The “miracle” of Ampelakia, a model of economic development and social structure of the late 18th century, takes on special symbolism in the mansion of Georgios Schwarz, a leading figure in the rebirth of Thessaly and the spread of economic networks. The mansion, one of the most important secular buildings in Greece, according to the competent Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa, has been included in a conservation and restoration program for its superb frescoes and wooden elements. This is a project that had immediate priority and is therefore funded by the NSRF for 2014-2020 with a budget of 600,000 euros through the region of Thessaly.

The project is being implemented by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa and is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. This is a complex project, as the head of the maintenance department of the Ephorate of Antiquities is included in the job as project manager. Larisa, Vasiliki Tuli, informs us, “fixation of a loose and loose base, fixation of a painted surface, removal of newer interventions, as well as cleaning and aesthetic restoration of a painted surface.”

It is a process of technical consolidation and aesthetic improvement of this unique building. The floor, doors, ceilings, wood-paneled walls, stucco windows and stucco decorations, the exterior of the mansion will all be preserved and reverently restored, so five curators of antiquities and works of art have been hired and an artisan.

The mansion began to be built in 1778 as the residence of Georgios Schwartz, as well as the residence of the Ambelakia cooperative.

The mansion began to be built in 1778 and had a dual role: as the residence of Georgios Mavros (Schwartz) and as the residence of the Ambelakia cooperative, which, with its innovative regulation, served both extroversion and cohesion. In Ampelakia, a modeling cooperative spawned an economic miracle of trading and dyeing threads indelibly red, thanks to a local rice mill. Ampelacia opened trade routes to the West and East and remained strong and innovative until the second decade of the 19th century, when new dyeing techniques were developed.

Wealth, as well as spiritual flourishing, are reflected in mansions, temples, and schools. Ampelakia (along with Pelion, Epirus and Western Macedonia) was one of the centers of the awakening of Hellenism in the 18th century. “The significance of the Georgios Schwartz mansion is that it is a bridge between East and West,” says Stavroula Sdrolia, head of the Larisa Ephorate of Antiquities. “The owner and chairman of the cooperative traded, except for Austria-Hungary, in Istanbul and Smyrna and received influence from everywhere. But since Rococo art has already spread, this is what dominates the mansion. From his surviving archive it appears that the luxury items were imported from Vienna, and among them are chests containing glassware, possibly for the mansion’s stained-glass windows, which were assembled on site. In addition, there were many imported items of similar origin in his household, including copper utensils, Chinese porcelain, the famous Riga Charter, as well as a rich library, mainly French works of the Enlightenment.

“The above objects belonged until recently to the Doganis family, the heir of Georgios Schwarz, and were acquired by the Ministry of Culture for display in the monument.”

There are still many projects to be done in Ampelakia in order to take its rightful place in the public consciousness. The great cultural heritage of Larissa Prefecture and the Tempe region in particular is a systematic object of interest of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa, and many projects have already begun or will soon be approved. The restoration of the mansion of Georgios Schwartz was a big backlog, which is finally being solved.