At an event where the past met the present in the multicultural environment of Larnaca Airport, the exhibition “Cart Postale. EU Journey Through The Lens of Time” officially opened its doors to passengers. The exhibition was inaugurated by President Nikos Christodoulides, his presence underscoring the significance of the exhibition as a cultural journey through time and European history.

The exhibition hosts rare postcards from the collection of the late Antonis Hadjipanayis, a man who dedicated his life to preserving small yet precious moments of Europe’s urban memory. Postcards, as carriers of wishes, sentiments and culture, record the beauty of European cities of the previous century, when images travelled slowly, humanly and with the magic of anticipation.

As Cyprus prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in January 2026, the exhibition acquires a symbolic dimension. It serves as a reminder that European identity has been built over centuries through exchanges, relationships and stories that transcend borders. Through the material preserved by Antonis Hadjipanayis, the past engages in dialogue with Europe’s present and future.

The curation of the exhibition was undertaken with sensitivity and respect by the collector’s son, Panicos Hadjipanayis, and his grandson, Antonis Hadjipanayis, continuing a family tradition that transforms a love of history into a public cultural asset.

During the opening ceremony, President Christodoulides, expressed his appreciation of the exhibition. “This exhibition is truly a visual journey into the early 20th century, when almost everything was entirely different from today,” he noted.

“It was a time when communication took place through correspondence, literally from hand to hand. Although this method of sending wishes and conveying memories is sadly considered outdated today, it still carries a unique charm that is worth recalling for the older generations and discovering for the younger ones.

“At the same time, the exhibition, organised in collaboration with Hermes Airports, serves as a beautiful farewell gift to the thousands of visitors who will come to Cyprus on the occasion of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“I congratulate Hermes Airports. Both last year and this year we will have a historic record in arrivals at our two airports, and this is also the result of close cooperation with the Government. I congratulate Hermes Airports once again for making use of this rare material from the collection of Antonis Hadjipanayis and his son, my friend Panicos, and his grandson Antonis for the initiative and the wonderful idea.”

In her own address, Chief Executive Officer of Hermes Airports, Eleni Kalogirou, also hailed the vision behind the initiative. “The exhibition we are inaugurating today is not merely a collection of postcards but a journey into the soul of Europe,” she said.

“Larnaca Airport becomes a living crossroads of European memory and cultural heritage by hosting the precious treasure of the late Antonis Hadjipanayis. This exhibition takes on added significance as it is taking place just three weeks before Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

“For us at Hermes Airports, it is an honour to offer this cultural window to travellers and to the broader public in a space that serves daily as a meeting point of people, stories and destinations.”

Addressing attendees in turn, the curator of the exhibition and son of the late Antonis Hadjipanayis, Panicos Hadjipanayis, elaborated on the significance of the visual material displayed.

“It took extensive searching through thousands of cards to select the 250 displayed here. Looking through Artificial Intelligence, I found no similar undertaking,” he said. “An exhibition of old postcards from all EU member states. I must say that, almost from the moment I began, with the valuable assistance of my mother, to locate and archive the personal accounts and documents left to us by my father, the first team to show interest in further collaboration with us was the Communications Department of Hermes.

“So, when I thought that I could make use of, showcase and share, through my father’s archive, a small part of his Cypriot presence abroad, the first place that came to mind was the airport. Today, that wish has become reality.”