Greece’s highest court has ruled that an Athens hotel must demolish its two top floors because it restricts the view of the Acropolis.
Coco-Mat Athens BC, which is located at the foot of the Acropolis in Koukaki, now has three months to plan and proceed with renovations to the building.
The five-star hotel came under scrutiny in 2019 when it was one of two constructions that exceeded the 24-metre building limit of the area.
12.5 metres over the limit, Coco-Mat’s construction prompted public outcry, with arguments that the building was located within the archaeological area of the UNESCO heritage site.
This upheaval led to an investigation by environment and culture ministries on the current zoning laws in Athens.
“When the Acropolis is harmed, in essence, our civilization is harmed too,” the Greek culture minister Lina Mendoni said at the time.
“The Acropolis is a symbol. It is not simply a monument.”
Two fines were imposed on the owning company, Ble Kedros, for the hotel, 4.7 million euros for building the two top floors and 2.3 million for delays in demolishing them, reportedly the latter will be reimposed for each year the demolitions don’t occur.
The hotel – which promises guests an “experience that you won’t find anywhere else”- had received the approval of the Athens Municipality but that has since been revoked. Their license has also been taken off them by the Tourism Ministry until the court order is carried out.
Plans to demolish reduce the 10 storeys to eight, will not begin just yet as Ble Kedros will appeal against the court ruling and the Ministry’s decision.
Recent news has shown that the Acropolis has been ‘overwhelmed’ with visitors as tourists flock to Greece for summer holidays.
One thing for certain is that these visitors will not be staying at Coco-Mat anytime soon.
