Folklife and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia Thrace

The Folk Life and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia and Thrace located in the city of Thessaloniki, explores and studies the traditional culture of recent times in several regions of northern Greece.

It gathers, preserves, records and organizes the material evidence of that past, making it available to the public for purposes of study, instruction and amusement.

A different, smartly designed museum

Inside you will find several collections related to the material civilization studied by the Folklife Museum like the productive activities (farming, livestock rearing, etc.) and processing techniques (weaving, sewing, embroidery, woodwork, metal work, ceramics, etc.) which meet the basic needs of the community for food, shelter and clothing as well as social organization, spiritual and intellectual life.

The collections consist of items from the pre-industrial age mostly from the regions of Macedonia and Thrace. They represent the way of life of the people over the last few centuries, up until the mid-20th century, in both countryside and town. In quantity and variety they are among the richest collections of their kind in Greece.

Τhe items in the Museum’s collections, donated or purchased, include local costumes (full outfits or individual garments), jewellery, fabrics and embroidery, farmers’ tools, craftsmen’s and merchants’ tools, household utensils, furniture, musical instruments, toys, shadow theatre puppets and scenery, ecclesiastical equipment, fancy dress and masks as well as early forms of machinery (cameras, sewing machines), old photographs, postcards, certificates and documents, scale models (houses, water-powered and other machinery).

Vila Modiano and the historic Vasilissis Olgas Avenue

The museum is located in Vasilissis Olgas Avenue in a beautiful well preserved historic building built at the dawn of the 20th century knows as ” Modiano Villa”, as it was the residence of the banker Yiako Modiano and his family.

The villa was also known as ‘The old Governor’s Residence’, because it was hosting each time the Commander of Macedonia and later on, the Minister of Northern Greece. It is one of the remaining samples of bourgeois residences in Eclectistic style, which were constructed in the eastern expansion of Thessaloniki by several wealthy citizens of various nationalities (Greeks, Hebrews, Turks, Armenians).

• The Museum’s garden (2500 sq. meters), almost the half of the initial property of the Modiano Villa, remains one of the few spacious yards of the eastern urban Thessaloniki at the dawn of the 20th century still preserved untill today. After a walk in Vasilisis Olgas St. you will easily spot it and thus have the chance to experience all these experiences offered to the visitor.
• Heading south towards the Thermaic Gulf you will discover the multi-awarded Nea Paralia Parks. An ideal location for enjoying your coffee and relaxing!