Karytaina is one of the most picturesque and historic villages of Arcadia. It is built on top of a hill around a medieval castle, the site where the ancient Vrenthi was. It is said that in the ancient city of Vrenthi the “War of the Giants” took place.

An exhibition entitled “We Remember-We miss you!” which opened on Saturday, May 13, at 11 am, in the Mansion of the great Karytian legislator Nikolaos Dimitrakopoulos presents Karytaina, as it has been captured through time.

The history, the glorious past, and images from the daily life of Karytaina are showcased in a series of approximately 700 black and white photographs which take the visitor on a journey back in time, reviving events and awakening memories and strong emotions.

The aim of the exhibition, organised by the Association of Karytaina “Theodoros Kolokotronis” is to promote and provide more complete knowledge about the Karytaina of yesteryear, which is contained in a number of black and white photographs that were, for many decades, in old albums, in dusty boxes, chests, wardrobes, and lofts. Still, others, sent by loved ones from the front or from abroad, are signed or accompanied by a small, touching text and phrases such as “I kiss you with love”, “I love you”, “good luck”…!

The exhibition covers a long period of time, from 1870 to 1985. The dominant figure in many photographs is the heroic and suffering woman of Karytaina, bent, ragged, and wrinkled, in the daily struggle for the survival of the family, as a mother, and wife but also at the same time as a tireless tiller of the earth. Among the images are landscapes and monuments of Karytaina on a black and white background, simple but rich in memories and emotions.

The thematic sections

The photographs have been classified into distinct thematic sections, as indicated below:
* Tourist Engravings
* Karytaina in 1900
* The Castle of Karytaina
* The Kapodistrian School of Karytaina
* Nikolaos P. Dimitrakopoulos. The Great Carytian Lawgiver
* The historical Associations of Karytaina
* The water supply of Karytaina from Aries
* Karytaina in ruins
* The professionals of Karytaina
* Karytain industrialists
* Benefactors of Karytaina
* The doctors of Karytaina
* Demosthenes Valavanis. The lost poet of Karytaina
* The Elementary School
* The Home Economics School
* The Churches of Karytaina
* Archaeological findings
* The bazaar of the women of Karytaina
* Family photos, grouped by family

In his brief greeting, the Regional Governor of Peloponnese, Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, who assisted and placed the exhibition under the auspices of the Peloponnese Region, states:

“Dear Mr. President,
Certain places of our homeland have been generously endowed by history and nature, and among them, Karytaina with its famous castle occupies a special place. It was born as a Brenthi in ancient times, grew into a seat of barony during the Frankish period, and offered valuable services in the 1821 Struggle for the liberation of our country.
The “Toledo of Greece”, as it was named by William Miller and Nikos Kazantzakis, has remained standing until today, has preserved many of its monuments, and enjoys the fresh air of the Gortynian mountains, gazing at the waters of the Alpheios River, which carry captivating legends and incredible myths.
The image of Karytaina, which is gone, but will always cause nostalgia for her people, has been captured in the best way in print, in the old photographs that remained in her homes and these are presented in the thematic photographic exhibition of the Karytina Association, entitled “We Remember -We miss you”.
The Region of Peloponnese always supports events that highlight our history and popular culture, which is why it provided its support and placed the photographic exhibition under its auspices. Warm congratulations are due to the initiators, organisers, and also to those who preserved these mosaics of our cultural heritage”.

“The purpose of the exhibition is to promote and gain a more complete knowledge of the “gone” Karytaina, through the black and white memory, which the old photographs, which in every home are hidden in old albums or in dusty boxes, generously convey and offer us in chests, wardrobes, even in the attics of our houses, states the president of the Association, Mr. Georgios Adamopoulos, in the foreword of the special edition for the exhibition. Some sent by loved ones from the front or from abroad, are signed either with a small touching text that touches the soul of the recipient, or simply with a “kiss you with love”, “I love you”, or “good morning”.

The time period covered by the photographic exhibition is the one hundred and ten years from 1870 to about 1980 during which the technology of black and white photography was developed, popularized, and used more widely. Black and white gives a sadder, more melancholy tone to an image and emphasizes emotion and nostalgia. Even the black-and-white photographs of landscapes and monuments emphasize nostalgia, anticipation, a melancholy. They give the feeling of a deserted place and definitely
they put you in the process of thinking, reflection, imagination, and nostalgia.
The capture of the austerity of the life of our ancestors, through black-and-white photography, is irresistibly fascinating and particularly unique. Wonderful black and white photographs from the past of Karytaina and its people, bring to the fore everyday faces and give us a clear sense of the socio-economic situation of the historical place, as it evolved through world-historical events, such as wars and the tragic civil war. The photos of landscapes and monuments remind us of the past years, but at the same time, they confirm to us that Karytaina has always been strong and beautiful. The real Princess, Capital of Gortynia, with her huge contribution to our Nation’s games.

These scattered, half-damaged black and white photographs, the Association tried to gather, record their content, display, and enlarge them, in order to then present them in our photographic exhibition.
A special feature of the exhibition is that it will take place in a space that creates and contains a heavy emotional charge for every Karytino. In the great hall of the Mansion of our fellow countryman Nikolaos Dimitrakopoulos, which we hope will soon become the Culture and Education Center of Karytaina and its wider region. Because it is judged that the particularly time-consuming, complicated, but particularly important work that has been done, should not be lost, but instead must be a legacy for our descendants, a systematic effort will be made to videotape the exhibition in detail, so that its full content is available for anyone interested in the future, in electronic form”.

The exhibition opened its doors to the public on Saturday 13 May at 11.00 am and will run until 31 August 2023 Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11.00 am. until 13.00 pm.