Where: Peania (Parodos Diadochou Konstantinou)
In a few words:
The Vorres Folk Art Museum’s massive collection is considered today as an essential unit of Greece’s traditional folk art institutions. Visitors can also visit the Vorres Contemporary Art Museum on the same grounds and experience the foundation’s collection of 20th century Greek contemporary art.
Why:
The Vorres Folk Art Museum’s grounds cover 80 acres including several buildings, gardens and courtyards. Its collection includes over 6,000 pieces covering 4,000 years of Greek history and art. The museum has been donated by the Vorres family to the Greek state.
What you will see:
The Vorres Museum, which sprawls over six acres, is divided into two separate museums, the Vorres Folk Art Museum and the Vorres Contemporary Art Museum.
Regarding the Folk Art Museum, the visitor can experience:
- The folk art section, is an extraordinary complex of 19th century buildings, courtyards and gardens or rather a readaptation and readjustment of traditional Greek architectural features housing antiquities, icons, ceramics, popular artifacts and objects used in daily Greek life centuries ago, in a manner, revealing their inherent beauty and their practical use.
- The exhibits which are displayed are mainly Greek folk objects of every day use, rare pieces of furniture, hand-made rugs of various types, troughs, large jars, millstones, stone well rims, a large pottery collection, oil paintings and engravings which depict historic events of modern Greece, as well as various important ancient finds.
- Among the traditional exhibits there are also some more rare samples of furniture crafted in Italy, France and Spain, in the 18th and 19th centuries and which belonged to the Vorres family. This type of furniture is compatible with the Greek decorative tradition, since Greek sea captains of the time used to bring home with them good pieces of furniture acquired during their travels to other European countries (in particular to the fine homes on the islands).
- The gardens, wild and consisting almost entirely of Mediterranean flora are an indispensable part of the museum being described by many as the most beautiful gardens in Athens.
Opening hours:
Saturday: 10am – 2pm
Sunday: 10am – 2pm
Weekdays by appointment only and for groups of twenty (20) persons or more.
Ticket prices (2017):
Full admission: €5
Reduced admission: €3 (students)
Workshop: 5€
Bus (3 alternatives):
1. Take the 125 bus (Peania – Varkiza) at the bus stop outside Nomismatokopeio metro station.
Get off at the 1st Agias Triados stop.
OR
2. Take the 308 bus (Peania – Koropi) at the bus stop outside Nomismatokopeio metro station.
Get off at the 1st Agias Triados stop.
OR
3. Take the 307 bus (Glyka Nera – Koropi)at the bus stop outside D. Plakentias metro station.
Get off at the 1st Agias Triados stop.
After you get off the bus at the 1st Agias Triados bus stop, you should follow Diadochou Constantinou St in order to reach the museum after a five minute walk.
Official website:
vorresmuseum.gr