Explore the history of the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. Discover the facilities and educational programmes here!
The Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, in Sparta (Peloponnese), transports you to the culture, history and technology of the olive and olive oil production in the Greek realm, from prehistoric times to the early 20th century.
The Museum's objective is to highlight the ineffable relation of the olive with the identity of our country and, more generally, the Mediterranean basin. The olive and olive oil are presented here from different optical angles: the economy, nutrition and the olive's uses, religious worship, art and technology.
History
The Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil opened to the public at the end of 2002. It is housed in the building of the old Sparta Power Company (IES), in the heart of the Prefecture of Laconia, one of the main olive producing regions in Greece. It functions under the responsibility of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation and will continue to do so for a period of fifty years since its establishment.
The building of the Sparta Power Company
The building of the former Sparta Power Company, which belonged to the Municipality of Sparta, is a distinctive Greek industrial building of the interwar period.
The transformation into a Museum
The Municipality of Sparta conceded the building of the former Sparta Power Company to the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation, with the objective of creating the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil. The project was included in the Regional Operational Programme of the Peloponnese and was financed through the Second and Third Community Support Framework.
The building was radically renovated. Only the main (northern) façade was preserved, which was incorporated into a modern construction. The imaginative architectural shell was adapted to the museological requirements of a pioneering museum. The new construction is reminiscent of industrial buildings and offers visual escapes towards the surrounding area, the neighbouring olive grove and the Taygettus mountain range.
The Museum's Multipurpose Hall was built along similar specifications. It hosts activities that invigorate the cultural life of local society and the region (organization of conferences/ lectures, temporary exhibitions, events, etc).
Today, the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil constitutes a living organism that contributes significantly to the region's sustainable development.
In 2004, the Museum won the first prize of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture, in the competition «Architecture Awards», under the category «Public Works».
Funds for the Museum´s realization were made available through the regional Operational Programme for the Peloponnese (the Second and Third EU Structural and Cohesion Fund).
What is on display?
The Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil offers you the opportunity to see the very first testimonies about the presence of the olive tree and the production of olive oil in Greece:
Rare fossilized olive leaves, 50,000-60,000 years old, from the island of Santorini, the oldest findings offering proof of the presence of the olive tree in Greece.
Linear B Tablets of the 14th century BC (exact replicas), with the first written testimonies about the olive and olive oil.
For each historical period, you will discover the contribution of the olive and olive oil to the economy and to everyday life: nutrition, body care, but also now outdated uses, such as lighting.
You will also see how the olive acquires a symbolic dimension in the mythology, religion, the manners and customs of the Greeks.
Examples of ancient and contemporary art prove the place held by the olive in Art and how it was - and continues to be - a constant source of inspiration for Greek artists.
On the ground floor, discover the evolution of the technology used to produce olive oil, from ancient times through to the proto-industrial period. Here you will see:
-Exact replicas of a Prehistoric, a Hellenistic and a Byzantine olive press.
-An impressive wooden double press with a winch from the neighbouring village of Xirokambi.
-An olive press from the island of Lefkada, which documents the survival of animal power in the 20th century.
-Models representing the functioning of engine-powered olive presses.
A separate module is devoted to the production of soap, domestic and industrial: from the large cauldron (harani), still used by old-fashioned housewives to make soap, to the soap-vats used in industry.
At the end of your visit, maps and information leaflets direct you to archaeological sites of olive oil production and to traditional olive presses that can be visited in the Peloponnese and the rest of Greece, so that you might pursue your journey of discovery.
Of interest to children
Young visitors have the opportunity to visit three old olive presses:
-A Prehistoric olive press
-A Hellenistic olive press
-A Byzantine olive press
They can also observe large animated models representing mechanically-driven olive presses:
-A water-powered olive press
-A steam-powered olive press
-A diesel-powered olive press
The Museum organizes educational programmes with games and activities, for schools and group visits, such as the programme “A day at the Hellenistic oil press”, where the schoolchildren make olive oil “in the ancient manner”.
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 27310 89315.
For group visits you can contact the Museum at the phone number 27310 89315.
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:
Lift and WC for disabled persons
Lending wheelchair
Free access to guide dogs
Museum brochure in Braille, in Greek and English
