Joint Press Release of the Ministries of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport and National Defence Programme Contract Signing Ceremony for the Restoration of the Listed[...]

Joint Press Release of the Ministries of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport and National Defence Programme Contract Signing Ceremony for the Restoration of the Listed Building of the Old District Court of Sparta

July 23, 2026

On 22 July 2026, the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport Sofia Zacharaki and the Deputy Minister of National Defence Thanasis Davakis signed a Programme Contract for the Restoration of the Listed Building of the Old District Court of Sparta. The signing ceremony took place at Ioannis D. Pantis hall of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport.

The Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport Sofia Zacharaki made the following statement:

"With the signing of the contract with the Ministry of National Defence for the restoration of the listed building of the Old District Court of Sparta and its conversion to the new building of the General State Archives of Lakonia we prove with actions that history is not a closed chapter, but rather a living legacy that must be protected and be accessible to everyone.As Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport, we allocate from the Public Investment Programme €2.8 mil. for the implementation of the project, investing substantially in the preservation and enhancement of a historic building, which will be returned to the community of Sparta in a great new educational and cultural role.

Today's agreement is not a single intervention. It is the continuation of a coherent policy implemented for the General State Archives. Recently, we completed the monumental project for the digitisation of the General State Archives, totalling €30 mil., through the Recovery Fund, thus bringing seven centuries of Greek history into the digital era and allowing access to every citizen, while we also allocated an additional €362,000, through the National Development Programme, for the full furnishing of the "Tzotzas Mansion" in Kastoria, which will constitute the new modern building for the General State Archives there.

Protecting historical memory is not a symbolic obligation. It is an investment in knowledge, education, culture, and the identity of each region of the country. And this investment we transform, step by step, into an actual project with a continued footprint for the local communities and the following generations."

The Deputy Minister of National Defence, Thanasis Davakis, made the following statement:

"Today we took the most decisive step in order to bring back life to the old District Court of Sparta and accommodate the Lakonia Chapter of the General State Archives. Following systematic work and the approval of the Court of Auditors, the signing of the Programme Statement allows us to proceed immediately to the tendering procedure.

I would like to wholeheartedly thank the Minister of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sport, Sofia Zacharaki, for the excellent cooperation, speedy response, and allocation of the necessary funding.

We move forward with consistency, dedication, and actual projects that upgrade and protect our historical legacy".