Biography
Mr. Dimitris Maras was born in Athens in 1944, he studied Physics at the University of Athens and then went to the USA where he attended the University of Illinois, Chicago, scholarship and received his degree in Mechanical Engineering M.Sc.
Worked in chemical industries, shipbuilding, construction and shipping companies.
His love for the sea and the Greek naval tradition gave rise to systematically deal with over 30 years of research and study of Greek traditional shipbuilding, he visited several maritime museums in Greece and abroad particularly libraries, shipbuilding centers.
After researching and collecting data, taking advantage of the inherent ability to craft and armed with the gift of patience he started making replicas of historic wooden sailing vessels, scaled, which don't sail nowdays to the waters of the Mediterranean sea.
Strictly follow the traditional method of construction of models, just as they were being build by the shipwrights for centuries. Uses authentic materials, similar to those used by the original manufacturers. All models are built in scale.
The collection includes more than 120 different models ships which are the traditional shipbuilding history of the eastern Mediterranean, including the Bosporus and the Black Sea. They cover the Minoan era, the era of the Battle of Salamis, the time of Alexander the Great, the Byzantine era, the Greek Revolution of 1821 and until the implementation of steam in vessel traffic/movement.
He has exhibited part of the rich collection at various events such as:
1 Naval week, Thessaloniki, 1996
2 Naval week, Kavala, 2002
3 History Center, Thessaloniki, 2003
4 Greek Maritime Museum, Athens 2004
5 Participation in the events of the Olympic Games in Athens
6 Greek Maritime Museum, Athens, 2006
7. 470 World Masters Cup, Alexandroupolis, 2006
8 Maritime Museum, Litochorou, 2006
9 Hall Macedonian Studies, Thessaloniki, 2008
10 Maritime Museum Litochorou, 2008
11 Maritime Museum Litochorou, 2009
12 Cultural Center of Thermi Thessaloniki.'Exhibition of 40 models, 18th of October 2010 to 19th of November 2010.
He was a research associate of the magazine "GREEK PANORAMA"
Several television stations, newspapers and magazines have presented his work.
The aim/purpose of Mr. Dimitris Maras is the construction of a larger number of models, the challenge the young, for the Greek traditional shipbuilding and modeling. Desire is the rich collection of permanently exposed to a suitable place.
Part of the permanent collection is exhibited at the Maritime Museum Litochorou. www.nmlitohorou.gr
Several of the models are featured on the site www.naftotopos.gr
Mr. Dimitris Maras is a member of the Hellenic Maritime Museum.
The collection or part of it is available for exhibition of stakeholders, in Greece or abroad.