Greek Folk Art, Folk art museum in Plaka district, Athens, Greece
The Museum of Greek Folk Art is distributed across multiple locations in Athens, displaying traditional handcrafted items such as regional costumes, wooden sculptures, silver objects, and pottery. The collections span different buildings throughout the city to showcase the range of Greek folk heritage.
The institution was founded in 1918 as the Museum of Greek Handicrafts, housed in the Tzistarakis Mosque, and renamed to its current title in 1959. The name change marked a shift toward recognizing broader folk traditions and artistic expressions beyond just craftsmanship.
The museum displays traditional regional costumes and handcrafted objects that reflect how different communities expressed their identity through dress and everyday items. Visitors can see how these pieces were actually used in daily life and what they meant to the people who made them.
The museum can be visited at multiple locations, including the Bath House of the Winds on Kirristou Street and the Man and Tools exhibition on Panos Street. A gift shop on Adrianou Street offers items related to the collections if you wish to take something home.
The Bath House of the Winds, a former public bathhouse dating to the 15th century, was only integrated into the museum in 1998 and retains its original architectural character. The space reveals how bathhouses functioned in the daily life of the city before they gradually fell out of use in the 20th century.
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