Museum of Industrial Olive-Oil Production of Lesvos

History
Among the Aegean islands, Lesvos stands apart in that it is a unique example of intense industrialization, which started in the 1880s. When Ottoman rule ended (1912), the island had a total of 113 machine-operated olive presses, 6 oil mills extracting oil from olive-pomace and 14 soap-works. The local conditions of economic development and the island's favourable geographical position offered fertile ground for the introduction of mechanical motion. The Ottoman administration's policy, which facilitated tax-free imports of European machinery and equipment and offered tax exemptions and ownership rights to foreign nationals, also favoured this industrialization trend.

The Communal Olive Press of Agia Paraskevi was founded in 1910 on the initiative of the village's inhabitants and, because of this, was named “του Κοινού η Μηχανή” (The People's Machine). Its creation corresponds to a double innovation for the agricultural world of Agia Paraskevi: the use of the most modern technological means towards improving the production of olive oil and the progress of social ideas to such a degree that the establishment of a communal enterprise was proposed, its aim being to defend the social interests of Agha Paraskevi. Thus, the communal press was established so as to become the means of ensuring the financial resources needed for the community's educational and social work. It started operating in 1911 and functioned uninterruptedly for almost 55 years. In 1967, the olive press finally shut down, as the military junta arrested most of the communal council's members.

In 1985, as part of the effort to save Lesvos' industrial buildings, the premises were transformed into a multipurpose cultural venue. In 2004, the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi granted the use of the building to the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation so as to create the Museum of Industrial Olive-Oil Production of Lesvos. The project was included in the 2000-2006 Regional Operational Programme of the Northern Aegean and was financed through the Third Community Support Framework under the aegis of the Hellenic Ministry of the Aegean.

The Museum opened to the public in September 2006 and is now one of the centres of the island's cultural life and a living monument of its industrial heritage.

Funds for the Museum’s realization were made available thought the 2000-2006 North Aegean Regional Operational Programme.
 
What is on display?
The Museum is housed in the old communal olive press of Agia Paraskevi on the island of Lesvos. The buildings and the mechanical equipment have been restored in an exemplary fashion. Thus, you can observe how the equipment functions and how the factory evolved from steam power to diesel engine operation. At the same time, you will acquaint yourselves with daily life at the «People's Machine».
In the main building, you will familiarize yourselves with the basic stages of olive-oil production: crushing the olives, compressing the olive pulp and separating the olive oil from the water. You will also see the flourmill, which functioned in a complementary manner during the summer months when the olive press was out of use.

In the old storage rooms for olives, you will discover the work cycle relating to the production of olive oil:
The cultivation and care of the olive tree:

• The production of sub-products (olive-pomace, kernel oil, soap)
• The marketing and distribution of olive oil in Greece and abroad
• Professions and activities linked to the production of olive oil

Lastly, you will learn the history of the “People's Machine”, the communal olive press of Agia Paraskevi and realize how pioneering for its times the process of communal property was and what its repercussion was on the region's social fabric and economic structures.

Of interest to children
Young visitors will hear the factory's “μπουρού” whistle, calling the workmen to work. They will watch the machines in operation and will find digital productions showing the stages of olive-oil production (“From the Olive to Oil” and “From Water to Water”).
They will play with the multimedia application “The People’s Machine”, learning about the functioning of the factory's machinery.
Also, they will better understand how the quality of olive oil is checked by carrying out an acidimetry experiment.
The Museum organizes educational programmes with games and activities, for schools and group visits, such as the programme “From the olive to olive oil”, where the children acquire an understanding of the process of olive-oil production at the factory.

MUSEUM NETWORK OF LESVOS
The MUSEUM NETWORK OF LESVOS, established on 2 June 2014, is an initiative by bodies managing museums recognised in accordance with Greek legislation, which operate throughout the year and have legal personality, staff and operating rules.
In particular,  this Network comprises the Museum of Industrial Olive-oil Production of Lesvos by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, the Archaeology Museum in Mytilini and the Archaeology Collection in Eresos, the Vareltzidaina Mansion by the Lesvos Ephorate of Antiquities, the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, the Ecclesiastical Byzantine Museum of Mytilene, the Museum-Library Stratis Eleftheriadis – Tériade, the “Georgios Jakobides” Digital Museum by the N.G. Papadimitriou Foundation, the Vrana Museum-Olive Press by the Archipelagos Society, the Municipal Gallery of Mytilini and the Theophilos Museum of the Municipality of Lesvos, and the Vrisa Natural History Museum by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The aim of the Network is to create a common communication base, mutual support, close and multifaceted cooperation and to inform the public of Lesvos about its museum wealth in order to become a pole of attraction for new visitors.