In 1875, the first factory was founded in Elefsina: the Charilaou Soap Factory. This industrial complex operated as a paragon of development right up until its closure in 1960. Since 1995, it has housed the city’s singular arts festival, the Aeschylia Festival, while since 2017 it has also hosted 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture events. Since 2022, it has officially been the main home of the Aeschylus Project, a 2023 Eleusis initiative paying tribute to the Elefsinian tragic poet Aeschylus and his work.
The 2,000-seat open-air theatre located within the former industrial complex hosts dance and theatre performances, and film screenings, while the surrounding area is mainly used for site-specific art installations.
The complex’s administrative building was in use up until 2017, while the three stone-built warehouses that line the space are set to host a diverse range of cultural events once they have been restored – a renovation project undertaken and funded by the National Bank of Greece, on the occasion of the title year and as part of the 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture sponsorship strategy. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports is also planning to relocate the important Elefsina Archaeological Museum to an adjacent site, thus rendering this industrial complex, and its wider area, a cultural hub of particular interest.
