DESCRIPTION

The onset

On 13 May 1912, Italians arrived in the open sea near Panteli, on-board warships SAN GIORGIO, REGINA, MARGARITA and REGINA ELENA, while, at the port of Ag. Marina, army parties disembarked cruiser PISA.

The marines gathered in Platanos and, from there, they climbed to the Castle and hung the Italian flag on the flagpole.

In Partheni, they placed old-type canons, brought from Libya. It is at the port of Partheni that the first operation of five torpedo boats begun.

In 1912, during the war between Italy and Turkey, the Italians occupied all of the Dodecanese, except Kastellorizo. On 12 May 1912, the island was occupied by the crew of Italian Cruiser San Giorgio. The Greek inhabitants of the Dodecanese declared their autonomy as “State of the Aegean”, with the aim of uniting with Greece. However, because of the outbreak of World War I, their efforts did not bear fruit, and the Italians gained control over the islands.

From 1916 to 1918, the British used Leros as naval base. By virtue of the Venizelos – Tittoni treaty, the island of Leros was supposed to be returned to Greece, along with the rest of the Dodecanese, except Rhodes, but, after the defeat of Greece in the war between Greece and Turkey (1919-1922), the Italians cancelled the agreement. The Treaty of Lausanne confirmed the Italian occupation of Leros and the Dodecanese.

The new Italian fascist regime actively attempted to “Italianise” the Dodecanese, by making it compulsory for the inhabitants to learn Italian and providing incentives for locals to acquire Italian citizenship, as well as by closing down Greek foundations. In the ‘1930s, the Italian authorities constructed the city of Portolago, based on the criteria set by the new model of Italian urban planning. Nowadays, the city is one of the most representative examples of Italian rationalist architecture. Greek later gave it the name of Lakki.

In the 31 years that the Italians stayed in Leros, they built an important urban and fortification plan, considering that the strategic position and the large, natural ports of Leros (the biggest one, Lakki, being the biggest, high-depth, natural port in the Mediterranean ) made it an ideal location for a naval base. The fortification of Leros, as well as the construction of a big naval base in Lakki, secured Italian control over an area of vital importance for the Allies (the Aegean, the Dardanelles strait and the Middle East). Mussolini considered the island as a base of the utmost importance for Italian rule over eastern Aegean, and Portolago as the ideal location for his vacation mansion.

 

The importance of Leros and the role of Turkey

The occupation of the Dodecanese by the Italian forces, during the war between Italy and Turkey, was aimed at cutting off the Ottoman forces heading to Libya, which belonged to the Ottoman Empire. During the Italian occupation, Leros became a significant Italian naval base. This allowed Italians to gain control over the Mediterranean and block the plans of England to infiltrate the Middle East.

On September 8th of 1943 , Italy capitulated. On 11 September the German forces conquered Rhodes and soon after that, on 3 October , they occupied Kos. Because of the fall of Rhodes and the parallel occupation of Karpathos it was no longer possible for the British to enter the Aegean. Furthermore, as the existence of German naval bases in the area, endangered the allied forces in Egypt , the Allies decided that Leros, which had become a significant Italian fort, absolutely had to be preserved, and Rhodes and Kos needed to be re-conquered. Moreover, a victory of the allies in the area, would demonstrate that Germany was not invincible, and would convince Turkey to enter the war, on the side of the Allies

 

Rationalism

Rationalism is a philosophical movement that regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge. Since the Age of Enlightenment rationalism has been connected mainly with the introduction of mathematical methods in philosophy, initially through the work of Descartes, Leibniz and Spinoza.

Rationalism is often opposed to empiricism. In reality, these views are not mutually exclusive, as, for example, the philosophy of science is both rationalist and empirical. Empiricism taken to extremes considers that all ideas spring from experience, either through the five external senses, or through internal sensory experiences, such as pain and pleasure, and, therefore, knowledge is essentially based on experience. On the other hand, some versions of rationalism hold that, starting from essential principles, such as the axioms in geometry, one could draw, by reduction, the sum of all possible knowledge. The philosophers who supported most this view were Spinoza and Leibniz, the efforts of whom, to address the epistemological and metaphysical facts set by Descartes, led to a somewhat fundamentalist approach to rationalism. Both Spinoza and Leibniz held that at least in the beginning all knowledge, including scientific knowledge, can be acquired using reason alone. Nevertheless, they both admitted that, in practice, this is not possible for people to achieve, except, only, in specific areas of science, such as in mathematics.

