The latest royal palace that will turn into a museum is Tatoi, Greece, that faces Mount Parnitha and is surrounded by forests. The estate is only 27 kilometres off the city centre of Athens, the capital of Greece. In January 2023 the minister of Culture of Greece, Lina Mendoni, confirmed in an interview with Real FM radio that “citizens will have access to the old palaces by 2025”. It doesn’t mean that the restoration of the Tatoi estate will be complete by then. But she says that the infrastructure will be completed by then, as well as the conversion of the palace and the stables of King George I of Greece into a museum.
Tatoi, officially called Dekeleia, was included in the list of the most endangered sites by the Federation for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra in 2013. Although fires ravaged the area in August 2021 the former summer residence of the Greek royal family survived. The palace has been abandoned since King Constantine II (1940-2023) left the country. Greece officially became a republic in 1973. The Greek government confiscated the royal properties, including Tatoi, in 1994. King Constantine II was buried at the royal cemetery at Tatoi in January 2023.
In January 2021 Mendoni revealed plans to change the estate into a tourist attraction. In the 55 buildings on the estate economic activities were to be developed, including a palace shop, a luxury hotel, wellness facilities, as well as restaurants and a winery. The palaces would be turned into a museum. Also people were welcomed to visit the place to enjoy the natural beauty and outdoor activities. It was also planned to revive the agricultural and livestock activities on the 10,000-acre royal estate. The costs for the renovation project was expected to cost approximately 130 million euros. The plans were approved by the Central Council for Modern Monuments in March 2021. Restoration activities to recreate the original atmosphere and the genuine character of the estate started soon afterwards.
