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<p>This restored dwelling is located just below the entrance to the Hosios David Monastery (Movη Oσioυ Δαυιδ) in the upper city. The projecting elements with windows on the narrow street (Epimenidou) are typical of the dwellings of the Ottoman period and are found with sets of plaster covered wooden brackets or with a sloped soffit and are supported by wooden brackets within. These balcony-like elements (ΣAXNIΣI [sahnisi]) typically are oriented to important views and admit sunlight to the rooms within.</p>
<p>This dwelling, at an intersection of streets, has an upper level that reaches over the wall to capture more space for the living spaces. The upper level was constructed using timber framing for the floor, walls, and roof. The enclosing walls are constructed with light framing infilled with light adobe brick with lath and a plaster coating. At the right a small part of the porch can be seen with its extended roof.</p>
<p>The distant three story traditional structure contains space for a shop on the ground level, along Agias Sofias street, and a separate smaller shop and entry along Theofilou street. The second level has a smaller floor-to-floor height and the top level a tall interior space that projects toward Agias Sofias and a second projection, behind the chimney, along Theofilou street. This lower part of the upper city has a mixture of older buildings and modern balconied apartment complexes with retail spaces below.</p>
<p>The upper city of Thessaloniki (acropolis, kastra, ανω πoλισ) contains narrow serpentine streets, fortified walls dating from the Byzantine period, and dwellings that date back to the Ottoman period. The history of Salonica (the old city) reaches back to the 3rd century BCE. Efforts have been made to perserve the older building typologies, forms, and details but the pressures to maintain this lively area have brought many changes and compromises.</p>
<p>Ayios Germanos is a village in the Prespes region of northwestern Greece that includes portions of the Prespa Lakes. The area has been settled since the 10th century CE and a number of small settlements still contain traditional dwellings that are typical in northern Greece and nearby Macedonia and Albania. Most of the dwellings in the village have foundations that date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The typical dwelling has stone foundations with adobe brick above grade, a timber porch (tsardaki), and a timber roof structure and clay tile roof.</p>
<p>The dwellings are oriented with their long dimensions along the land contours and their porch (tsardaki) facing the sun. The early window openings were closed with wooden shutters. The two story dwellings typically have at least two interior spaces on each level with each room entered directly from the open covered space. The porch (tsardaki) serves as a socializing and working area and contains the stair from the lower ground level. This dwelling was renovated to enclose a portion of the area under the porch.</p>
<p>This dwelling was constructed with the major surrounding walls built in stone with large stone quoins at the turning points. Within the stonework walls timber reinforcing beams were placed on the exterior and interior and joined together with bridging. The tsardaki has been infilled on the lower level using stone and on the upper level using light timber framing and soft adobe brick. It appears that the infill panel at the nearest corner collapsed into the tsardaki.</p>
<p>In this complex of three dwellings, each structure has its own porch (tsardaki) element. The structure on the left has a new roof and chimney with its own exterior stair leading up to the tsardaki above and diagonal brackets to support the extended roof. The structure in the rear appears to join the other two structures together by modifications to the porches and a stair to link it to the structure on the right.</p>
<p>This large structure has gone through a number of renovations. There appear to be four dwelling rooms on each level with a door and window for each room (ondas). The tsardaki has been modified to remove the stair; the floor opening and railing around the stair opening can be seen near the center. The far end of the tsardaki appears to have been enclosed using timber wall framing, adobe brick, thin wooden strips and a plaster coating.</p>
<p>This dwelling had numerous renovations. The corner tsardaki has been infilled on the ground level with concrete block and the upper level railing is removed. The upper door indicates that a connector bridge or walkway was present. The upper floor and tsardaki were originally constructed using wood beams, tightly spaced small diameter (7cm) saplings, with a clay coating as a finished surface. The upper walls were constructed using soft brick with wooden beams (as strapping) at the sills and heads of windows and covered with a plaster coat.</p>

Greece (BHBA)

The long history of Greece is extremely complex, its ancient cultures overlaid with influences of Hittites and Persians whose empires reached parts of Greece. In 1829, Greece became independent from the Ottoman Empire; yet the imprint of Byzantines and Ottomans are difficult to separate from the architecture that is identified as vernacular.

The Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas, and the Pindus Alps and Rhodope mountain ranges occupy the major part of the Greek landscape and established its various climates. These factors, along with the various cultural influences and the presence of earthquake activity have contributed to the different types of vernacular architecture with adobe brick or stone above grade that are still found.

Authorities
Judith Bing
Judith Bing
photographer
J. Brooke Harrington
J. Brooke Harrington
photographer
Parent Collections
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
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Contribute
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Greece (BHBA)

The long history of Greece is extremely complex, its ancient cultures overlaid with influences of Hittites and Persians whose empires reached parts of Greece. In 1829, Greece became independent from the Ottoman Empire; yet the imprint of Byzantines and Ottomans are difficult to separate from the architecture that is identified as vernacular.

The Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas, and the Pindus Alps and Rhodope mountain ranges occupy the major part of the Greek landscape and established its various climates. These factors, along with the various cultural influences and the presence of earthquake activity have contributed to the different types of vernacular architecture with adobe brick or stone above grade that are still found.

Images & Videos
<p>This restored dwelling is located just below the entrance to the Hosios David Monastery (Movη Oσioυ Δαυιδ) in the upper city. The projecting elements with windows on the narrow street (Epimenidou) are typical of the dwellings of the Ottoman period and are found with sets of plaster covered wooden brackets or with a sloped soffit and are supported by wooden brackets within. These balcony-like elements (ΣAXNIΣI [sahnisi]) typically are oriented to important views and admit sunlight to the rooms within.</p>
Restored Dwelling near Hosios David monastery Fotiou street, Thessaloniki, Greece
digital photograph
<p>This dwelling, at an intersection of streets, has an upper level that reaches over the wall to capture more space for the living spaces. The upper level was constructed using timber framing for the floor, walls, and roof. The enclosing walls are constructed with light framing infilled with light adobe brick with lath and a plaster coating. At the right a small part of the porch can be seen with its extended roof.</p>
Dwelling 6 with projecting upper level, Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
<p>The distant three story traditional structure contains space for a shop on the ground level, along Agias Sofias street, and a separate smaller shop and entry along Theofilou street. The second level has a smaller floor-to-floor height and the top level a tall interior space that projects toward Agias Sofias and a second projection, behind the chimney, along Theofilou street. This lower part of the upper city has a mixture of older buildings and modern balconied apartment complexes with retail spaces below.</p>
Traditional Building (yellow structure) - Theofilou & Agias Sofias streets, Thessaloniki, Greece
digital photograph
<p>The upper city of Thessaloniki (acropolis, kastra, ανω πoλισ) contains narrow serpentine streets, fortified walls dating from the Byzantine period, and dwellings that date back to the Ottoman period. The history of Salonica (the old city) reaches back to the 3rd century BCE. Efforts have been made to perserve the older building typologies, forms, and details but the pressures to maintain this lively area have brought many changes and compromises.</p>
Dwellings of the Upper City (Aνω Πoλισ) Epimenidou odos (street), Thessaloniki, Greece
digital photograph
<p>Ayios Germanos is a village in the Prespes region of northwestern Greece that includes portions of the Prespa Lakes. The area has been settled since the 10th century CE and a number of small settlements still contain traditional dwellings that are typical in northern Greece and nearby Macedonia and Albania. Most of the dwellings in the village have foundations that date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The typical dwelling has stone foundations with adobe brick above grade, a timber porch (tsardaki), and a timber roof structure and clay tile roof.</p>
Epitropoulos Brothers house with tsardaki (chardak), Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
<p>The dwellings are oriented with their long dimensions along the land contours and their porch (tsardaki) facing the sun. The early window openings were closed with wooden shutters. The two story dwellings typically have at least two interior spaces on each level with each room entered directly from the open covered space. The porch (tsardaki) serves as a socializing and working area and contains the stair from the lower ground level. This dwelling was renovated to enclose a portion of the area under the porch.</p>
Dwelling 2 from road, Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
<p>This dwelling was constructed with the major surrounding walls built in stone with large stone quoins at the turning points. Within the stonework walls timber reinforcing beams were placed on the exterior and interior and joined together with bridging. The tsardaki has been infilled on the lower level using stone and on the upper level using light timber framing and soft adobe brick. It appears that the infill panel at the nearest corner collapsed into the tsardaki.</p>
Dwelling 3 with soft brick infill, Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
<p>In this complex of three dwellings, each structure has its own porch (tsardaki) element. The structure on the left has a new roof and chimney with its own exterior stair leading up to the tsardaki above and diagonal brackets to support the extended roof. The structure in the rear appears to join the other two structures together by modifications to the porches and a stair to link it to the structure on the right.</p>
Dwelling 4, Complex with tsardaki (τσαρδακι), Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
<p>This large structure has gone through a number of renovations. There appear to be four dwelling rooms on each level with a door and window for each room (ondas). The tsardaki has been modified to remove the stair; the floor opening and railing around the stair opening can be seen near the center. The far end of the tsardaki appears to have been enclosed using timber wall framing, adobe brick, thin wooden strips and a plaster coating.</p>
Dwelling 5, multiple dwelling structure with tsardaki, Ayios Germanos, Greece
digital photograph
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Authorities
Judith Bing
Judith Bing
photographer
J. Brooke Harrington
J. Brooke Harrington
photographer
Parent Collections
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Terms of use
Contribute
Need help?
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