During the occupation of the Dodecanese (1912-1943), Italians where active in many sectors and constructed many buildings on the islands, in order to cover their needs, on an administrative, military, educational, medical, tourist and cultural level. They set up a plethora of tourist infrastructure, as well as venues for events and the arts, in Rhodes, Kos and Leros, mainly for use by the Italian military personnel and the settlers.

In Leros, due to its geographical position and its unique morphology (large, protected ports), they established the biggest Italian naval base of eastern Mediterranean.

Based on this perspective, in Lakki, they begun by constructing a few, individual, building complexes for the needs of their soldiers. Later, an entire city was planned and studied; it would cover all needs of military personnel and their families.

 

Architectural expression in Italy and the colonies

In the beginning of our century, northern and central Italy showed great industrial development, which caused significant migration from rural areas to the big urban centres. This led to the development of the first suburban areas around the big cities, as well as to reorganisation of the existing historical centres.

The need for new city plans for the developing megacities became pressing.

The implementation of these plans destroyed important parts of the historical and archaeological heritage of the cities.

The fascist regime embraced the modern architectural movements without concealing its marked preference for the conservative ones.

The experiment of “New Cities”, in Italy, was not very successful. As the economic condition deteriorated, because of the war, these ambitious plans failed to be completed.

These interventions were made mainly in Rhodes and Kos. Still, the creation of the “New City” of Lakki is a unique example in the Dodecanese, as, in our opinion, it is the most integrated form of organisation of this specific place. Lakki can only be compared to the “New Cities” of metropolitan Italy, as it is a successful experiment of “New City” creation.

The modern techniques and material, such as cement, brought from Italy, made the implementation of all government decisions possible.

 

Special features of Italian architecture in the Dodecanese

There are four distinct features of Italian Architecture in the Dodecanese.

  1. The first one is particularly ECLECTIC and is rooted in the architectural tradition of Northern Italy, Venice in particular.
  2. The second category includes buildings inspired by “Eastern”, “Arabic” themes.
  3. The third category includes buildings that came from the mixture of the previous two categories.
  4. The fourth style includes a significant number of buildings of “International Style” typology.

 

From MARIO LAGO to DE VECCHI

MARIΟ LAGO was the first to undertake public works in the Dodecanese. This event must be seen under the light of the Treaty of Lausanne, which was signed a few months after he arrived in the Dodecanese. He was a calm and educated man, inspired by a kind of Italian national romanticism. In the 13 years that he was the Governor of the Dodecanese, he viewed the islands as an opportunity to revive the glory of Italy, in the model of the Naval Empire of Venice. He had wider aspirations for environmental development of the islands.

Things changed upon the arrival of the new Governor, Cesare Maria De Vecchi di Val Cismon, a member of the Fascist Quadrumvirate, third in command in the administrative hierarchy of Mussolini. He was Minister of Education in Rome, but had much higher aspirations, which bothered the dictator, who, therefore, sent him to the Dodecanese, away from the administrative core of the Italian capital.

 

The International Style of Lakki

The architecture of Lakki falls entirely in the category of “International Style” and is almost entirely absent, in bibliography.

Researchers interested in this distinct architectural style of the previous century will be surprised by the city of Lakki.

As Professor Nik. Cholevas reports, the urban and architectural style of Lakki connects Greece to the International Style, by means of the buildings constructed there by the Italians. However, the admiration and surprise, at the sight of this architecture, is soon followed by the disappointment caused at the realisation of the condition in which many of the buildings currently are.

Why were the building in Lakki neglected for half a century by Greek and international authors, when, in fact, some of them, such as the market, are select samples of the typology in which they belong? Why is this, when, in fact, the market is one of the most important buildings to be created at that time, on an international level?

After the Italians left, whatever remained was considered fascist. The “International Style” Italians applied in Leros, was considered as “Italian Architecture”, in other words, “Fascist Architecture”, hence condemnable. The truth is that it is not fascist, but pioneering, 20th-century architecture, which the Italians appropriated and presented as their own.

