Conference Venue

The conference will take place in the Conference and Cultural Center of the University of Patras (LINK).

Accomondation details will be announced in due course.

The University of Patras, which is the third Higher Educational Institution in Greece in terms of student number, academic departments and personnel, has planned and built within the University Campus the Conference and Cultural Centre (C.C.C.) (LINK) aiming at contributing towards a better and more effective organisation and management of scientific and other conferences, as well as towards the further cultural development of the greater region of Western Greece. It is the University’s ambition that the Centre becomes a pole for international conferences and the main tool for the development of the cultural life of the region.

More specifically, the purpose of the Conference and Cultural Centre is the organisation of conferences, symposia, seminars, musical, theatrical and other cultural events, in co-operation with the Municipality of Patras, the Ministry of Culture and other Institutions such as the Music Hall of Athens, the National Opera House, the National Theatre, regional theatres etc., as well as the assignment of its premises, after the submission and acceptance of an application, to public or private entities for organising similar events, according to the rules and regulations under which it will be operating.

Transportation to Patras

Olympia Odos

Olympia Odos is one of the most important national strategic projects for the development of the Peloponnese, Western Greece and Epirus. It connects these three Regions of Attica- Peloponnese and Western Greece and the Greek capital with the most important gate of Greece to Europe, i.e. the port of Patras. The new, modern and comfortable motorway offers an enhanced and safe connection to the southwestern part of Greece, and in particular to and from the port of Patras, archaeological sites and tourist areas, while it also strengthens export and agricultural production.

Rion–Antirrion Bridge

The Rion – Antirion Bridge is the longest multi-span cable stayed bridge of the world with its 2,252 meters continuous and fully suspended deck. Its foundations lay on a seabed that reaches 65 meters of depth. This is a world record for a bridge as well as their diameter of 90 meters making of them the world’s largest bridge foundations. However, according to the constructors, the best record of this great Bridge is that it was built “without any serious accident, without a single drop of blood being shed”.

The Bridge has been awarded 9 International Awards by the scientific community, out of which we distinguish the following ones:

Outstanding Structure Award 2006, of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineer (IABSE)
Award for Outstanding Concrete Structures 2006, of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib)
Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award 2005, of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (for the first time awarded to a project outside the US)

In 1880 Harilaos Trikoupis became Prime Minister of Greece. Born in Nafplion, he had a vision of joining Messolonghi, his home county (northern coast of the Corinthian Gulf) with Achaia region in the Peloponnese (southern coast). He spoke in the Parliament about the need to bridge the Rion – Antirion straits on March 29, 1889. However, such a project was not technically feasible until the end of the 20th Century. So it took almost a whole century before the Greek State decided to call for tenders for the construction of a fixed link. The invitation to tender in 1991 followed by the tender in December 1993 led on January 3, 1996, to the signing between the Hellenic Republic and GEFYRA of the Concession Agreement for the Design, Construction, Financing, Maintenance and Operation of the Rion – Antirion Bridge.

The Rion-Antirion Bridge is part of the European motorway network, located at the intersection of two major roads: the Athens – Korinthos – Patras motorway (concession project managed by Olympia Odos S.A.), the Ioannina – Antirion motorway (concession project managed by Nea Odos S.A.) which upon completion will form part of a modern motorway network linking the most important cities of Greece.

The Bridge facilitates communication between Greece and Italy (and thus Western Europe) through the harbors of Patras and Igoumenitsa.

New Bus Terminal

The new Achaia interurban KTEL station is located in the former Mills of Agios Georgios, in Agios Dionysios of Patras and will also include a shopping center, making use of part of the spaces with commercial uses, shops and cafes. In addition, with the proximity of the railway station of Ag. Dionysiou, a transport hub will be created, with the aim of improving the daily life of the city’s residents and visitors. The goal is for the new station to be a point of reference for the city.

Accommondation

Bold Type Hotel

Bold Type is a 5 star boutique hotel, the first in the area of PATRAS of this kind. One of the leading examples of cultural heritage was transformed to give the city a new trend in the field of hospitality.

MyWay Hotel

Privileged location where the city’s heart beats. ‘MY WAY – Hotel & Events’, is housed in an imposing, renovated and upgraded building in the coastal zone, next to the city center and is an excellent choice of hotel in the urban area of Patras for someone visiting the city for business or leisure.

Byzantino Hotel

Built in the late 19th-century, this luxurious hotel is located on the Riga Feraiou pedestrian street near Patras’ City Hall and its shopping district, offering stylish accommodation with free internet access.
Each of Byzantino Hotel’s guest rooms was fully renovated. Byzantino has retained its historic features, adding to its unique charm and elegance. Guests can still admire the original pillars and features, combined with modern décor and antique furnishings.
The hotel restaurant, serves a daily breakfast. Byzantino Hotel also hosts a folk art shop and Kompoloi Museum, as well as a womens jewelry shop, providing a collection of handmade art and unique jewelry, created by Greek designers such as Evangelos Tzitzis.
Guests wishing to further explore Patras can rent a car through the hotel. Private 24-hour parking is possible at 30 metres and charges are applicable.

