Visit These Museums While in Karpathos, Greece
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If you are visiting the island of Karpathos in Greece, you should visit the following four museums. It will give you an opportunity to explore some small Greek villages and view the life and culture of the area from the recent and distant past. You can also meet local residents and learn even more about the people and history of this ancient country. Here’s a look at some of the best museums that you can visit while on this island:
Othos Folklore Museum
Located in Karpathos, Dodecanese. Greece; the Folklore Museum of Othos is in a modest, traditionally furnished, Greek home in the center of town. The museum’s official name is Nikolaidio Folklore Museum. Karpathos is part of the Aegean Sea Greek Dodecanese islands. Depicting the more recent life on the island, exhibits include costumes, wooden furniture, cooking utensils, photographs, musical instruments, and agricultural tools.
Some of the costumes are displayed on wax figures that are seen performing everyday activities. As you explore the village, take the opportunity to view the windmills and visit local businesses such as bakeries to indulge in more of the local flavor. You can take a chartered bus trip to Olympos or take the local bus and explore the village on your own with the opportunity to talk to local residents.
Archaeological Museum of Karpathos
Are you looking for a great place to visit that will showcase some of the ancient history of Karpathps? The Archaeological Museum of Karpathos is the best place to do that since there are plenty of artifacts here that were found in the area. It features statuettes, stone figures, sculptures, icons, ceramic ovens, coins, and other artifacts of ancient times. It is located in three rooms in the west wing of the Pigadia prefecture building. Pigadia is a port city on the island of Karpathos.
Menetes Folklore Museum
The Menetes Folklore Museum is eight kilometers from Pigadia. Menetes is a 14th century village situated on a hilltop. It encompasses the museum and a few houses. The museum is in a house dating back 200 years. The exhibits include ancient sculptures, pottery, and icons including remnants of the Saint Mama’s church and some other neoclassical buildings. More recent items on display include housewares, agricultural tools, machines created by the hands of carpenters and ironworkers, musical instruments, traditional art, and photographs.
Chatzivassili Museum
The Chatzivassili Museum, located in the village of Olympos. is dedicated to the plasterwork and painted frescos of Vasilis Chatzivasili and his son as well as the embroidery of his wife and daughter taken from the designs of Vasilis. More of his artwork can also be seen in the homes of sea captains in the village of Kasos. When visiting the museum, you can have the opportunity to talk to the family of Vasilis and learn about life in the past in Olympos.
After you leave the museum, you can wander around the village and explore the architectural features of the houses. You will find more plasterwork and painted frescos adorning the houses including phoenixes and double headed eagles on doorways and balconies.
Visiting small local sites such as these four museums allows you a different view of a region and its culture. You can view the villages and see what life is like in the present day and compare the present with the life as it was in the past as seen in the museum exhibits. In addition, as mentioned, visiting the small villages provides the opportunity to meet and get to know the residents.
Categorized in: About Karpathos, Greece, Greek Travel Guide
This post was written by Greek Boston
