The Chios Mastic Museum is located in the Mastichochoria (literally: mastic villages), a group of medieval villages in Southern Chios, the only site in the Mediterranean where the mastic tree, or Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, is cultivated. Called by its generic name of skínos in Greek, this is an endemic variety of pistacia plant from which mastíha (gum mastic) is produced.
The Chios Mastic Museum aims to showcase the production history of the mastic tree’s cultivation and the processing of its resin, which it integrates into the cultural landscape of Chios. Through the prism of UNESCO’s inclusion of traditional mastic cultivation on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, emphasis is given to the diachronicity and sustainability of this product of Chios.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
On the 27th November 2014, at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, the organisation’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage included the know-how of cultivating the mastic tree on the Island of Chios on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity drawn up by UNESCO.
Intangible Cultural Heritage is the term used to designate the set of practices, knowledge, techniques and expressions, skills, instruments, objects, artefacts, as well as the cultural spaces associated therewith. Communities, groups and individuals recognise these as being a part of their cultural heritage. It is encountered essentially in oral traditions and expressions, the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and the know-how relating to traditional crafts.
Decision 9 COM 10.18 reflects the Commission’s reasoning about the element satisfying the five criteria:
The knowledge associated with the cultivation and collection of mastic is passed down from generation to generation; it constitutes an important component of rural life for the inhabitants of Chios facilitating social cohesion and solidarity among them;
Inscription of the element on the Representative List could contribute to the visibility of intangible cultural heritage related to ecological knowledge concerning the use of natural resources and to its importance for sustainable development;
Various safeguarding measures are elaborated covering education, research and investigation for touristic development, aiming at economic sustainability of the know-how of cultivating mastic through the involvement of the bearers and the commitment of both governmental institutions and the private sector;
The nomination was prepared with the participation of representative associations as well as practitioners of mastic cultivation who gave their free, prior and informed consent;
With the participation of the community concerned, the element was included in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage maintained by the Modern Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Sport.
History
The Chios Mastic Museum opened its doors to the public in 2016. It is housed in a specially-created building on a plot of land ceded by the Chios Mastic Growers Association. It functions under the responsibility of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation and this for a period of fifty years since its creation. The Museum’s creation was included in the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (financed through the 2007-2013 NSRF, with co-funding from the European Regional Development Fund), as well as in the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship & Innovation 2014-2020” (again with funding from the European Regional Development Fund) and was co-financed by the Piraeus Bank.
The Museum is located in the Mastichochoria of Southern Chios, the only place in the world where the mastic tree is cultivated and produces the mastíha resin. Traditional mastic cultivation continues to be alive today and is an element both of the inhabitants’ identity and of the local history.
The steps towards creating the Museum
In 2007, PIOP carried out a research programme on the mastic tree and mastíha, which culminated in an important three-day workshop on the subject in 2008, on Chios. In 2009, the museological and museum studies of the Chios Mastic Museum were approved, and a memorandum of collaboration was signed between the Ministry of Tourism, the Chios Mastic Growers Association and PIOP with a view to creating the Museum.
In 2011, the “Chios Mastic Museum” project was included in the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship”. A programme contract was signed between the Chios Mastic Growers Association, the Municipality of Chios, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and PIOP regarding the project’s implementation and the Museum’s functioning. The building’s construction started in 2012. The Museum was inaugurated in 2016.
What is on display
The permanent exhibition centres on Chios mastíha as a unique natural product. The introductory module provides information on the mastic tree and mastíha, its resin, which in 2015 was recognised as a natural medicine. The first module presents the traditional know-how of mastic cultivation. The second module focuses on how managing the cultivation and its produce shaped the agricultural landscape and the settlements of southern Chios and the Mastichochoria historically. The third module is dedicated to mastíha resin’s cooperative exploitation and processing in modern times, which marks an important chapter in the productive history of Chios. Particular mention is made to the uses underpinning why mastíha has a worldwide presence today. The Museum experience is completed in the outdoor exhibition, where the public comes into contact with the plant itself and the natural habitat it prospers in.
Tools enabling a better comprehension of the permanent exhibition
Multimedia applications
Documentaries
Models
Original machinery in functioning order
The “Skínos” hall (a multipurpose hall) serves to host temporary exhibitions, organise events and hold cultural activities, while educational programmes are held in the smaller «Kentitíri» hall.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
On the 27th November 2014, at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, the organisation’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage included the know-how of cultivating the mastic tree on the Island of Chios on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity drawn up by UNESCO.
Intangible Cultural Heritage is the term used to designate the set of practices, knowledge, techniques and expressions, skills, instruments, objects, artefacts, as well as the cultural spaces associated therewith. Communities, groups and individuals recognise these as being a part of their cultural heritage. It is encountered essentially in oral traditions and expressions, the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and the know-how relating to traditional crafts.
Decision 9 COM 10.18 reflects the Commission’s reasoning about the element satisfying the five criteria:
The knowledge associated with the cultivation and collection of mastic is passed down from generation to generation; it constitutes an important component of rural life for the inhabitants of Chios facilitating social cohesion and solidarity among them.
Inscription of the element on the Representative List could contribute to the visibility of intangible cultural heritage, related to ecological knowledge concerning the use of natural resources and to its importance for sustainable development.
Various safeguarding measures are elaborated covering education, research and investigation for touristic development, aiming at economic sustainability of the know-how of cultivating mastic through the involvement of the bearers and the commitment of both governmental institutions and the private sector.
The nomination was prepared with the participation of representative associations as well as practitioners of mastic cultivation who gave their free, prior and informed consent.
With the participation of the community concerned, the element was included in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage, maintained by the Modern Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Sport.
The Museum’s educational pack and educational programmes are available only in Greek language.
Free admission:
You can purchase your ticket for the Museum online here
The Museum has free Wi-Fi.
To arrange a school visit, you can contact the Museum at the phone number 22710 72212
For group visits you can contact the Museum at the phone number 22710 72212
The Museum has a cafeteria.
The Museum has a shop where you will find a rich collection of objects designed exclusively for PIOP, inspired by the themes of the Museums.
In the MUSEUMSHOP you will also find the Foundation's publications.
You can shop not only during your visit to the Museum but also throughout the year from our e-shop.
Amateur photography or video filming is permitted. Professional photography or filming and the publication of the material in printed, electronic and digital media is only permitted with special permission from PIOP.
The Museum has a free parking lot.
The Museum is accessible to people with disabilities and has:
Pets are not allowed in the Museum. Only guide dogs are allowed access.
The following categories of visitors pay a reduced entrance fee on presenting valid ID proof:
Free admission for the following categories of visitors, on presenting the relevant valid ID proof:
Disabled parking
Lift and WC for disabled persons
Lending wheelchairs
Free access to guide dogs
Museum brochure in Braille, in Greek and English