Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments, Ethnomusicology museum in Plaka district, Athens, Greece
The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments is housed in a 19th-century mansion and displays around 600 instruments across three floors. The collection is organized by instrument types including wind instruments, drums, stringed instruments, and percussion.
The collection began with Fivos Anoyanakis (1915–2003), a musicologist who spent 40 years researching Greek folk music. The museum opened in the Lassanis Mansion at 1 Diogenous Street, near the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds. It now holds about 1,200 instruments from the 18th century onward, roughly 600 on display and as many in storage.
The collection features traditional instruments like lyres, wind pipes, and bagpipes that reflect different regions across Greece. These pieces show how folk music shaped daily life and celebrations in communities throughout the country.
The museum occupies the Lassanis Mansion at 1 Diogenous Street in Plaka, between the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds. The entrance is on foot through the neighbourhood's stepped lanes, so allow time to find the door and wear shoes suited to stairs inside.
Many of the instruments can be heard through headphones, allowing visitors to experience their authentic sounds and playing techniques. This hands-on approach brings the instruments to life and shows how they sound in practice.
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