Milies Pelion Mouseum, is located at the first floor of the Municipality of Milies, a beautiful traditional building near the main square, the Milies Museum presents the history of the village, the traditional life and cultural heritage of its people.

The museum’s background history begins in 1982 when a small private collection focusing on the local history and traditional life was created by private initiative.

Housed in an old farrier’s smithy bought and restored in keeping with the local architecture, the private collection quickly became known as “the local museum".

Aiming to put Milies back on the map after the severe damages the village had suffered during the second World War and the earthquakes that shook the area in 1955, the collection had on view photographs and relative texts on practically every aspect of the local history and everyday life of its people offering to Greek and foreign visitors of all ages, a first acquaintance with Milies.

Visitors became familiar with chapters of Mythology referring to the Pelion area, with Jason and the Argonauts and the wise centaur Chiron who taught Theseus and the young Achilles in a cave near by. They found information about the temple of god Apollo located in the vicinity of Milies whose oracle was already well known in the 5th century b.C.

They became acquainted with the famous School of Milies founded in 1814 by three of the greatest scholars of pre-independence Greece and with the renown naive painter Theophilos who spent some time in the village.

Photographs showed aspects of the Pelion architecture, of churches and monasteries with their richly decorated interiors, of 18th c. fountains and traditional mansions built in the early 19thc.

Details concerning the local train that connected Milies to the nearby city of Volos in 1903 were also on view, along with scenes of the farmer’s life, of local craft workshops, of women’s chores and handicrafts, local festivities and customs.

Tools used by the local craftsmen and objects of everyday use created in their workshops, handmade weavings and embroideries, curtains and rugs were added to capture the visitor’s attention offering a wider range of information.

Open on all week-ends and holidays, the private collection – local museum- became a point of reference.

Available to all visitors was an informative leaflet in Greek, English and French, a poster with the enchanting landscape of the train station, postcards with highlights of the area to send home and the village map printed in 1983 showing every point of interest - including about a dozen workshops - inducing visitors to discover Milies on their own.

A further step in putting Milies back on the map was to organize relative lectures and to assemble material for a touring exhibition that would bring new friends to the village.

The touring exhibition focused on the local packsaddler’s craft – one of the few  remaining such craftsmen in the whole of Greece - plus a lavish collection of objects on loan from local workshops and women’s chests, enhanced with an audiovisual programme to illustrate the history and everyday life of the area.

A year later with the support of the Municipality, the Christian Centre and the Cultural Association, with the collaboration of local people, the museum organized the open village activity ''Come to Milies to witness the Pelion traditional way of life''.

During a summer week - end visitors enjoyed the unique experience of meeting local craftsmen in their workshops and women occupied with their daily chores.

For the next three years Milies as an open air Museum attracted a great number of visitors but with no support from the State the event could not be repeated.

1987 will mark a turning point for the private collection.

Five years after it had opened its door to the public, answering an invitation from the local Mayor, its exhibits were donated to the Milies Community in view of creating a Municipal Local Museum to be housed in the Municipality headquarters, a beautiful traditional Pelion building near the main square.

During the following years the Museum will broaden its educational activities.

In 1989, following the new concept of a wider collaboration between Schools and Museums, the Museum studies, designs and has on loan 5museum kits offering  teachers the possibility to present in their class a well structured, multi media educational programme on:

• Olive trees and olive oil  
• From wheat to home-made bread 
• The packsaddle  
• The farrier` s craft  
• The protection of the environment

Museum kits are available free of charge to many schools allowing the Museum to broaden its educational activities beyond the Museum premises.

In 1990 as a further step in that direction, the Museum organizes in Milies during the summer months temporary exhibitions on various subjects enhanced with educational and art programmes for children.

• The protection of the environment 
• The Pelion train 
• Milies yesterday
• Children’s  games -  from the spinning top to the computer  
• Children’s games in various parts of the world  
• The work of UNICEF 
• The naive painter Theophilos

Each exhibition has been widely promoted by the local media attracting in Milies Greek and foreign visitors of all ages.

In the fall of 2012 celebrating 30 years of existence, the Museum inaugurated a new educational project by presenting in its entrance hall short term exhibitions that follow annual events offering visitors further points of interest.

• An exhibition on the Greek National Day celebrated on the 28th of October was on view for a week 
• Christmas and New Year customs were shown during Xmas holidays

Future plans include similar short term exhibitions on various subjects.

Having celebrated in September 2012 its 30th anniversary, the Milies Museum of the Municipality of Southern Pelion aims to safeguard all the activities it has established in view of preserving, presenting and promoting the local cultural heritage.

The Milies Museum aims to present the history of the village and the traditional life of its people with photographs, relevant texts and objects chosen to capture the visitor’s further interest.

At the entrance one finds a replica of the banner of the Pelion Revolution against the Ottoman occupation hoisted in Milies on the 7th of May 1821, two local costumes and a copy of the chart of Greece printed in Vienna in late 18thc.