Antoniadis notes: “I believe that Lakki remained unknown, unpublished and neglected, as, after the liberation, it was seen under the light of condemnation of fascism, not under the correct light of historical origin of the pioneering and democratic style of international morphology, of which it is part”.

It is not fair that all architecture and architects of the DE VECCHI era are condemned.

 

Leros becomes a naval base

A few months after MARIO LAGO settled in the island, in the capacity of Military Commander of the Dodecanese, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, legally consolidating the Italian presence on the islands.

In 1923, the transformation of Leros into a Naval Base was intensified, while the Italianisation of the Dodecanese progressed methodically.

The Italians had noticed the potential of the ports of Leros, especially the large, natural port of Lakki, to which they focussed with great interest.

In May 1923, the works for the establishment of an Aeronautic Base in Lepida had already begun, while, a little later, two repair shops for seaplanes were created. Large quantities of munitions of all kinds were transported, as well as 12 seaplanes, cement, etc. One hundred Italian officers and 300 soldiers of the engineering corps arrived. More than 40 buoys were anchored in the area of Ag. Georgios and unloaded 25,000 tons of coal.

Construction works of naval importance were made in Lakki (1924). In the area of Ag. Georgios a 95-metre jetty was constructed, to make it easier to unload munitions and material for the naval base.

The construction of the road from Ag. Georgios to Lakki, via Lepida, continued. New buildings, warehouses and other works were constructed in Merikia.

The population increased due to the arrival of Italian technicians, as Leros “became the principal military centre of the Dodecanese”. Leros was to Italians as important as Malta was to the English.

 

Forced expropriations

In the early 1930s, forced expropriations took place, to allow for the planning of the new city and the beginning of the construction of the other military facilities around Leros. Large areas of Leros, especially around Lakki, Gonia (BASE), Temenia and Lepida, were sequestered by the Italians.

 

The construction works of Italians in Lakki

The picturesque beach, with its low houses and cafés, changed appearance. The area of Gonia, with is neoclassical buildings, did not change, except as regards the use of the buildings. The new city plan was applied, while, after 1930, roads were constructed and systematic reconstruction begun in three housing zones.

Lakki was given the name of PORTO LAGO (lake port). Surrounded by low mountains, with only one 400-meter long opening, at the location known as “Katsouni”, the area of Lakki, resembled a lake. In winter, water ponds would form in many parts, towards the sea, turning the area into a swamp.

To dry out the swamp, eucalyptus trees were planted and great attention and care was placed in the construction of foundations for the new building complexes. Tree trunks were transported using specialised equipment and were jammed in the ground, in the areas where the soil was soft. Iron beams were nailed on the jammed trunks, the area was stone-paved and concrete was poured. For almost two years, especially during rain season, Lakki would be covered in dust, because of the embankment works taking place in various locations. The earth used was transported from a plot of land in the area of Ag. Theologos. Tons of concrete were poured, changing the landscape, especially the picturesque beach.

In the area of Ag. Georgios, the buildings destined for the crews of various specialities were constructed. They included fuel tanks, shelters, a shipbuilding unit to cover the needs of warships, as well as a floating dock. At around 1936, the large buildings accommodating the submarine officers and sailors, as well as the other military personnel of the shipyard were constructed.

Meanwhile, at Lepida, the area of the “G. ROSSETI” aeronautical base, given this name in honour of the first deceased Italian pilot of the base was shaped. In Lepida, buildings to accommodate the personnel, and the families of officers, as well as workshop buildings, the Administration building of the Airport, material warehouses, etc. were constructed. Two large and one small hangar for seaplanes replaced two old, makeshift ones made of tarp.

In 1929, the large army barracks had already been constructed in Lepida. This building is related to the other building of the Navy Administration (CASERMA MARINAI, = “Poseidonio” building, currently housing the City Planning office and the Youth and Sports Foundation), the construction of which begun in 1929. Both of them date back to the period of government of MARIO LAGO, and do not bear the “International Style” characteristics seen on the other buildings of Lakki of the De Vecchi era.

The aqueduct was constructed in Lakki and a water supply network and a rainwater pipelines were constructed, near Ag. Ioannis. A large dam, to ensure the quantities of water necessary the large dam and the tank of Sykamia were constructed. The source of Vagia, supplying the tank of Ag. Theologos, was utilised. Water supply works were also constructed in the area of Gorgonios.

