The Municipal Center for History possesses today a rich archive that consists of the Volos Municipality archive (1883-1982), 46 private archives concerning directly or indirectly the city and its greater area, archives of old industrial enterprises, as well as important material of building plans, maps, aerial photos, transparencies and photos.

Vilma Hastaoglou - Martinidis
Volos, portrait of the city from the 19th to today

  Most cities owe their place in town planning historiography to having been objects of grand designs by distinguished creators; doubtlessly Volos cannot boast commensurate achievements. However, despite its small size, despite the absence of monumental layout and the lack of imposing public architecture, the city of Volos emits astonishingly an authentic sense of urbanity.
These very particularities in urban history of Volos elevate it to a captivating field of study on urban planning in Greece, enriching it on critical issues; issues such as tradition versus modernity, inertia versus rapid changing, private and public contribution on the making of the city, the role of local authorities, or the importance of planning in relation with social dynamics.
The course of Volos through the 19th and 20th centuries brings up a fundamental attribute of the city: its continuous change materialising by consecutive breaks of continuity and drastic transformations of its character and form. Only a few cities can demonstrate so drastic transformations, even fewer can be considered as the outcome of unreserved acceptance and dynamic integration of modernity by their citizens the way Volos is.
This study focuses on the crucial turning points of this course in an effort to enlighten the underlying factors involved; it also reveals their impact to the physiognomy of the city.