DESCRIPTION
INFORMATION
 
 
© 7th Ephorate of Antiquities
The two historical buildings of modern Olympia: the Old Museum and the SPAP hotel on the hilltop, overlooking the valley of the river Alpheus and the archaeological site
Loaded with memories, glamor and excess, on top of the hill where the Old Museum of Olympia, stands the historic hotel SPAP, real jewel of the modern town of Olympia. Its name is due to the company "Railways of Piraeus - Athens - Peloponnese" which constructed it upon arrival of the railway in Olympia. The hotel operated continuously from the early 20th century (1908) until 1984. Its luxurious rooms and suites hosted hundreds of ordinary visitors who came to admire the treasures of Olympia but also Kings, Heads of States and personalities that marked the modern Greek and world history. Among them, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who felt immense peacefulness and euphoria during his stay in the hotel and got a taste of paradise from his visit to Olympia in 1927, as he recounts.



Today SPAP hotel, renovated in 2004, serves as the homonymous exhibition and congress center. The conference room has a capacity of 170 people with a modern translation center availiable. The beautiful and comfortable facilities have already hosted important events and exhibitions such as "Tribute to Olive Tree" in 2007 - 2008, and the International Workshop of Unesco on "Disaster Risk Management at World Heritage Properties" in November 2008.



The halls of SPAP, after permission from the Archaeological Service, can be granted to mainly cultural institutions and universities for the organization of scientific and cultural events and exhibitions.
Author
Konstantinos Antonopoulos