Folklore Museum of Larissa
The Identity of the Museum
The Folklore Museum of Larissa is a Private Law Legal Entity,
receiving regular funding from the Ministry of Culture.
The Museum plans and implements periodic–thematic exhibitions,
scientific meetings, conferences and scientific publications (folklore, local
history, archaeology, ethnography etc). The scientific personnel of the Museum
registers systematically and substantiates the collections of the museum, and
also researches and promotes the aspects of the material and immaterial
modern civilization of Thessaly. The Museum cooperates with other large
Museums from the country, Universities and other cultural Institutions, local
Museums and showrooms, cultural associations and the Local Government for
the organizing of cultural activities.
The Museum, with its content and its activities, makes known the
character of the city of Larissa and the wider region to the European and
international community, registering Thessaly in the global map.
The History of the Museum
The Folklore Museum of Larissa was established in 1974 by a small
group of people from Larissa, which visualized the establishment of a
Museum dedicated to the Modern Civilization of Thessaly. From 1974 until
1983, the Museum was housed in a hall in the city’s Town Hall. It collected
museum materials and organized Exhibitions with a Folklore character. The
collections of the Museum were continuously enriched through the donations
of objects and purchases.
From 1983 until 2004, the Museum operated in a rented ground-floor
hall at 74 Mandilara Street. The Permanent by now Exhibition of the Museum
was organized in thematic units, while specialized scientific personnel started
the systematic registration and substantiation of the exhibits. Simultaneously,
1
periodic exhibitions with a specific theme and range are planned and carried
out on a regular basis, bringing to the light units of the museum collections,
which are not included in the permanent exhibition. Lectures, one day events,
scientific conferences, scientific publications and educational programs
complete the manifold action of the Museum.
The building and the re-opening of the Museum
The new building of the Museum can be found at the district Charavgi
– G. Gourgiotis Street-and it is a work of the Directorate for Renovation of
Modern Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the
Regional Operational Program of Thessaly. It includes a ground floor, a
storey, a rooftop apartment and a basement, where the spaces of the
permanent exhibition are developed. One can also find in the building a
library, a restoration workshop, an education area, a cafeteria, a shop, a
multiple use hall and offices for the administrative and scientific personnel.
The re-opening of the Museum in a building with high standards is
done based on the modern perceptions from the field of Museums and new
technologies. The aim is the promotion of the economic, social and cultural
identity of Larissa and its surrounding region. The Permanent exhibition
showcases the material according to thematic units, focused on fields such as
primary
production
(agricultural
activities)
and
the
processing
/
manufacturing activities in the Thessalian space (weaving, clothing), the
intellectual movement of the 19th century etc. The interiors of Thessalian
residencies, traditional and modern workshops all reflect the relief of the
material civilization of Thessaly from the end of the 19th century to mid 20th
century.
The Folklore Historical Museum of Larissa, the central Museum of
Thessaly, constitutes a point of reference in the cultural activity of the region,
2
a bridge with the local society and a pole of attraction for both local and
foreign visitors.
The collections of the Museum
Today, the collections of the Museum can boast of more than 20.000
items, ranging from the 16th century to mid 20th century. A very important
category is the unique collection of stamps, stamped fabrics and the
accompanying equipment from workshops from Tyrnavos, as well as the rich
collection of engraved works from the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th
century. The Museum has also a remarkable collection of secular and
religious silver, miniature, wood engraved and metallic items, paintings,
ceramics, embroidery, weaving and clothing, as well as selected objects from
the pre-industrial rural life and the urban house. Rare archival material,
publications and manuscripts from the 16th until the 19th century, maps and
pictures from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century are also
kept at the museum.
The educational activities
Since 1991, the Department of Educational Programs of the Museum
plans and implements educational programs for school groups, free
participation programs for children, teenagers or families, educational
workshops for children and adults, seminars, publications and intercultural
educational programs for disabled people, Special Education schools, Roma,
etc. The educational programs, taking place both inside and outside the space
of the Museum deal with issues from the Modern Greek tradition, the material
civilization and the periodic exhibitions of the Museum, while they also apply
alternative learning methods (participatory games, narration, crafts workshops
etc) and interactive methods.
3
Simultaneously, the cooperation between the Museum and Schools is further
developed outside the Museum, with thematic units and the educational files,
lending educational material to be used in the classroom by the teacher.
Contact details (Monday until Friday, hours : 9:00 - 14:00):
Telephone/fax : 2410 23 94 46 & 2410 287516
e-mail: limlmus@hol.gr
4