Zagorochoria Rizarios Centre for exhibitions

Location: Monodendri
Don't miss: Museums guide (free admission dates and other useful info)

The Rizarios Centre for Exhibitions in Zagoria: The Rizarios Center for Exhibitions is located in Monodendri Zagoria. The center was founded in 2001 as a tribute to the brothers Manthos and Georgios Rizaris, who were natives of Monodendri. The brothers achieved great success in commercial enterprises in Russia and offered substantial financial aid to the Greek War of Independence. Moreover, they used their vast wealth to create a large charitable foundation.

The Rizarios Centre is housed in Pantazis mansion, an old manor that has been renovated by the Rizarios Foundation. The programs organized at the center refer to the Greek and the Balkan area. Special emphasis is given on the promotion of the photographic heritage of Greece. There is also an outdoor theater that hosts important theatrical and musical performances.

Close to the exhibition center, you can find the Rizarios Handicraft School, the famous institution founded in 1979 as part of the educational, cultural and social activities of the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School in Epirus. The school imparts training, free of cost, to girls, particularly in traditional arts and handicrafts that are gradually becoming extinct.