Greece’s Iconic Blue & White Buildings Explained

So the Greek islands are known for their iconic white and blue buildings but

these buildings aren't a happy accident. There's a whole story behind why the buildings are the way they are and in this video I want to tell you all about

it. So let's go to Greece. For the last three weeks we've been bouncing around to some of the Greek

islands and it's been a blast and as we've been doing so I've noticed something very obvious about

the buildings here and it's that a large majority of them if not almost all of them are painted two

colors white and blue and these are colors that you don't just see on the buildings you kind of

see everywhere and once I started to see it and notice it I couldn't unsee it blue doors blue

windows, blue furniture, blue signs. Even a suspicious number of the cars here on the islands

are blue. So this is me not a rabbit hole trying to find the answer to why everything are these two

colors. And the answer is going to surprise you. I almost guarantee it. So let's talk about why all

the buildings on the Greek islands are white and blue. The sights and sounds of Greece stun you

nearly as much as the warmth of her climate and her peace. A stage for 3,000 years of history

If we're going to answer this question, why white and blue, one of the first things we need to acknowledge is..

that. But the sun. Because here on the islands in the summertime

it is extremely hot. We will reach the most 39 and the most important levels of the 40th grade

It's a very hot! It's very hot! So it is the middle of July right now and I can confirm it hot And traditionally here on the Greek islands the houses have been made of volcanic rock which are blacks and darks and really good at absorbing the sun heat

Is it hot in here or what? And so people would paint their houses, and you'd see light tans, maybe a light yellow, but predominantly white

So the first and most practical reason why people are painting their houses is to protect against the sun's heat

But this is where things get interesting because in the 1930s, there's actually a law passed forcing people to paint their houses white

Now, to understand why a paint law was passed in the 1930s, we first need to talk about the water on the islands

The water on the islands, even today, isn't really drinkable. And if you were to go back to the 1930s, you can imagine it was even less so

And in 1934, this led to a bit of a cholera outbreak

Cholera, in fact, is the most urgent problem of the new government. Flies and contaminated food and water help to spread the epidemic

which has already hit many provinces and cities throughout the island. And as cholera was kind of making an outbreak through the islands

the leader at the time, he had an idea. He's like, you know what? We need to create a law

A law forcing everyone to paint their houses white. Are you serious

sounds silly, but it actually makes sense because this white paint is made from a limestone composite

and limestone has disinfecting properties. By forcing people to whitewash their house a couple

times a year, they would effectively be disinfecting the world around them and helping to stop the

spread of cholera. But that is not where the story ends because the plot thickens. There is a second

paint law. One of the things that I find really charming about the Greek islands are all the tiny little painted doors Like what is this door for I don know but there all kinds of little like tiny tiny little doors

Look at these tiny little doors. Like, who's walking through them? What are they used for? I don't know

But they are adorable. Greece, man. It's just, it's such a vibe

cute little door so the 1930s come and go the cholera outbreak it kind of goes away the ruler

of the time who said everyone must paint their houses white he's no longer in power and so some

people are painting their houses white some aren't there's no one really enforcing the rules but then

late 1960s come and a military dictatorship takes over army tanks rolled into athens and took up

positions outside all important government buildings in the royal palace. In a broadcast

the new government proclaimed the death of party politics. There's no longer left, right, and center

they said, only Greeks. So the dictatorship comes in, they're just over through the government

and they're like, what can we do to unify everyone? And someone's like, I have an idea

Let's make a law. Oh boy, here we go again. You see where this is going? Yes, they make a second

paint law, forcing everyone to paint their houses not only white, but blue this time

representing the national flag and the colors. And it works. You start seeing these colors

everywhere. You see in the clothes people are wearing, the furniture, the boats, and yes

even the buildings. But of course, the dictatorship, it doesn't last. Greece today is a republic, but the damage has

already been done because these two colors are here to stay. And so are the final piece of this

puzzle Tourists Oh wow Tourists Let's check out how busy it is at sunset

Because it's usually crazy packed. Ooh, I already see people. This place is hacked

Now, it's no secret that tourists love these white and blue buildings

I mean, why wouldn't they? They are adorable. And it's the reason why millions and millions of people flock to these islands every year

They look great in pictures, and people have taken notice. And in a lot of ways, these buildings and these colors have become a calling card for Greece all over the world

You can even argue that the dictatorship was kind of right, in that by forcing people to paint their houses white and blue

they brought together an entire nation and the people within it around an idea

And it worked. And that is it. Temperature, tourists, a disease, and a dictatorship

are why all the houses on the Greek islands are white and blue

Bet you didn't see that coming. Peace from Greece. That rhymes. See you guys

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and these courses will help you do that. So BrightTrip.com, go check them out and I will see you guys in the next video. Bye