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The Municipality of Trifylia in southern Greece has uprooted the historic “Tambakis Mulberry,” a 300-year-old tree tied to Greece’s War of Independence, despite local opposition.
The tree was a symbol of the nation’s history and located in Filiatra’s Kapodistrias Square. It was a candidate for inclusion in the List of Protected Natural Monuments of Greece.
Officials justified the removal, citing plans to create parking spaces, but did not consider alternatives like transplantation.
Surviving the devastation of Ibrahim Pasha’s forces in 1825, the tree’s destruction 200 years later by municipal decision has sparked an outcry. Many lament the loss of a landmark that could have served as a point of historical tourism.
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Greece has been hit by a magnitude 6 earthquake
the Greek islands including Crete and as far as Malta
Additional reporting by Dimitris Kouimtsidis
Greece has been hit by magnitude 5.9 quake with tremors being felt across the country
in the country's capital and across the Greek islands
The quake struck off the coast of the Peloponnese
with islands as far as Crete experiencing tremors
Tremors are also being felt as far away as Malta
The Malta Seismic Monitoring Group recorded two earthquakes in the Mediterranean
The earthquake's epicentre was in the middle of the sea
The earthquake struck off the west coast of the Peloponnese
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries
but that the quake was felt widely from Athens and across the Greek islands
The earthquake originated around 10.5miles below the sea bed close to the Strofades island
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (CSEM) reported the 5.9 magnitude quake and a number of apparent aftershocks in and around Greece this morning
including a 2.4 magnitude tremor in the region of Crete and a 2.5 magnitude quake in the Aegean Sea
Three smaller earthquakes were also reported in southern Greece within the space of nine minutes
The earthquake magnitude of the earthquake was 5.9 on the Richter scale
Reports of rooms shaking and people being woken from bed appeared across social media
According to the Maltese seismic monitoring group
two earthquakes were recorded in the Mediterranean on Friday morning
Another 6.9 magnitude earthquake was felt from the central Mediterranean
told ERT (Greece's national broadcaster): "It's still too early to tell if this is a major earthquake
Eythimios Lekkas told Proto Thema: "It's two separate earthquakes to the west of Filiatra
"Neither of the two quakes are causing much worry at the moment because of how deep into the water the epicentre was."
One resident of the island of Zakynthos (Zante)
located to the north of the epicentre said on social media: "Zakynthos moved so much it was like samba dancing!!!!"
Another resident on the island of Zakynthos wrote: "When I saw the notification of the strength of the quake I thought it was in Japan with how strong it was
It started shaking like a playground swing without much noise though."
described it like "being on a boat"
while another claimed: "Half of Greece rocked probably due to the depth of the quake."
Situated in Agrili, within the Peloponnese region
turreted castle looms awkwardly over the coastal landscape near the town of Filiatra
Its exterior is guarded by peculiar statues
oversized and with startled expressions – one sports a crown
Charalambos Fournarakis as his intended primary residence
this castle was accompanied by a mock Eiffel Tower in nearby Filiatra
from hosting performances to operating as a hotel and even a museum
this eccentric edifice draws inspiration from multiple historical eras
with its statues seemingly representing both the Trojan and Middle Ages
The colossal horse believed to be of Trojan origin
once housed the library of the castle’s unconventional owner
reportedly depicting characters from Greek mythology – Athena and Poseidon
This grim reality is a far cry from Dr Fournarakis’ original vision
in which he aimed to embody the enchanting tales passed down through generations
the statue and its unique design stand empty while discussions among local authorities continue to determine its uncertain future
In a simple statement in the newspaper “Kathimerini”
the family of Bambi Vovos announced on Sunday (21.7.2024) the death of the once powerful manufacturer at the age of 91
who was born in 1933 in Filiatra and managed to make his own history in construction
who saw his name dominate many glass buildings on Leophorou Kifissia
in recent years and having entered the tenth decade of his career
He did not go to the office except rarely and spent much of it with his wife Mary
In previous years he had been in trouble with the justice system
and in 2020 he was arrested after two convictions for tax evasion
He was taken to Korydallos Prison Hospital because of his age
and a day later he bought out his sentence and was released
Born into a family of eight children in the difficult conditions of the inter-war period
