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THE KRAKARIS CONVEYOR BELT

“Conveyor belt, situated on the Krakaris breakwaters for the loading of products coming from the factory of fertilizers, glass factory etc. of 200 meters length, with 2 pillars and 2 cantilevers, with the ability of loading every hour 140 tons of product in bulk or 30-40 tons in sacks”.

The above excerpt from the annual bulletin of the Piraeus Port Authority S.A. “The port of Piraeus during 1957” is the first reference we find in the bibliography about the Krakaris Conveyor belt. The Krakaris conveyor belt of the Fertilizer Company at the jetty of the same name was manufactured post-war, most likely integrated in the developmental projects that were funded within the Marshall plan. The conveyor belt contributed to the recommencement of the developmental trajectory of the Company post-war.

The conveyor belt was not torn down in 2003 but at the same time it was not considered preservable. It became property of the Piraeus Port Authority S.A. and was included in the project of the Piraeus Cultural Coast that was yet not carried forward. In 2017, the Krakaris pier and the conveyor belt of the same name were declared preservable monuments by the Central Council from Modern Monuments. Despite the declaration, it still remains abandoned and derelict, when in July 2019, a part of it was demolished due to a seismic vibration.

Αφηγήσεις
Text Credits
  • Eleni Kyramargiou, Historian, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation
Photo Credits
  • Urban Environment Laboratory Archive, School of Architecture, NTUA and National Bank of Greece Historical Archive.

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Under the patronage and attendance: