need to heal the landscape. This is what the Citizens’ Initiative Group aims to preserve and reuse the cement plant, as well as draw attention to the archaeological site in Aulis. Aulis was part of the interior of Boeotia in ancient times and was excavated from time to time in the 20th century. Initially in 1928, when the construction of the factory began, and in 1954, as well as in the period 1956-1961, by the then rector of the Department of Antiquities of Boeotia, Ioannis Trepsiadis (1907-1962). In recent years, this place has been inhabited, but nothing speaks of its importance. But nature, waterways and thickets of vegetation, an eerie image of ruined stone buildings for workers and guards, the terrain of the hill – all this makes up something that can easily be called unique. Architect Mary Murcellus, who has explored the area and aims to preserve the industrial remains and revitalize the area, highlights the need for an integrated intervention for the cultural and tourist development of the site.

The citizen’s initiative calls for the preservation of the industrial architecture in the former AGET of Heraklis and the highlighting of the ancient landscape.

From the interwar period

Chalkida Cements ceased operations in 2013, having been associated with the development of the country from the interwar period until recent years. “Over the years they have employed thousands of workers from all over Evia, but have also drastically affected the quality of life in the area with cement dust pollution,” Civic Initiative reports. It is time for restitution, healing, symbiosis. Currently, work is underway with the permission of the Ministry of Shipping (2021) to create port facilities in the bay, preparing the environment for a new era after the planned demolition of the complex and the creation of a logistics business park.

In the emerging landscape of the post-cement era, two worldviews and two interpretations of sustainability and culture collide. With a serious study of the future of Aulis, without harming anyone, everyone would benefit, and especially the city of Chalkis.

Aulis should be able to maintain an archaeological museum and treat the natural landscape at the entrance to the city. Ancient memory coexists with natural beauty, industrial and labor history with modern artistic creativity. It is striking that this unique combination is ignored.