– Warm thanks to Eleni I. Fountoulaki and the reportorial site Zarpa.gr –
The Small Hydroelectric Power Plant (SHPP) of Agia is in the process of being included in the European Industrial Heritage Route, as announced in a conversation with ZARPA RADIO 89.6 by the Director of the Regional Development Company of Crete, Maria Petrantonaki – Kalogeri, who has taken over the management of the Small Hydroelectric Power Plant (SHPP) of Agia in Chania.
The Small Hydroelectric Power Plant was inaugurated in 1929 by Eleftherios Venizelos, the Prime Minister of Greece.
Nowadays, the former Power Plant is an example of industrial archaeology, part of the modern history of the town and the collective memory. The presence of such a pioneering project has historical, technological, social, architectural, and scientific value today.
“It is called a Small Hydroelectric Power Plant, but it is not ‘small’, in that it includes many activities,” as Ms. Petrantonaki pointed out, noting that “ with museologist Myrto Kontomitaki, we are preparing to include the SHPP Agia in the European Industrial Heritage Route – which the Museum of Typography has already participated in Chania.
The initiative was emphasized by the Director of the Historical Archive of the Public Power Corporation, Ms Maria Mavroidis, so we are trying with Ms. Kontomitaki to include it. This will result in great visibility and networking for the former Power Plant with other industrial monuments and regions of Europe. Besides, SHPP is an industrial building, a “machine building” that has a lot to show us”.
In more detail, speaking about the activities of SHPP, she stated:
“During winter, we run educational programs for children of various ages by the museum educator Marilena Pantelaki. We have school visits every day. It is the fourth year of the former SHPP. Nowadays, we extend our activities to the artificial lake of Agia with educational programs on biodiversity, flora, and fauna of this area. Moreover, STEM educational programs with Lego have come to fruition, funded by the Region of Crete.
For the second consecutive year, we ran a summer school for children that was extremely successful.
In 2025, we began and will continue in 2026 the digitization of the SHPP, an initiative of Ms. Pantelaki. Anyone who visits the former power plant can download an app on their phone and take a VR tour through the museum.
Finally, “sensory backpacks” have been designed for children with neurodiversity, which can be used during educational programs, as well as individual tours. Easy-to-use backpacks, including objects (such as flashlights, headphones, booklets, etc.), offer fun and interactive sensory resources, since they are designed to support and improve the experience of children with additional sensory needs.
The article in Greek: HERE
