Sculpture "Library"

The sculpture "Library," created by Aristidis Patsoglou, is located next to the entrance of the Thessaloniki History Center. The Center, originally founded as the "Historical Archive of Thessaloniki" in 1983 and renamed in 1984, was moved in 1995 to the building in Ippodromiou Square, also known as the Billeio, thanks to a donation from Anastasios and Julia Billis. The "Library" sculpture depicts books and human figures, with children climbing and intertwining, creating a living library. The human figures form shelves and display cases with their bodies, while also reaching out to search for and read books. At the center of the sculpture is a quote from Heraclitus: "Aeon is a child playing, playing board games; the kingdom belongs to the child." This phrase highlights both the impermanence of time and its natural power. On the sides of the sculpture, four other sayings of Heraclitus are hidden. The sculpture combines ancient Greek philosophy with the idea of knowledge and human interaction, emphasizing the importance of time, memory, and the transmission of knowledge from one person to another.