She had two “parties,” as she literally said. President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou For presidential palace. The first was that all citizens should have access to the palace gardens, on these approximately 25 acres with centuries-old plane trees, sycamores and cypresses, among the chirping of dozens of birds. The second was to create a museum that would display the gifts she received as President of the Republic during her years in office.

Both of her wishes have now come true, achieving what amounts to the same priority: opening up to society. Every Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, the Palace garden attracts dozens of young and old visitors, and yesterday morning she opened a gift museum. The donors are heads and ambassadors of foreign states, military formations of the Armed Forces, religious, municipal and rectory bodies, representatives of cultural associations, etc.

But some gifts, most insignificant in value, but emotionally charged for her – for example, a handmade doll given to her by a young Ukrainian woman during a visit to the country – are in her personal account. “I really love folklore,” Mrs. Sakellaropoulou told reporters at the opening of the museum.

Indeed, among the exhibits of this small museum, located in one of the halls of the Palace, are offerings from the Ethnological Museum of Thrace with elegant selections of Aggeliki Jannakidu, as well as a traditional female costume from Kalymnos and a necklace of gold jewelry. , stand out from the traditional costume of Rhodes. And, perhaps, the most expensive gift is a luxurious jewelry set – a necklace, a ring and earrings – made of emeralds and white gold, a gift from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia bin Salman Al Saud, which, of course, goes to the treasury, but the most touching. is a bronze commemorative plaque donated by the municipality of Kalimera to the Greek-speaking villages of Puglia when the president was declared an honorary citizen of Greece, Salentina, which reads in the Greek spoken by the locals: “Foreigner, you are not here.”

Or a gift from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his recent visit to Kyiv. This is an oil painting by 14-year-old student Veronica Pirko “Children of Mariupol”, which depicts the City Theater of the city before and after the Russian invasion and incessant bombing.

The museum can be visited by the public – schools, organizations, groups – as part of organized tours of the Presidential Palace, which are offered by agreement. Undoubtedly, the children’s attention will be attracted by the miniature of the submarine “Ocean” of the Navy, a copy of the Antikythera mechanism and souvenir swords from the swearing-in ceremony of graduates of the Icarus, Evelpid and Cadet schools. , as well as flags from uninhabited islands and their outposts.