The Industrial Heritage of Greece: A Review of the 20th Century Through Qualitative Combined Analysis

This paper examines industrial heritage, beginning with the emergence of industrial archaeology in Europe as a response to the large-scale destruction of historic industrial buildings. It further analyses how this international trend was transferred—albeit in a temporally delayed manner—to Greece, where state indifference and processes of deindustrialization initially led to the devaluation of more recent industrial monuments. Through four case studies (the Matsaggos Tobacco Factory, Technopolis, Lavrion, and Papastratos), different models of reuse are analyzed, including cultural, academic, and private-led approaches. The findings indicate that adaptive reuse is recognized as a best practice for achieving sustainability in industrial heritage conservation. However, its application in the Greek context requires careful planning to prevent urban exclusion, while ensuring a balance between economic development and the preservation of historical memory.