Description
I took my first walk around the city when I was twelve
years old. At the time I was staying in the historical House
of Hadjigeorgakis Cornessios, which was then being
occupied by its owners. I experienced the leisurely pace
of everyday life within the city walls, its varied sounds
and scents; I was enchanted by its light and colour,
I came to love its people.
It was there that I first stole secret glimpses of the hanging
balconies; and it was in its narrow alleys, secluded
squares and tiny taverns that I first fell in love. There I took
part in the street fights against the British during the
heroic years of The Struggle and experienced the feeling
of suffocation in its prisons, along with other young people
of my age.
Now, every time I walk through the walled city, memories
of that time follow my footsteps, evoking a feeling
of nostalgia but aslo of pain, indeed sometimes of rage. The
historical city which I came to know and love is gradually
disappearing to the indifference of the state and its
dignitaries; and along with the city, its culture is also
perishing.
As an artist and as an individual conscious of my responsi-
bility toward history, I could not remain indifferent to the city’s
imminent demise. This book, apart from its contribution
to art, aspires to arouse the feelings of all those who share
my concern for the salvation of the historical centre of the
easternmost capital of Europe.
NIKOS KOUROUSSIS
January 1999