The "miracle" of Ampelakia, a model of economic development and social structure at the end of the 18th century, acquires special symbolism in the mansion of Georgios Swartz, a leading figure in the renaissance 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 program of conservation and restoration of its excellent frescoes and its wooden elements. It is a project that had immediate priority and that is why it is financed by the NSRF 2014-2020 with a budget of 600,000 euros through the Region of Thessaly.
The project is being carried out by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa and is estimated to be completed at the end of 2023. It is a demanding project as the work includes, as the project manager, head of the Maintenance Department of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larisa, Vassiliki Touli, informs us, "the fixing of detached and loose substrate, the fixing of the painted surface, the removal of newer interventions as well as the cleaning and aesthetic restoration of the painted surface".
It is a process of technical consolidation and aesthetic enhancement of this unique building. The floor, the doors, the ceilings, the paneled wood paneling on the walls, the stucco windows and stucco decorations, the outdoor space of the mansion, all will be preserved and reverently restored, which is why five conservators of antiquities and works of art have been hired and of a craftsman.
The mansion began to be built in 1778 as the residence of Georgios Swartz, but also as the headquarters of the Ambelakia Cooperative.
The mansion began to be built in 1778 and had a dual role, both as the residence of Georgios Mavros (Swartz) and as the seat of the Ambelakia Cooperative, which with its pioneering regulation served extroversion as well as cohesion. In Ampelakia, the model cooperative gave birth to an economic miracle of trading and dyeing threads with an indelible red color thanks to the local rice plant. Ampelakia opened trade routes to the West and the East and remained strong and pioneers until the second decade of the 19th century, when new dyeing technologies were developed.
The wealth as well as the spiritual flourishing are reflected in the mansions, the temples, the 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 Swartz mansion is that it is a bridge between East and West," says Stavroula Sdrolia, head of the Larissa Antiquities Ephorate. "The owner and president of the cooperative traded, apart from Austria-Hungary, in Istanbul and Smyrna and received influences from everywhere. But since Rococo art had already spread, this is what dominates the mansion. From its surviving archive it appears that luxury items were imported from Vienna and among them are chests of glassware, possibly for the mansion's stained glass windows that were assembled on site. Also, his household had many imported objects of similar origin, among them copper dinnerware, Chinese porcelain, the famous Charter of Riga, but also a rich library, mostly French works of the Enlightenment.
"The above objects belonged until recently to the Doganis family, heir of Georgios Swartz, and were purchased by the Ministry of Culture to be displayed in the monument."
Many more projects must be done in Ampelakia in order to take the place they deserve in the public consciousness. The great cultural legacy of the Prefecture of Larissa, and the region of Tempe in particular, is a systematic object of interest of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa and many projects have already started or are about to be approved. The restoration of the Georgios Schwartz mansion was a big backlog that is finally being addressed.
Nikos Vatopoulos
*Cover photography: Ephorate of Antiquities of Larisa
Source: kathimerini.gr