Onassis Library and the Cavafy Archive at Open House Athens 2026

For the eighth consecutive year, the Onassis Library is participating in Open House Athens, one of the most important international institutions dedicated to showcasing and promoting architecture. It invites us to explore both the history of a neoclassical building dating back to 1905 and the treasures housed within it. Here, Homer “meets” Voltaire and Rigas Velestinlis, while C. P. Cavafy encounters Sappho and Jane Austen.

With its six collections, more than 10,000 volumes, and rich archival material, the Onassis Library offers a journey through time and into lesser-known aspects of Greek—and beyond—history. It stands as a sanctuary of rare sources, books, and archives. Its spaces are adorned with more than 60 works of art from the Onassis Collection. Paintings, sculptures, and unique objects engage in a dialogue with the past and their surroundings, creating a distinctive landscape of refined aesthetic character.

This year, for the first time, the Cavafy Archive joins the endeavor with its new building, in the neighborhood of Plaka, inviting the wider public to discover the space where the personal collection of objects belonging to the poet C.P. Cavafy is housed, as well as a collection of artworks with references to the poet.

In the Cavafy Archive at 16 Frynichou Street, inside the listed building of 1910, among photographs of the poet and his family, vases, frames, a copy of his glasses, his desk, and other small and large objects, six portraits of Cavafy made by his contemporaries stand out, while in the "Athens of Cavafy" hall, the public can navigate through a selection of archival documents, including diary pages, numerous letters, newspaper clippings, and periodicals from the era, shedding light on Cavafy's multiple relationships with the city of Athens. All these and more so can be discovered by every visitor on Sunday, April 14, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ONASSIS LIBRARY

Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, 2026
11:00–15:00

56 Amalias Avenue, Athens

Free admission. No reservation is required.
Submitting the application of interest is required. Please ensure that you have an official identification document with you.
The duration of the consecutive tours is 20 minutes.

CAVAFY ARCHIVE

Sunday, April 5, 2026
10:00–18:00

Frynichou 16B, Plaka, 10558

Free admission. No reservation is required.
The duration of the consecutive tours is 20 minutes.

Open House Athens 2026

Tours are free, and no reservations are made.
Creating an electronic identity (QR) is necessary for entry.
Learn more and submit your registration here.