Inside the Museum, lack of space has imposed the use of panels that remind one of  pages in a richly illustrated gigantic book with relative texts, a great number of photographs and objects that provide a wider range of information on each subject.

One of the first panels refers to the myths of Mount Pelion, to Jason and the Argonauts, to the wise centaur Chiron who taught Theseus and young Achilles in a cave near by. Then one finds information on the temple of god Apollo located in the vicinity of Milies whose oracle was already well known in the 5th century b.C.

Visitors follow the development of the village during the Turkish occupation. Panels show churches and monasteries with their richly decorated interiors, 18th c. fountains and traditional mansions built in the early 19th c.

A panel is dedicated to the famous School of Milies founded in 1814 by three of the greatest scholars of pre-independence Greece and next to that there is reference to the naive painter Theophilos who spent some time in the village.

Visitors also find data on the early 20th c. flourishing period in Milies and on the local train that reached the village in 1903 connenting the village to the near by city port of Volos.

Panels present aspects of daily life, local crafts, customs and traditions. The icon painter, the tinker and the blacksmith, the farrier and packsaddler, the stone and wood carver, each have a panel of their own.

Details on making olives and olive oil, wine and tsipouro, women baking bread, preparing trachana and fresh tomato preserve, making baklava and walnut liqueur are also recorded.

Tools used by the craftsmen and objects created in their workshops, handmade weavings and embroideries, curtains and rugs capture the visitor’s attention offering a wider range of information.

The Museum’s publications include an informative leaflet in Greek, English and French, a poster showing the enchanting landscape of the little train station, postcards with highlights of the area and a set of embroidery patterns to copy.

The book on the packsaddler’s craft ''the packsaddle- a living tradition on a greek mountain village'' is also available in English and French - the Greek edition is sold out.

Visitors can also purchase the richly illustrated book on Milies ''Milies, a village on Mount Pelion'' in Greek and English.

Children can choose among 9 educational worksheets to fill out, to interact and enjoy their visit and a folio with Pelion traditional drawings is also available to capture their creativity.

Worksheets can also be useful material for teachers.

Please note the Museum`s publications are only available in its premises.

Main concern and priority of the Milies Museum is to contact children by organizing and offering multiple educational activities in view of developing interaction, critical thought, wider knowledge and aesthetic  enjoyment.

Available in the Museum premises are 9 educational worksheets for children that give the possibility to interact and enjoy the visit turning it into a pleasant, creative experience.

Worksheets can also be useful material for teachers of Primary Education.

Contacting teachers and exchanging views and ideas is of the outmost importance and helps the Museum develop its educational activities.

Following the new concept of a wider collaboration between Schools and Museums, the Milies Museum welcomes school visits from the local schools, from near by villages, from Volos and the wider area.

Since 1989 the Museum has studied, designed and has on loan 5 museum kits offering teachers the possibility to present in class a well structured, multi media educational programme.

The museum’s kits focus on

• Olive trees and olive oil  
• From wheat to home-made bread 
• The packsaddle  
• The farrier` s craft  
• The protection of the environment

The study of each museum kit was largely based on local research, enhanced with relative photographs in view of promoting the local heritage.

Designed for pupils of the 3rd to the 6th Primary School grade, the material of the kit may be adapted by teachers so as to be presented to younger or older pupils.

Material available in the kit

• Information on the subject for the teacher
• Photographs to display in class
• Relevant slides and power point presentation
• Objects relative to the subject
• Educational worksheet for pupils
• Suggestions for presenting the kit in class  
• Suggestions for creative activities
• Evaluation sheet for the teacher  to fill in.

Distribution of the kits
The kits of the Milies Museum are on loan free of charge.

In view of broadening its educational activity in Milies beyond its premises, the Museum organizes since 1989 during the summer months temporary exhibitions enhanced with educational programmes and creative activity workshops for children.

Exhibitions organized between 1989 and 2012

• The protection of the environment 
• The Pelion train 
• Milies yesterday 
• Children’s games – from the spinning top to the computer 
• Children’s games in various parts of the world 
• The Museum says YES  to UNICEF 
• The naive painter Theophilos.

Short term exhibitions in the Museum’s premises
In October 2012 the Museum inaugurated a new educational activity by organizing during the course of the year in its entrance hall short term exhibitions to follow relative historic events and customs offering visitors further points of interest.

Exhibitions already on view
• 28th of October, Greek National Day 
• Christmas and New Year’s customs and traditions

Contact with Milies Museum

Address : Milies Mount Pelion , GR 370 10 , Volos

tel : +30 24230 86602 & +30 6945 811081

E-mail : [email protected]

Url : www.miliesmuseum.gr

For the Facebook page of Milies Museum, please click here

* Special thanks from Pelionweb.gr to Mrs Helen - Fay Stamati for her co-operation and support.