Global General

Greek presidential mansion garden opened to public

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-29 11:34
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ATHENS - Greek President Karolos Papoulias opened the presidential mansion garden to the public Sunday for the first time in its 113-year history.

He declared the garden will be opened to the public every Sunday morning except holidays.

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Acting on his own initiative, Papoulias was trying to convey his willingness for more openness and closer communication with the Greek citizens during the country's troubled moment.

Already, hundreds of Greeks have strolled free of charge in the presidential garden, located in the heart of Athens.

The mansion was built in the 1890s as the palace for Crown Prince Constantine. In the early 20th century, it was used as the residence of the whole royal family after a fire destroyed the nearby Royal Palace, which today houses the Greek parliament. The garden was created as a Royal Garden.

The Crown Prince's Palace began to be used as the official residence of the Greek president in the 1970s.

Covering an area of 25,000 square meters, the garden used to be the royal family's vegetable plantation. Now it has about 140 different varieties of ornamental trees, climbing plants and palms.

The garden's design follows other neo-classical structures of the period and has a relatively rigid French-type geometric plan, with symmetrical beds of grass and seasonal flowering plants.