Exhibitions and Museums

FOLKLORE MUSEUM OF SKOPELOS ISLAND
(Author: Anthi Nikolaidou - Valsamaki)

The founding of the folklore museum of Skopelos, where objects, witnesses of the place's history find a hospitable home, aspires to exhibit the island's cultural wealth and to create an intellectual core worthy of its tradition and history.

The Nikolaidis family donated the building that today houses the folklore museum to the municipality of Skopelos, in 1991.

The old building was erected in 1795 and was preserved until 1963, when, during the strong earthquakes its first and second floor collapsed. In 1971 the building was reconstructed based on the plans of the old building and took the form it has today, inside and outside preserving all the characteristic elements of its traditional architectonical style which is legally considered worth preserving.

The folklore museum opens its doors to the public in August 1992, its activities bringing back to life this old noble house of past centuries.

Deeply moved grand mothers opened their chests and boxes and offered openhandedly all these treasures the museum's collection is composed of, each object finding its perfect place.

So a noble house of past centuries was set up, and, even if the absence of the housewife is perceptible, still you get the impression that she is somewhere close and will appear sooner or later.

The museum's collections consist of a number of traditional embroideries done by hand, which decorate living rooms, open fireplaces or the bridal bedchamber where all the bride's dowry seems untouched by time.

The first floor contains the living room and the fireplace. The sofa is decorated by wonderful embroideries; the furniture, works of woodcarvings done by traditional local craftsmen, add to the grandeur fitting for the place.

The bridal bedchamber, next to it the other exhibitions of the museum

The bridal bedchamber with the baby's cradle and its swaddling - clothes hanging next to it are situated on the second floor.

The remaining space shows the reception room with sofas of that epoch, partly made by the embroidered cloth of the traditional wedding gown. Besides of the isolated objects care was taken to show also the functioning of people's workshops. Quite a lot of material was gathered and it represents the popular and traditional craftsmen of the island who in their passing created the history of the island's craftsmanship; and we have to admit that many families came and made these great offerings, material witnesses for our place.

An outstanding collection of ceramics, knives, small exact copies of ships, pictures and other works of art charm us with their technique and taste they were manufactured with.

The downstairs room of the folklore museum shows a small collection of agricultural tools and objects for daily use in the houses.

The sofa and next to it an example of the famous Skopelitan garment, which by the way was worn by the girl who held the Greek flag at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The folklore museum of Skopelos is a living organism, a beating heart for the island's inhabitants, who with their faith in it and their undivided assistance try to keep their traditions whole and honest and to pass them on to the next generations.

The Folklore Museum organizes many exhibitions for different educational programs. The branch of the college of Greek girls, in its turn participates in keeping traditions alive, by maintaining traditional dances. The folklore museum likewise has started the endeavor to collect ethnological and folklore objects about the island of Skopelos, like old photographs and so on.

The Folklore museum's role is to represent the island's history, in its way participating in the education, combining the past with the presence. At the same time it contributes to the national consciousness and preservation of the cultural identity of this place, breathing that subtle perfume of romanticism and calm pictures that definitely that has got lost for ever.

For all of you who will visit the island in the future it is worth to pay a visit to this unique place and to admire the impressive collection of the folklore museum, situated very close to the OTE building (Greek Telephone Organization).

A special permit given by the responsible persons of the folklore museum allows us to present their photographic material in our pages, and I thank them warmly. And once again I want to express my gratitude Kostas Suros, who during the period 1994-2000 was director of the museum and responsible for the coordination and diligence of its activities; it's due to his help that we are able to present to you the most remarkable information.

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© Skopelos Web Site, Folklore Museum Skopelos & Anthi Nikolaidou - Valsamaki
The photographies can not be used for whatever reason without the permit of the Skopelos Web Site and the Folklore museum of Skopelos.

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