what distinguished him from his childhood was his hard work and determination to succeed
Knowing well that “you make your way by moving forward”
he managed to get into the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Polytechnic University
he got a job as a civil engineering cadet in the office of “Nikolaidis & Kalfopoulos”
he establishes his first company together with the Mykonian contractors Yannis Zouganelis and Panagiotis Famelis
The company was mainly engaged in the purchase and construction of houses in Mykonos and it was the company that opened the way for him
when the country was just before the “dawn” of the post-independence era
he also took the next big step by founding Babis Vovos International Technical
Business was going well and with the financial comfort he gained he was not carried away by the “Sirens” of luxury holidays
When he went to the United States he was so impressed by the skyscrapers that it was as if he had met his destiny
he charted a new course with the aim of bringing his own “skyscrapers” to the domestic reality
In the very first steps of his new company
he participated in the renovation of the Presidential Palace
but he wanted to “establish” his name with something special
taking advantage of the transfer of the building factor
he put forth an ambitious plan for the Atrina Center
which he named after the initials of his children’s names
The property was based on designs by the great Ioannis Vikelas
but Vovos enlisted American and Italian architects
one with a façade on Kifissia Avenue and the second (tower) is 80 meters high and includes 18 floors
It is considered the first high aesthetic standard glazed complex
which gave the glass-tinted image of a “skyscraper” outside the historic center
The “Atrina Center” also rose to prominence on television
as it “impersonated” Yago Dragon’s famous “Giant” in the thousands of episodes of the popular television series “The Shining.”
After the first “skyscraper” of the northern suburbs and with the country having turned a new page in 1981
with “weapons” the now passed by the Parliament law on the transfer of the building factor and the tool of the counter-rent
He began to sweep every free plot of land in Kifissia
setting up the next commercial complexes of “Agora” in 1987
Thus transforming the road axis into the capital’s most commercial street with its own indelible stamp
with the old Elfinko building on Syngrou Avenue
hosting for a time the headquarters of the New Democracy
it expanded its horizons to residential and hotel complexes
The change in the law on the transfer of the building rate in 1992 may have threatened his dominance
as he was one of the first to “discover” the sale & lease back model
And since he could no longer lift behemoths
he exploited the existing ones as a manager
playing a leading role in the social life of Athens
their father and his wife Mary did not even give their… even in the lap of his glory to make such comments
the company’s profits exceeded 6.5 billion drachmas and MBDT’s listing on the stock exchange followed
with the “party” lasting for almost a decade
The first heavy clouds came in 2009 along with the financial crisis
and the exorbitant borrowing of 120 million euros
It was the fateful project that became the “Titanic” for Bambi Vovos
the inability to find investors and a series of other problems turned his vision of building the new Panathinaikos stadium and the large shopping center in the underdeveloped area of Athens into an irresistible weight that dragged everything down
the group’s short-term debt obligations amounted to 223 million euros and total liabilities to an astronomical 873.73 million euros
and shortly afterwards he was temporarily arrested for debts to the state as well
The great “decapitalization” had begun
with the “silver” going into the hands of the banks in the name of a “consolidation plan”
This included the unfinished luxury residential complex in Nea Erythraia
The central element of the plan was of course the Votanikos property
which was transferred to a new company in exchange for a total value of €120 million
as well as part of a debt from a syndicated loan agreement
the acquisition of Babis Vovos’ properties was on the table
between the creditor banks and large funds such as KKR
as part of a restructuring of the company’s debts
with most of the properties ending up under the hammer
the Athens Court of First Instance revoked a previous decision declaring “Bambis Vovos International Technical” in bankruptcy
considering that “the bankruptcy of the above company was never declared”
That is why to this day the company remains active
with its headquarters in the office on the 4th floor of the “Atrina Center”
the General Meeting of Shareholders decided to amend Article 3 of the Articles of Association
setting the duration of the company at 100 years
from the original 50 years that had already expired…
Typical of the magnitude of the collapse is that in 2006 the value of MBDT’s portfolio amounted to €1.2 billion
in 2016 to €44.1 million and more recently
