A second Colossus for Rhodes?

Rhodes harbour then

ARCHITECTS have produced a plan to build a new Colossus of #Rhodes, the original having been by brought down by an earthquake that struck the ancient Greek island port more than 2,000 years ago. The new Colossus would be five times larger than the original.,. or one-and-a- half times the size of New York’s Statue of Liberty. 

Straddling the two outer piers of the harbour and facing the Aegean, it will clutch a beacon in its raised right hand which will be visible not only to passing ships, but as far as the Turkish coast, 35 miles away. Ships would sail between the statue’s legs. 

Costing €250 million (£183 million), the statue will rise more than 443ft above the harbour. The project’s promoters estimate that the Colossus, which will house a library, shops, and a museum, will generate an annual income of €35 million (£25.6 million).

The statue’s skin would be made of solar panels, providing power for the lighthouse and the facilities inside.

Rhodes port now

It is hoped that the plans for the statue – which have been announced against the backdrop of the Greek financial meltdown – will be seen as a sign of the country’s determination to emerge from its continuing economic crisis.

‘We want to show that #Greece can get back on its feet again; that it has the power and people to do so, and that the economy here can recover,’ Aris A. Pallas, the project’s head architect, told The Times in London. ‘We’re not out to replicate the ancient Colossus. We want to revive the symbolism it imbued, pooling human and financial resources together from across the globe, making it an emblem of globalization while reviving the historical and cultural significance traditionally attached to the Colossus of Rhodes.’

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios, built in 280 BC to celebrate Rhodes’ victory over the ruler of Cyprus. It was one of the tallest statues of the ancient world, at approximately 98 feet. It was destroyed when Rhodes was hit by an earthquake in 226 BC. In 654 AD, Saracens ransacked the island and sold the statue’s relics.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK