SANTORINI TRAVEL GUIDE

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MUSEUMS

Thira Prehistoric Museum

The Thira Prehistoric Museum is unique in this type of regional museum and exhibits finds from excavations on the island. The exhibits display the historical course of one of the most important centres of the southern Cyclades in the Aegean during the 17th - 18th centuries BC.

The museum can be considered as an extension of the archaeological site of Akrotiri as it accommodates the murals and various items removed from the site. Other exhibits are from the 5th millennium BC, the late Neolithic period and show the passage of various cultures in the Aegean.

The second floor houses the permanent exhibits, whilst the first floor is periodically changed to display the plethora of items held in storage.

Petros M Nomikos Institute - Murals of Thira

The Petros M Nomikou Congress Centre is located in Fyra. It exhibits actual size reproductions of the wall paintings found in Akrotiri. Mr Nomikos funded the exact copy reproductions and then donated the institute to the town allowing scientists and the public to study and enjoy these rare works of art.

Santorini Archaeological Museum

The Thira Archaeological Museum is located in Fyra beside the cable car entrance. The building in which the museum is housed was built in 1960 as the previous building on the site was destroyed by the earthquake of 1956.

The museum collections span the history of the island and include sculptures and objects from Ancient Hellenic and Roman periods, ceramics and pottery from the Geometric period. There is a volcanic rock weighing 480 kilos that was lifted by the athlete Evmastas according to the writing carved on it. Another notable exhibit is the amphora with Geometric decoration dated to the 7th century BC found during excavations of an ancient cemetery.

Folklore Museum

The Folklore Museum of Santorini is housed in a building hewn in the rock and dated 1861 and located in Kontohori. The museum was founded in 1993 by Emmanouil A Ligno, lawyer, journalist and the owner of the monthly newspaper Thiratika Nea. The house remained intact after the 1956 earthquake and was later restored in 1973 and a wing was added in 1993 to house the art gallery, workshops and the chapel dedicated to Agii Kostandinos and Eleni. There are old workshops for: metalwork, carpentry, barrel making, wine production with an old authentic wine press; the gallery displays art by local artists, important documents and books.

Gyzi Mansion

The Gyzi Mansion is one of the few 17th century mansions to have survived the 1956 earthquake. The Catholic Bishopric donated the mansion for the activities of the intellectual centre. Within the Intellectual Centre is housed the Gyzi Mansion Museum with its six permanent collections.

The coat of arms of the Gyzi family is displayed in the entrance. The mansion is of particular architectural beauty and interest. It is unique as areas on the ground floor are set around the central patio. The mansion was carefully restored by the Bishopric paying attention to the characteristics of local traditions of the area such as: flooring, wine-press, old kitchen and the storage areas overlooking the central interior courtyard.