Hotel “International” (1924)

It is a representative example of the eclectic architecture of the city during the 1920s. The hotel “International” is one of the neoclassical buildings of the city and is a trademark for every visitor since Theodoros Angelopoulos himself adored and highlighted it in many of his films.
It is a two-story neoclassical building of the eclectic period of the interwar period, tiled roof, with three visible facades and a large roof. The ground floor is used for shops, while the hotel is located on the first floor.
The morphological organisation of the facades of the original section is characterised by the division with pseudo-parapets, where the element of the exterior window-exterior is repeated at equal intervals on the floor, while on the ground floor the openings of the shops are formed accordingly. In the centre there is an exterior window with an ornate metal balcony, emphasising the symmetrical axis of the façade.
The main façade of the hotel is interesting, where the axis of the entrance is emphasized by recesses both on the ground floor and on the first floor, and especially by the attic of the extension, which has a triangular pediment and creates a covered balcony closed with ballustrades.
The Simou brothers decided to build the “International” hotel because Florina began to become a resort for the residents of Thessaloniki. The ground floor of the hotel housed shops and on the first floor the hotel rooms were developed. In the same area there was a restaurant and a casino. The hotel was finally closed in 1990.
Today the Florina Culture Club is housed in the hotel premises.

TEXT SOURCE: 1) http://listedmonuments.culture.gr
2) http://www.florinaqr.gr/?page_id=855
3) http://history.eled.uowm.gr
SOURCE OF PHOTOS: Archive of the Municipality of Florina