Asia Minor museum "Filio Chaidemenou", Historical museum in Nea Filadelfeia, Greece.
The Asia Minor Museum "Filio Chaidemenou" occupies the first floor, 230 m², of a renovated building on Dekelias Avenue combining neoclassical and modern features, near the Alsos of Nea Filadelfeia and the Agia Sophia Stadium. Its three sections present, through objects, documents and photographs, the daily life of Asia Minor Greeks before the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the events leading to it, and their settlement in Greece. Further exhibits are kept on the second floor, where the Andreas Papandreou Foundation for Hellenism of the Diaspora is also based.
The museum focuses on the experiences of Greeks who were displaced during the population exchanges between Greece and Turkey in the early 1920s. Personal accounts and belongings preserved here tell the story of departure and the beginning of new lives in Greece.
The museum's name honours Filio Chaidemenou (1899–2007), a refugee from Asia Minor who began gathering heirlooms in 1991. The displays are arranged in three sections: daily life before the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the events that led to it, and the refugees' settlement in Greece. Objects, documents and photographs come from various regions of Asia Minor.
The museum is located in Nea Filadelfeia and is accessible by public transportation. Visitors who want to explore the full scope of the collection should plan for adequate time to read descriptions and absorb the stories behind each item.
The collections were assembled by Filio Chaidemenou, who dedicated her life to this mission and created a personal archive of Asia Minor Greeks. Many objects were given to her directly by survivors of displacement, carrying their individual stories within them.
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