For one more time, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni came under fire on Tuesday, after revelations that she plan to have a plaque on the Acropolis with her name along with the name the sponsor who paid for the cement paths and the eleveator for people with disabilities.
Worth noting: neither Pericles who coordinated the construction of the site’s most important monument, the Parthenon, has a plaque with his name, nor sculptor Phidias nor Ictinus and Callicrates, the famous architects, who were responsible for the construction.
The revelations became public after the contract of the deal with the sponsor was submitted to the Parliament and excerpts of the controversial passage leaked to the press.
1) Σύμβαση δωρεάς που προβλέπει την τοποθέτηση στην Ακρόπολη 3 επιγραφών ότι τα έργα έγιναν «επί υπουργίας Λίνας Μενδώνη»
2) Αποκάλυψη της σύμβασης (φωτό)
3) Η #Μενδωνη αποσύρει άρον-άρον το όνομά της – πανικός στο Πολιτισμού
4) Ανακοίνωση του υπουργείου για fake news pic.twitter.com/BGkPpuIFfG— e-tetRadio.gr (@tetRadio) April 6, 2021
SYRIZA issued a sharp statement and soon a statement by the Culture Ministry followed that accused the main opposition party of “fake news” aiming to target the Minister’s character.
The plaque will be 70×40 cm and will be raised somewhere near the elevators for people with disabilities.
As expected Greeks on social media were inspired by Lina Mendoni’s megalomania and turned their inspiration into creativity.
#Μενδωνη pic.twitter.com/5R2TXG9ysD
— Τζερμποα (@kagouriki) April 6, 2021
Γεια σου Μενδώνη Καρυάτις#Μενδωνη pic.twitter.com/WSLrOT8tf0
— Θείος Ραδιούργος (@radiourgos_dog) April 6, 2021
Σε λίγο θα μας πουν ότι την Ακρόπολη την έφτιαξε η #Μενδωνη pic.twitter.com/TSpNIHzy8F
— Χαρά Στεφανόπουλου (@MNH09bUYjDfoc92) April 6, 2021
Έπρεπε#Μενδώνη #Ακρόπολη pic.twitter.com/5fXybN48O6
— ʍքǟȶɦǟֆ 💊 (@GiannisMpathas) April 6, 2021
Of course, when you visit the Acropolis you will not see the name of the Culture Minister in Las-Vegas style. Instead, you will admire the cementification of the Acropolis that took place in the glorious times of Lina Mendoni allegedly for the sake of people with disabilities.
PS Don’t criticize the holes in the fresh cement. Holes on streets and sidewalks is the trade mark in the country. On the other hand, you could fund the fixing of the holes and win also a plaque to the eternal Acropolis as sponsor.
Oh, KTG, you are sharp ;)! Have visited Parthenon and the whole beautiful Acropolis a few times (without concrete!) Must it really be so much of it?? The rough old stones themselves were nice to walk on thinking that the old masters that build the place walked on the same stones. Thats history!! The concrete is ugly, could have been done much more carefully to keep the history in sight! This ugly work does not deserve a plaque!!!
Gross: both the plaque and the actual cement walkways. They look so grey and ugly. Maybe they could have had some kind of design aesthetic reflective of the site and not just an industrial grey?
Separately, is it not troubling to anyone else that private donation funds had to be used to do this instead of state money? But then again the National archeological museum has graffiti on its exterior, so I guess there are just no funds for preserving archeological sites from the Greek State. And it seems like these sites should be assets that ladder up the country’s brand and it’s tourism revenue? Maybe invest in them more using state revenue (first you actually have to collect revenue, cough) instead of relying on private donations. And have a strategy for leveraging them.
Concrete slabs on the Acropolis somehow warranted a plaque.. I wouldn’t want my name attached to this, they kind of made the site look like parking lot.
I thought taxes in Greece were voluntary contributions? Have I got it wrong?
“is it not troubling to anyone else that private donation funds had to be used to do this instead of state money?”
It may be so in Greece, a country without a tradition in private sponsorship. But that’s common it many European countries. Notre Dame will be rebuilt with private sponsorship.
Don’t understand what you are talking about and the present debate in Greece ;). Where’s the plaque with the minister name?
Was this financial donation for a plaque or a plague?