The organization Vamvakou Revival was established by a group of young people with origins from Vamvakou and with strong bonds with the village, with the guidance and financial support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). This long journey, though, had started earlier on, as the first contact with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) had taken place in 2017, while the dreams and first attempts of the young people to bring life back to their village were first expressed back in 2012.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) made an official announcement of the initiation of the Vamvakou Revival initiative. Before that, a meeting with the permanent and temporary residents of Vamvakou had taken place in the coffee shop of the village. The attendants were informed about what would be happening in the village during the period to follow and were introduced to the Vamvakou Revival team, responsible for the revival of the village, with the guidance and financial support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The team of Vamvakou Revival settles in the village, at the Community Office of Vamvakou. At the same time, the first buildings of the school and the building of – the future – café-restaurant Voureiko started being renovated.

Vamvakou Revival, in collaboration with the Cultural Association Nea Zoi and the Municipal Community of Vamvakou, organized a voluntary cleanup which eventually became an institution. We planted flowers, cleaned streets, fountains and alleys, before ending up in the village to have a bite all together. A big thank you to all the volunteers!

The project of Vamvakou Revival gets its own visual identity and Vamvakou Revival its own logo: a hand holding a cotton flower. The hand symbolizes unity and the cotton flower the village as such, a reference to the root of its name which probably derives from the word cotton [vamvaki in Greek].

After 11 years of silence, the school of Vamvakou opened its doors again, but in a different way. For three weeks (1-19/07), 90 students from the wider area of Lakonia visited Vamvakou and participated in Sports Paths, a program promoting sports culture. Vamvakou Revival and the NGO Regeneration & Progress joined forces and realized the program for the first time in Vamvakou, with the exclusive support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

A new basketball court was created in the school of Vamvakou by Vamvakou Revival, equipped with sports gear, as part of the initiative to revive the village with the exclusive support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Two hiking trails, making up a network of paths of almost 13 miles, and three cycling routes of a total of 16 miles, crossing the West side of Mount Parnonas around the village, were created and signaled according international standards by Vavmakou Revival, as part of the initiative to revive the village with the exclusive support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The space off the square of Vamvakou was shaped in such a way to host a new modern playground for toddlers. At the same time, a wooden table football, an outdoor chess set and gym equipment were installed for older children by Vamvakou Revival, as part of the initiative to revive the village with the exclusive support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). The space belongs to the municipality of Sparta.

In just a few months, an old abandoned building in the square, at the heart of Vamvakou, was revamped. Many believed that the building would be demolished, but instead it was renovated and is now a real jewel for the village. Its ground floor now serves as a restaurant – just like in the past – and the first floor and veranda host a café. Its name? Voureiko! Why? Because the particular building was a bequest by P. Vouras and his heirs to the Municipality of Vamvakou. Locals would refer to the building as Voureiko and so we kept the...

Why are roots important? How easy is it to go back to them? On Saturday July, 13, in response to the Vamvakou Revival Project, the Dialogues of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) traveled to Vamvakou and brought forward the theme of revival of places through technology, innovation and extroversion, while respecting each place and its traditions. It was a day of celebration with several activities for everyone, which signaled the beginning of a new era for the village of Vamvakou and the completion of the first phase of the project of its revival.

The mountain race Vamvakou Mountain Run was realized for the first time on the Parnonas mountain range, with the village of Vamvakou serving as the starting point and finish line. The sports event was incorporated into the Vamvakou Revival initiative, realized with the guidance and financial support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). It attracted about 500 runners to the village of Vamvakou. The Run was organized by the NGO Regeneration & Progress and the Department of Sports Excellence of the 1st Orthopedic Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The Run included two routes,...

The art of cinema came to Greece the same time with the rest of Europe; in 1896. In the summer of 1900, screenings started taking place in the coffee shops of Syntagma square in Athens. Three decades later, in 1930, the first open-air cinema started operating in the yard of the school of Vamvakou. Today, Vamvakou Revival revives the mobile open-air cinema on new and contemporary grounds, as part of the Vamvakou Revival initiative. The open-air cinema at the School of Vamvakou was inaugurated with the documentary When tomatoes met Wagner by Marianna Economou.

V.Lab (Vamvakou Technology Lab fully powered by SNF) is by now a reality: an ultra-modern STEAM center at the village of Vamvakou, ran by Vamvakou Revival and designed as an initiative with the exclusive support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Starting from Saturday October, 19, a modern and innovative technological center is operating in the village of Vamvakou at Lakonia, fully equipped with top-notch 3D printers, interactive boards, teleconference systems, iPads, laptops/desktops, Arduino programming plaquettes and Lego EV3 robots. V.Lab operated originally on a pilot basis, offering a series of free trial sessions in order for students to get...

V.Lab opened its doors and welcomed young and older prospective scientists on a day dedicated to technology and innovation. Visitors had the chance to get informed about the sessions available and their content, choose the ones that suit them best and talk with professors about their interests and skills. Also, CTY (Center for Talented Youth) Greece of Anatolia Greece – founded with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) – joined us for the first time.

A new hub of culture and art was born in Vamvakou, with the contribution of the Greek National Opera (GNO) and the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).  A group of young musicians, living and working in Greece and abroad, created the music group Oros ensemble. The musicians live for a specific period of time in the village, hosted by the residency program realized by Vamvakou Revival, as part of the initiative to revive the village. It is a beautiful and exciting artistic journey...

The process of research on prospects for the development and enhancement of the agri-food sector in Parnonas started with new collaborations and the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). On Sunday January, 12, Vamvakou Revival, in collaboration with the program New Agriculture for a New Generation, organized the first series of meetings with local producers of aromatic and medicinal plants and stock breeders. The program involved on-the-spot visits, as well as creative discussions in the school of Vamvakou. The farmers and stock breeders of the wider area had the chance to talk with members of the initiative New Agriculture for...

Vamvakou Revival, in collaboration with all the local bodies – the Municipal Community of Vamvakou, the Cultural Association “Nea Zoi” and the Athens Association of the People of Vamvakou – invites you to meet up on Sunday 17/05 and Sunday 24/05 in order to clean up municipal roads, cobbled streets, fountains, church yards, our square, Kato Vrisi, Stathmos Sygkiniseos, as well as our own yards!