Sarlidja-Palace-Info
This project takes place in Thermi, a small town of Lesvos, located on the east coast of the island. The wider region is named after the hot springs that well up over the centuries according to the Turkish name Sarlica (Sarlitza). The Ottoman conquest of Lesvos took place in September 1462 which created new socio-economic and residential data. Whilst the first two centuries are marked by the recession of fierce upheavals, signs of recovery will appear after the middle of the 18th century.
At that period, the general economic and social growth of the island created special conditions for development including a road network of the island and demand for bathing and accommodation facilities in the hot spring’s vicinity. Hotel Sarlitza Palace was built in 1909 under the guidance and design of French architects. The high level of service resulted in attracting people from Lesvos, the Asia Minor coast, the capital and all the big cities of the empire, creating a popular landmark for that period and thus improving the view of the coast. After the nation’s liberation, the Sarlitza Palace owned by the Ottoman community of Thermi until then, came to the Greek State. It continued to glory and despite world war events, the visitors turnout was constant.
Hotel Sarlitza Palace is located into an area of about 23.5 acres with the main façade being NorthEast oriented. The main building was listed for preservation in 1987. It presents three main historical and construction phases into the extension of its original volume, which altered its original form. The 1st construction phase suggests the construction of the hotel (1909) until the first expansion in 1925 (expanding both sides of the first floor). The 2nd intervention (expansion) takes place in 1936 with the addition of two wings to the opposite sides of the ground floor and the first floor. In 1933 archives the building presents it as three-storey, while after the last expansion in 1936 the building was given its final dimensions (29.30m x10.60m). During 1952-1965, the 3rd intervention took place expanding the second floor as well as performing some indoor renovations, forming the building with the same general dimensions as to-date.
In its current state, the hotel forms a symmetrical three-storey building, presenting on the ground floor the common rooms (hall, living and dining room), while the bedrooms are placed on the first and second floors. The morphology of the views can be included in Eclecticism with oriental elements, as some morphological references -like the arches especially on the front view- are presenting the Ottoman years when the hotel was first built (1909).
