About us
About us
Milestones
Learn our story and meet our team
Built in 1900
The mansion was built in 1900, at the turn of two centuries, during the late heyday of Nymphaio [Nymféo]. For half a century stayed there the large family of Nakis Papadopoulos, a merchant in the mythical Alexandria of Egypt. “Athina” were named two successive landladies of the mansion and the great-grandchildren of the first.
1993
By decision of the Minister of Culture Anna Psarouda Benaki on 03/11/1993, the building was characterized as a “work of art”. Due to its remarkable painted and wood carvings in its interior, it is a representative sample of the mansions of Nymphaio [Nymféo].
Born in 1999
In 1999, Ioannis Papadopoulos transformed the family mansion into a traditional Guest House, which operated until 2015.
The Guest House hosted several celebrities, including former Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis and Deputy Minister of Culture George Lianis.
Reborn in 2021
In 2021, it was the turn of Dr. Georgios Papadopoulos, brother of Ioannis, to take over the reins of the mansion and restore it to its former glory.
His purpose, apart from the utilization of the family mansion, is the contribution to the further promotion of the village through the creation of complete experiences to the visitors of the mansion.
The mansion
The heritage mansion “Athina” operates in a prestigious listed traditional two-storey mansion with a raised ground floor and imposing communal halls. It is a masterpiece of Macedonian architecture where the unsurpassed folk masters harmonized, with high aesthetics, the carved stone with wood, the elaborated ironwork and an impressive exterior embroidered with red Byzantine brick. The interior walls are embroidered with folk motifs – rosettes, flowers, geometric shapes and symbols.
The mansion can host 10 guests in its five rooms. The guests will immediately notice the authentic atmosphere, decoration and furniture of the start of the 20th century, handed down intact from generation to generation. In each room the modern comforts are hidden in the Macedonian mesantras (fitted wardrobes) with embossed wooden facades of folk art. Antique embroidered rugs, lacy white embroidery and souvenirs from another era complement each room with low-cut or intricate antique beds.
The paved front yard has local flowers and a mighty old plane tree with a beautiful view of the village, while the backyard awaits for our guests with a small chalet and a balcony overlooking the mountain.