Porto Rio Hotel

Porto Rio Hotel is a 4-star tourist resort, located on the beautiful beach of Rio, just 8 kilometers from the cosmopolitan city of Patras. Porto Rio Hotel spans over 35,000 square meters of verdant gardens planted with trees and surrounded by the beautiful coast of the Gulf of Patras and the famous Rio – Antirrio bridge.
The hotel has 223 rooms with unobstructed views of the lush countryside and the mountains of Achaia, and, of course, the sea. The beautifully appointed rooms are spacious, offering 24 to 48 square meters of functional, affordable luxury.
Hotel guests can choose from a wide range of cuisines, as well as entertainment and relaxation options year-round.
The conference centre is well equipped in terms of technology and caters to all social or professional events, with a choice of 8 event rooms and outdoor pool areas, combining business with pleasure.

Sightseeing

Roman Odeon

Medieval Castle

The Castle of Patras was built during the 2nd half of the 6th century AD, on top of the ruins of the ancient Acropolis. It is located on a low hill of Mount Panachaikos at a distance of about 800 meters from the coast. It’s walls enclose an area of about 22725 sq.meters and it consists of a triangular external compound, enhanced with towers and ramparts, protected initially by a deep moat and an internal compound raised in the North-East corner, also surrounded by a moat.
It was built by Justinian after the devastating earthquake of 551, using materials taken from pre-Christian buildings for the protection of the area and its citizens. In the centuries that followed and up until the 2nd World War, it remained in constant use for the city’s defence but also as an administrative and military center.
In the Byzantine era and until the coming of the Franks (1205), the castle was besieged by the Slavs, the Bulgarians, the Normans and other, none of whom managed to capture it. In 805 AD the citizens were placed under siege in the castle by Slavs and Saracens.

The Frank crusaders, enlarged the castle, enhanced it and opened a moat on three of its sides. In 1278, it was mortgaged to the Latin Archbishop, whilst in 1408, it was conceded to the Pope for five years and leased to the Venetians. It remained in the hands of the Latin Archbishop until 1430, when it was liberated by Constantine Palaiologos, who proceeded with additaments and repairs to the walls.
It was enslaved during the years of Turkish occupation and passed into Greek hands in 1828 following its liberation by the French General Maison.
From 1941 to 1944, it remained in the possession of the Germans and was liberated together with the city on the 4th of October 1944. Since 1973, the Castle is under the supervision of the 6th Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities. A small theatre that seats 640 people is set up in the internal compound and it stages various cultural activities each summer.
The castle’s different construction phases that can be seen today, are testimony of the work realized by various occupation forces for repairs and adaptation to evolution in warfare technology.
The body of a statue and a male head from the Roman years is built-in to a special niche in the wall structure. This deformed statue has taken on mythical proportions in the eyes of the residents of Patras. It became the city’s wraith “Patrinela”. According to the legend, it was a woman posing as a man during the years of Turkish occupation, guarding the city and lamenting the night when an eminent citizen of Patras dies.

Patras Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Patras opened its doors to the public in 2009. Its permanent exhibition, divided into three major units (Public Life – Private Life – Necropolis), includes finds from the city of Patras and the southern and western regions of Achaia. The exhibits date back to a period spanning from the 4th millennium BC until the 4th century AD. It is worth noting that among the museum’s exhibits visitors can admire remarkable mosaic floors of Roman villas located in Patras adorned with mythological scenes and natural motifs.

Museum of Science and Technology

The Science and Technology Museum is a pleasant place for informal education, experimentation, cooperation, acquisition of knowledge, experience and entertainment. It operates on the University campus as a Laboratory of the School of Natural Sciences. It was officially founded in 2001 and opened to the public in 2009. It is addressed to the entire university community, as well as to any individual who would like to learn some aspects of science and technology in a simple and pleasant way.
At the STM there is a permanent exhibition entitled “Telecommunications in our lives” and also a number of temporary exhibitions are organized each year on topics related to science and technology, the environment and the relationship between science and art.
A significant number of seminars, informative educational workshops and entertainment events are organized each year on topics related to its permanent or temporary exhibitions, education, studies, innovation, and volunteering, often in collaboration with organizations of education, culture, science and technology,

but also with the cooperation with other departments of the University. The Science and Technology Museum enables students not only to visit its exhibitions and attend its various activities but also to participate in the organization and implementation of temporary exhibitions, educational activities, events, and all its activities through volunteering, pedagogical competence and internship.
The main objectives of the University of Patras, Science and Technology Museum are:

The connection of the University with society and the creation of a dialogue with it.
The scientific and technological literacy of university and school students, teachers and society.
The connection of the three levels of education.
The dissemination of science to as many levels as possible.
The public’s contact with the progress of science and its latest achievements.
Understanding science and technology issues in which the public is in daily contact with and ignores or would like to learn more of.
The creation of an important educational tool for the teaching of the History of Science and Technology, enabling the public to gain experiences.
Covering the shortage of Technical Museums in Greece and mainly in Western Greece.

The Science and Technology Museum deals with the acquisition, maintenance and study (recording, documentation, evaluation) of objects of Science and Technology that primarily concern the existing objects in the University area. These objects after being studied and combined, are stored, or exhibited in the Museum, to contribute to research, education and entertainment (according to the definition of the Museum given in Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Statute of the International Council of Museums of ICOM).
The research, education and other activities of the Museum are carried out in collaboration with the respective activities of the University and with other institutions of education, science, technology and culture.