Nikolaos Balanos

Nikolaos Balanos (Νικόλαος Μπαλάνος) (1869 in Athens – 22 September 1943) was a Greek architect. He is best known for his controversial anastylosis (restoration) of monuments on the Acropolis of Athens between 1894 and 1939. After studying at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris, he became Director of the Technical Department of the Greek Ministry of Public Instruction. In 1932, at the 350th anniversary of the University of Würzburg, he was named Doctor honoris causa of the Faculty of Arts. In 1894, Balanos was given responsibility for the restoration of the Parthenon, which had been damaged in earthquakes over the previous year. The supervising committee appointed by the Greek Archaeological Service to oversee the work had decided to make a partial reconstruction of the temple, which would strengthen the damaged parts and replace, where necessary, ancient marble with modern. They also decided to use, as far as possible, the original building methods — specifically, dry-stone masonry held together with metal clamps — in the restoration work. The restorations were notionally supervised by the English, German and French architects Francis Penrose, Josef Durm and Lucien Magne, but the operational direction was delegated to the 'Committee for the Conservation of the Parthenon', a body which included academics, members of Athens' foreign schools of archaeology, and representatives of the Greek government. Nikolaos Balanos, Athens' Chief Engineer of Public Works, was invited to join this committee after its formation, and effectively took control of the reconstructions, operating, according to the archaeological historian Fani Mallouchou-Tufano, "independently and unchecked". The first phase of the practical work of restoration took place between 1898 and 1902, replacing parts of the upper columns in the Parthenon's opisthodomos and west façade as well as most of the structural blocks behind the west frieze. Balanos also disassembled, repaired and reinforced several parts of the temple, particularly its pediments.