Greece's Strangest Museums
Greece is a land of abundant museums, and with so many, it's no surprise that the focus can be a little narrow. I love the offbeat and the unexpected. Discovering these "strange" -but undeniably wonderful- museums can make a trip especially memorable.One museum often omitted in trips to Athens is the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum . I haven't visited this one myself, but their web page is intriguing. This collection shows off thousands of pieces of jewelry. It qualifies for the "strangest" category with its exhibit entitled Technology/Biology, which is described as "Biosymbols, Motion in Space, Choreographism, drops and chitons, and other." What this describes is a collection of jewelry inspired by organic or technological forms. Not exactly Tiffany's, but fascinating nonetheless. Note that these pieces are "inspired" by ancient civilizations, and are not actual artifacts. (I suspect a salespitch somewhere but I haven't been able to confirm it either way as yet).
As usual, when it comes to museums and various treats offered by Greece, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture has created informative and entertaining pages on virtually everything, and they even have Melina Mercouri as a past (regrettably deceased) spokeswoman. A few gleanings are below.
An unexpected treat, and thus a "strange museum" is the one in Athens devoted to Cartoonists. Stop by and thrill to the images of Proteus and Andromeda!
If your taste in art runs more to industrial architecture, you won't want to miss driving by Poulopoulos Old Hat Factory. Located in the Thission area of Athens, this building is now a cultural arts center. In the same vein, the Gaz factory Workshops is a close encounter with the origins of the industrial age, from a factory that operated from 1857 until its closure in 1984. This up-and-coming area is drawing art-loving crowds.
One museum I noted in another museum-rich article, on Thessaloniki, is The Waterworks Museum of Thessaloniki. I find it fun to find out how things that utterly confuse me actually work. This operating exhibit should answer a few questions, and is a great break for families with kids.
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