At the same time, intense equipment of Leros, at locations of strategic importance continued. Batteries were set up, material warehouses, shelters and other works of military importance were constructed, especially since 1936 (De Vecchi period), when military zones were created and fenced with wire mesh. Cutting bushes was forbidden and farms were declared as forest areas. The stock-breeders and farmers of Leros were forced to become labourers, at a time when, in fact, there was a shortage of workers due to the many projects that were in progress.

The buildings of Lakki

For information on the buildings for which there is no description, a detailed presentation is available at the “Historical Tourism” category.

THE MUNICIPAL MARKET OF LAKKI (MERCATO DI PORTOLAGO)

LEROS HOTEL (ALBERGO ROMA)

ITALIAN MUNICIPALITY OF LAKKI (MUNICIPIO DI PORTOLAGO)

CASA BALILLA

The scouting building, was originally a church, the church of Saint Francis, until the new cathedral was constructed (currently Ag. Nikolaos). Its construction begun in 1933. Until that time, Italians performed their religious duties in the two-storey house behind the actual church of Ag. Nikolaos. This initial and original building has been completely altered, as it was turned into modern shops and apartments.

SAN FRANCESCO CHURCH (CHIESA) (Ag. Nikolaos)

THE ITALIAN CUSTOM’S OFFICE (R. DOGANA DI PORTO LAGO)

THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (R. SCUOLA ELEMENTARE)

The CASERMA DI REGINA (former  Social Welfare building)

The building complex of the NAVAL HOSPITAL

THE NAVAL COMMAND (CASERMA MARINAI, currently housing the Youth and Sports Foundation and the City Planning Office)

CUSTOM’S OFFICE WAREHOUSE

It is situated next to the big building of the Naval Command. Its construction begun in 1933, during the period of Italian occupation, and was used for the storage of material and parts for the Italian warships.

THE WAREHOUSE – ANNEX OF T.E.M.I. (TABACCI EGEI MANIFATTURA ITALIANA, Italian Factory of Aegean Tobacco)

It was constructed in 1935 and was situated opposite the Market (currently housing the National Bank of Greece). It was bombarded in 1943 and nothing currently remains of this building.

VIA MAGAZINO (The little shops road)

This linear food market, in semi-circular arrangement, starts opposite Casa Balilla and extends up to the Cinema-theatre. Shops of various categories existed there, same as nowadays.

PALAZZINA

These are military buildings covering the needs of the Navy Base. They were constructed in 1935, in three, independent, rows:

  1. On the road from the beach to the Hospital.
  2. On the road from Leros Hotel to Eleftherias square (former Social Welfare building)
  3. On the main road from Ag. Nikolaos to the Football Ground, the CASE  I.N.C.I.S. (INSTITUTO NATIONALE CASE IMPIEGATI DELLO STATO).

They are six complexes of two-storey residences of 4 apartments each. There are 2 on the left and 4 on the right side of the road. They were mainly inhabited by Italian non-commissioned officers, while the residences of officers were in row A.

Another two complexes, of four apartments each, were constructed in 1940, on the road to the Port Authority (Navarchos Ioannidis Street).

 

Finally, the following buildings were constructed in Temenia, in that same period:

  • The Electrical Company Building  S.I.E.R. -SOCIETA INDUSTRIE ELECTRICHE RODI)
  • The carbonated drink factory of the DOLIANI company &
  • The Italian cemetery (1936)

 

The coastal avenue (La Passegiata Sul Mare) was then constructed, and the typical small columns with the pipes between that were placed along it, a feature common in other Dodecanese islands as well.

Post-war History

After the Germans evacuated the island, it passed to British command until 7 March 1948, when, along with the rest of the Dodecanese, it became united with Greece. Six hundred years after the end of the Byzantine rule, the Dodecanese became part of the Greek State again. During the Post-war era, Greek governments used many of the buildings of the island for various purposes. During the Greek Military Junta, the island was used as place of exile for political prisoners, and the old, Italian warehouses of the “Partheni” location, as well as the old, Italian barracks of the “Aghios-Georgios-Lepida” area were used as concentration camps.

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