Hermoupolis celebrates 200 years of history, and the Documenting Heritage Festival returns for its fourth year, from 22 to 24 May 2026, inviting the public to rediscover the city through the lens of memory and contemporary creation.<\/p>\n
Images, sounds, narratives, materials and lived experiences, open a contemporary dialogue around the importance of cultural heritage and the collective responsibility to safeguard it. Screenings, exhibitions,
\narchitectural walks, artistic actions and educational workshops transform the city into an open field of experiences, where history meets contemporary creation and tradition enters into dialogue with innovation.<\/p>\n
Through broad collaboration among institutions, creators, artists, researchers, volunteers, and citizens, the Festival highlights Hermoupolis not only as a place of memory but also as a living cell of culture, participation, and intergenerational connection.<\/p>\n
The Festival is organised by the Historical Museum of Hermoupolis, the non-profit organisation \u201cHERMeS\u201d, the Municipality of Syros\u2013Hermoupolis, and the Region of the South Aegean,under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, the Europa Nostra Athens Hub and ELLET.<\/p>\n
We look forward to having you with us at this year\u2019s events.
\nAdmission is free for everyone \/ Seat reservation is required.
\nticketservices.gr | Apollo Theatre box office<\/p>\n
FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
\nThe Festival opens on Friday, 22 May, with an awareness-raising workshop on the impact of graffiti and tagging on historic buildings, in collaboration with the Service of Modern Monuments and Technical Works
\nof Attica, Eastern Central Greece and the Cyclades.<\/p>\n
In the evening, the official opening will take place at the \u201cApollon\u201d Theater with the screening of the multi-award-winning documentary Mourning Rock by Filippos Koutsafthis. The film is a cinematic chronicle
\nof Elefsina, a city with enduring historical and symbolic weight. Through observations of everyday life and place, the documentary explores the concept of memory and the relationship between people and their environment, inviting the audience of Hermoupolis to reflect on the challenges their city faces.<\/p>\n
OPEN HERMOUPOLIS
\nOn Saturday, the Festival\u2019s much-loved flagship event, \u201cOpen Hermoupolis\u201d, opens 12 emblematic buildings to the public, specially selected for the bicentenary of the city. Among them, the building of the
\nGeneral State Archives of the Cyclades, where visitors will have the opportunity to see original drawings by E. Ziller up close. With contributions from experts and volunteers, visitors will explore the
\nhistory, architecture, and restoration practices that shape the identity of Hermoupolis. At the same time, the Festival\u2019s younger visitors will be able to experience the activity in their own way through a hidden treasure hunt.<\/p>\n
OUR TEACHER MANOS HADJIDAKIS & MANOS HADJIDAKIS \u2013 REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR
\nSaturday evening is dedicated to Manos Hadjidakis. At the \u201cApollon\u201d Theater, composer Nikos Kypourgos shares personal memories and images from the life and work of our teacher, Manos Hadjidakis. This will be
\nfollowed by the screening of Manos Hadjidakis: Idol in the Mirror, the valuable documentary by Dimitris Vernikos, a journey into the musical myth of Manos Hadjidakis. The audience will have the opportunity to discuss with the director, shedding light on different aspects of Hadjidakis\u2019 creative journey.<\/p>\n
EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
\nOn the morning of Sunday, the Festival continues with interactive workshops for children and adults that approach cultural heritage through contemporary experiential learning and creation. In the marble craftsmanship workshop, implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Preparatory and Professional School of Fine Arts ofPanormos, Tinos, participants visit St. Georges\u2019 burial monuments and become acquainted with the marble-carving tradition of Tinos, imprinting elements on marble under the guidance of sculptor Panagiotis Kaloudis.
\nIn the pottery workshop, by CHIMAIRA art & craft, the ceramic decorative elements of the neoclassical city and the Town Hall become a source of inspiration, leading to the creation of personal ceramic compositions.
\nThe pop-up card workshop, by Birds & Lofts, introduces children and adults to the art of pop-up cards, transforming neoclassical architectural elements into three-dimensional paper constructions. Finally, in the
\ncultural animation workshop, in collaboration with ANIMASYROS, the \u201cYoung Guides\u201d and members of the Syros Open Care Centres co-create a stop\u0002motion narrative about the historic moment when Hermoupolis was given its name.<\/p>\n
Registration is required for all workshops. Participation is free:
\nhttps:\/\/www.heritagefestival.gr\/7<\/p>\n
Limited places, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/p>\n
INSIDE ZILLER\u2019S MIND
\nThe Festival closes with a special evening event held as part of the official celebration of Hermoupolis\u2019 200th anniversary, transforming the emblematic Town Hall into a living field of memory and art through a
\nmultimedia experience of exploration and immersion.
\nFor the first time, the Town Hall reveals closed and hidden spaces to the public, inviting visitors on a guided journey in space and time. Through projections, projection mapping, music, sound and spoken word, the different aspects that make up the identity of Hermoupolis \u2014 its architecture, Cycladic landscape, industrial history and cultural memory \u2014 come to life inside the city\u2019s landmark building. Visitors will move freely through successive action stations, guided by Ziller, the architect whose work and vision shaped the city\u2019s image. The event is framed by an exhibition on the history and documentation of the Town Hall\u2019s construction, the result of a collaboration between the School of Architecture of the University of Notre Dame, the Municipality of Syros\u2013 Hermoupolis, HERMeS and the Historical Museum of Hermoupolis, which will be hosted in the Town Hall throughout the summer<\/p>\n
THE FESTIVAL TEAM
\nWith dozens of applications from Athens, Thessaloniki and other parts of Greece and Cyprus, 40 volunteers are joining the Festival team to support us and guide you.
\nWe invite you to a three-day celebration of culture as part of our effort to learn about, love, and protect our cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
See you on 22\u201324 May in Hermoupolis<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hermoupolis celebrates 200 years of history, and the Documenting Heritage Festival returns for its fourth year, from 22 to 24 May 2026, inviting the public to rediscover the city through the lens of memory and contemporary creation. Images, sounds, narratives,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2460,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_tribe_events_status":"","_tribe_events_status_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"tribe_events_cat":[23],"class_list":["post-2204","tribe_events","type-tribe_events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tribe_events_cat-festivals","cat_festivals"],"yoast_head":"\n