The European Cultural Centre of Delphi (ECCD) was founded in 1977 upon the inspiration and initiative of Konstantinos Karamanlis with the view of setting up a European and intellectual centre in Delphi.
The first thoughts and discussions started in the 1930s when, in the aftermath of the Delphic Festivals (1927 & 1930), the Parliament and the Senate passed a law providing for the establishment and organization of an International Intellectual Cooperation Centre of Peoples similar to the "treasures" of the ancient Greek city of Delphi.
In 1957, Greece filed a draft proposal to the Council of Europe for the Foundation of an Intellectual Centre in Delphi, which was also accepted. The construction for the conference venue began in 1966. The cost was covered by state funds and funds of the Council of Europe.
In 1977, by an act of the Greek Parliament, the European Cultural Centre of Delphi (ECCD) was established as a "corporate body under private law", under the supervision of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the auspices of the Council of Europe.
According to its founding law, its aim is to "serve international cultural interests" and "develop common cultural principles that will unite the peoples of Europe" through the "publication of studies on European culture, the organization of cultural meetings and other artistic activities…”
The board of directors of the European Cultural Centre of Delphi consists of 11 members, 7 of which are Greek, while the remaining members are appointed from countries participating in the Council of Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe and representatives from the Greek Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs respectively are council members by office. The other members are personalities from the realms of the Letters and Arts. The board of directors and the managing Director of the ECCD are appointed by decision of the Minister of Culture and their term is renewed every three years. The Ministry of Culture finances the ECCD's regular budget.
Facilities
Delphi
The Conference Centre of the European Cultural Centre of Delphi is located on the western edge of the village of Delphi. Its facilities are spread in a wooded area of 10 hectares and include a Conference Centre, a Guesthouse and an open-air theater. The Conference Centre and the Guesthouse were built in the mid-1960s, designed by Kostas Kitsikis and Anthony Lampakis, and are a typical architectural example of the Modern Movement. The facilities are an elegant architectural ensemble of autonomous discrete buildings that follow the natural slope of the mountain, with large windows and patios.
The Conference Center has two main and four auxiliary Conference halls, a library and secretarial facilities. The Guesthouse is a modern midsized hotel unit, with a total of 46 rooms, terraces, a bar, a restaurant, lounge and a reception. In 2005 the open-air theater Frynihos was added to the Centre's infrastructure, designed by architects Eleni Chatzinikolaou and Solon Xenopoulos, in the style of the ancient theaters, lined with stone, with a capacity of 1,100 seats. The theatre's ground floor is equipped with a ground-level Multi-Purpose Conference Hall suitable for exhibitions and seminars. The view to the olive grove of Amfissa and the bay of Itea is magnificent, while the lush gardens and the pine groves of the Conference Center offer to the visitor the opportunity to tour the Park of Sculpture with important works by contemporary European artists.
Athens
The Central Offices are housed in a neoclassical building of 518 sqm, in Plaka. The building dates back to the late 19th century and for decades it was the residence of a well known Athenian family. It was purchased by the European Cultural Centre of Delphi in 1983 and was restored to its original form. Changes to the interior were kept to the minimum required by its new function with offices on the ground floor and the first floor while the basement is a single room, which hosts occasional small artistic events, lectures, seminars etc.
Activities
Main Event
The annual central event of the European Cultural Centre of Delphi is usually organized during the first ten days of July and includes an international scientific symposium and artistic program (theater, music, visual arts, dance performances, documentaries etc.). The general theme is decided at a special ECCD board of directors Meeting. Some of them include the International Meetings on Ancient Greek Drama, the International Meetings of Music and Musicology, the International Meeting "Apollo", the Cultural Amphictyony etc.