A series of historic Greek cafes that were meeting points for writers, poets, politicians and intellectuals, as well as people of any social status, have been included in the Culture Ministry’s list of intangible cultural heritage.

The cafes are members of the international cultural organization Historic Cafes Route. The list includes Kipos, which has operated in the Municipal Garden of Hania, Crete, since 1870 and was frequented in the 20th century by prominent statesman Eleftherios Venizelos, writer Nikos Kazantzakis, soprano Maria Callas and many more.

Others include Tipota in Tripoli in the Peloponnese, which has been operating since 1840, Oraia Ellas in Monastiraki, Athens, which opened in 1839, Cafe Mevlana in Rhodes, housed in a 14th century building, Cafe Ermis (est. 1800) and Panellinios (1916) in Mytilene, and the Grand Cafe (1929) in Amfissa.

This article was previously published in ekathimerini.com.