based on the latest financial statements for 2021
with accumulated losses reaching €234.4 million and total liabilities €177.5 million
Vovos continued to struggle with what was left in its hands
One of his key cards was a 62.2-acre plot of land in Sounion (Puntazeza)
where he envisioned building a 12,000-square-meter hotel complex with an expected completion initially in… 2009
the financial statements for 2016 stated thatas there was no development regarding the construction of hotel units
but also no agreement with interested tenants or buyer-investors
the company proceeded to sell the land to Piraeus Bank on 25/5/2016 for €10 million
with which debts to the state and social security funds were satisfied
Its second strong card was the hotel complex in Galata
In the financial statements of the same year it was stressed that ‘the completion of the hotel complex in Galata is in its final stage
The company is considering the possibility of converting this unit into a medical resort”
It was a project that would also put him in the tourist real estate business
with Aris Vovos anxiously looking for a potential investor
The unfinished “Stella Maris” complex sits on the site formerly called Katara and now Drepani
and is being developed on a 65-acre seaside site
consisting of 17 independent buildings and 23,905 sq.m
The gamble was of course extremely difficult
given that the property was burdened with mortgages and liens in favor of banks and others
Thus,on 19 May 2021 it was put up for auction with a first bid price of €7.35 million
but it ended up being unsuccessful due to a lack of bidders
this time with a starting price of €5.48 million
but there was a major twist as Cypriot company Ferena Holdings Ltd turned up
an appeal was made by MBDT to the Piraeus Court of First Instance
requesting that its application be granted
in which it set out the history of the expression of interest on the part of the Cypriot company
The request was granted and the second hammer was suspended
But the same was not the case with the other corporate and family assets
which were either sold to meet liabilities or were put up for auction
Such as the famous yacht “Maria Pia” owned by Aris Vovos
The impressive yacht of 42 meters renamed “My Toy” has five suite cabins
seven crew cabins and can accommodate up to 12 people
in recent years it has also hosted American actress Demi Moore
the Steggos family was also looking to sell it
and the boat is currently leased for 99,000 euros a week
under a hammering all the time are the assets of MBDT
some of which are going away and others are left unclaimed
The unfinished homes in New Eritrea began to go up for auction in May 2021
with most to be auctioned off gradually by September 2022
an unbuilt plot of land on Kifissia Avenue in Neo Psychiko
with a first bid price of 1.26 million euros
which after successive “hits” was sold at 2.38 million euros
It originally came out with a price of 4.63 million euros
an auction was held for a corner plot of 318.25 sq.m
on Theotokopoulou and Aigialiaia streets in Maroussi
where the summer cinema “Agora Hellas” used to operate
It came out with a starting price of 280,000 euros and was awarded at 370,000 euros
warehouses and more than 450 parking spaces) in the “Atrina Center” and the second complex on 60 Kifissias Street started to go under the hammer
the auction for the 75 remaining parking spaces was held
a plot of land in his hometown of Filiatra
which came out with a first bid price of 29,500 euros and was sold with 10 euros more at 29,510 euros
Artion Travel and Tourism from Trikala was the responsible party and the amount of the debt was 40,000 euros
The auction was directed against Bampi Vovos himself as the debtor
while even this land was loaded with a mortgage in favor of Alpha Bank for 200,000 euros from 2017 and with two forced seizures by the foreclosing…
the family members of Bambi Vovos have experienced a different reality
but also other assets in order to repay debts and obligations after they had mortgaged them
on 25 March Square and Diamond Avenue at number 1
although he has reportedly left it by residing elsewhere for at least a year
it was still listed as his address until late 2023
on Leophorou Diamantidou is enclosed by a stone paddock with a railing
while the frontage to 25 March Square has a concrete wall
The mortgage-laden villa was to be auctioned for the first time on 13 December 2017 at the Halandri Magistrate’s Court
with Alpha Bank as the auctioneer and a starting price of €2.56 million
the notary association decided to abstain and so the auction did not take place
But neither did the next ones seem to have willing investors to “hit it”
despite the “fillet” at a bargain price
Although the property subsequently passed into the ownership of Alpha Bank
no eviction proceedings were initiated following
an informal order from the late Yannis Kostopoulos
who did not want his old friend to lose his house
the property was acquired by the well-known real estate entrepreneur Yannis Papalekas
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