The Mansion of G. Schwartz is one of the most important mansions in Greece. The mansion, erected in 1787 and consists of three floors, where we can find the reception hall, the bedrooms and other subsidiary rooms. It is richly decorated with wall paintings and wood carved ornaments.
The mansion (archontiko) began to be build in 1778 as the residence of the President of the Ambelakia Cooperative, Georgios Mavros (Schwartz in German language). It was also the headquarters of the Cooperative for the more than forty years of its operation (1778-1820). In 1965 it was purchased by the Greek State and since then has been a monument open to the public.
The mansion is a characteristic example of the 18th century traditional architecture. It was an L-Shaped plan and consists of a ground floor and two upper storeys, the upper one of which has projecting balconies (sachnisia). The most interesting feature of the interior is the wall-paintings that adorn the wooden panelling in all the rooms, the porcelain fireplace, the windows and the wooden carved sailings.
This decoration, which was executed by a painter known only by the initials L.L., was completed in 1798. It consists of both small and large compositions, with geometric and floral patterns, and also landscapes, which have an impressive wealth of subjects and testify to the skill and quality of their painting. |