Lighting up her rock Monemvasias shared by the local community. On the one hand, there are those who believe that the project will help to highlight the impressive landscape and monuments and, more broadly, tourism product of the region, which is not limited to the borders of the peninsula. On the other hand, the city has permanent residents and homeowners. state of the castlewho are concerned that the project will change the appearance of the area, create light pollution and further promote tourism.

The lighting design of Monemvasia concerns sights and historical sights: the complex of the central gates of the Lower City, the paths leading to the Upper City, the Upper City complex, the rock inside, within the Lower City. , Hagia Sophia, part of the fortification on the north side of the rock and the acropolis. According to the preliminary study of the project, “the rock should appear on the horizon as something whole, not isolated, but as a continuation of the earth. The intensity of the light must be limited to low levels for its soft but not clear appearance and must spread along the entire length of the rock so that its shape remains intact (…). The relief (sic) of the rock must be preserved and highlighted.”

The project promotes Municipality of Monemvasia, Region Peloponnese And Ministry of Culture And Parnonas Development Organization, they signed a programming contract in January. The project has already been put up for auction (with a budget of about 1 million euros) and will be completed with design and construction, and the project will first be approved by KAS.

This applies to sights and historical sites. Some locals fear that this is a “window dressing” project.

Part of the local population is concerned about this project, fearing that it is a “demonstration project” that will ultimately worsen the lives of the few inhabitants of the Lower City. The Association of Friends of Monemvasia, which has about 80 members (all the owners of houses in the castle town), sent a letter a few days ago to the deputies of Laconia and the Deputy Minister of the Environment, Giorgos Amiras, asking for intervention. “We have seen a lot over the years,” says Nicky Waitsoe, vice president of the association. “For example, licenses for traditional cafes, which after a while turn into bars, and during peak periods, into doghouses. Tourism is much more than the village can handle, resulting in poor water quality, noise pollution, and overcrowding. We feel that Monemvasia is being treated as a ‘decoration’, as a tourist décor, and not as a real settlement.” In this context, the club is very cautious about the lighting project. “We do not know the details because the authorities do not provide us with research. We are afraid of overexposure, we are afraid of its impact on the fauna – Monemvasia – the territory of Natura, we are afraid of how this whole project will end in a few years after completion. If there is anything unique about Monemvasia, it is its sky. Why illuminate the rock? Those who want it are those who live across the street and want it as a backdrop for their business.”

“We tried for 20 years”

The municipality, for its part, claims that the project will be of high quality, and its work will be in perfect harmony with the space. “I don’t accept the non-transparency argument, we have proposed many times to inform everyone who wants to,” says the mayor of Monemvasia. Iraklis Tricheilis. “Those who are protesting are the elite who have bought expensive houses and do not want anything to be done to lighten the village. The project aims to illuminate the rock and the castle, as all the monuments are illuminated. This is a request from the residents, we have been trying for 20 years. What to do, in every project there are always those who disagree. However, we assure them that the lighting will not interfere with the houses and will create a beautiful atmosphere. The project was carried out by Eleftheria Deco, a leader in its field, which also oversaw the illumination of the Acropolis in Athens.”

It should be noted that Monemvasia has been fully declared an archaeological site since 1961, as a result of which it has retained its physiognomy. However, the settlement remains without a defined land use, resulting in occasional “conflicts” in the relationship between residence and tourist use. The 5th section of the Council of State (decision 2526/20) requested a decree to close this serious gap, indicating that there is “an individual approach to the issue of the use of buildings and the issuance of conflicting decisions.”