KAVALA, Greece – One hundred and ten years after its inauguration, the Great Club (Megali Leschi) of Kavala, one of the most iconic and historic buildings of the northern Greek city, will reopen its heavy wooden doors after undergoing a major restoration.

The Great Club was founded in 1910 by the Philoptochos Adelfotis Kyrion Kavalas (a women’s charity for the poor) in order to house the Club for the Greek Community of Kavala. From an architectural perspective, the Great Club is one of the most exceptional examples of Austrian baroque in Europe and some believe that it imitates part of the Vienna Concert Hall (Musikverein).

The building was renovated by the Municipality of Kavala, in collaboration with the Kavala-Thassos Ephorate of Antiquities, promoting its architectural virtues and adapting it to cultural uses. The building’s architecture is in the spirit of that time, which wove together the desire to display power and wealth with a sense of national pride in the ancient Greek traditions.