ABSTRACT
Classical antiquity had served as the inspiration of 19th century architecture in Greece, interpreted through the lens of contemporary neoclassicism. Buildings going up in Greece looked quite similar to those going up in other parts of Europe, notably Denmark or the German states, but their interpretation in Greece emphasized their debt and attachment to local history and archaeology. Officially, the antiquities were venerated and the new architecture was the easy counterpart of the Classical ruins. By the turn of 20th century, however, architects and other intellectuals began shifting their focus from the Classical remains to the local vernacular landscape. This general shift away from the culture of the ancients and toward the culture of the living, rural Greeks also led to the discovery of vernacular architecture. Later in the 20th century, architects such as Dimitris Pikionis and Aris Konstantinidis developed a new vocabulary for national pavilions that blended the building details of vernacular architecture with the simplicity of modern architecture.
