Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation
Historical Library (Reading room, Exhibitions)
2nd Merarchias 36 & Aktis Moutsopoulou185 35 Piraeus
http://www.laskaridisfoundation.org/en/
The Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, a vibrant and active cultural hub, is situated in the heart of Piraeus, spread over four buildings, that house its many and diverse activities. With the purpose of promoting the Greek culture and the historical and maritime research, the Foundation’s Historical Library, a “library of libraries”, boasts more than 450,000 volumes –books and archival collections of significant scholars and personalities of Letters and Culture–, which are accessible to researchers both via its online catalogue and on site. Its old and rare material, early printed books, and the collection of 115 incunabula, testify to the uniqueness of its collections. The Lending Library, with its collection of more than 35,000 books, covering all areas of knowledge and already popular with the local community, is a meeting point for the people of Piraeus. In addition, the Foundation has a major Naval Collection, an important part of which is the Nelson Collection, including personal items, dozens of letters and documents related to the English Admiral Horatio Nelson and is the largest Nelson collection outside the United Kingdom. The Foundation is active in the field of Digital Humanities running the websites Travelogues and TravelTrails, regarding the work of the 15th – 19th century travelers, and the interactive application and website ToposText. A significant part of the Foundation’s activities is covered by the ministry-approved educational programmes for students of primary and secondary education, visited by more than 30,000 students from all over Greece per year. Equally important are the various seminars for educators, as well as the systematic teacher-training on autism, bullying and support of children with behavioral problems in the classroom. The international activity in the field of Humanities expands to the support of the “Marilena Laskaridis Endowed Chair of Modern Greek Studies” at the University of Amsterdam and the “Marilena Laskaridis” Chair of Classical and Modern Greek Studies at Tsinghua University of Beijing. Within the Foundation is also operating the Centre for China Studies, which is founded in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Exhibitions, conferences and other events concerning current research and culture are taking place throughout the year.
