From May to October 2023 the Menelaos Parlamas Museum of Rural Life & Theano Metaxa-Kanakaki Weaving Collections (MPMRL) welcomes visitors once more.

The MPMRL is a branch of the Historical Museum of Crete, located in the traditional village of Piskopiano. It was founded by the Society of Cretan Historical Studies (SCHS) in 1988 and is housed in a restored 19th-century stone-built olive mill and a two-storey building donated by the Parlamas family. The Museum Collections contain exhibits dating from the late 19th to the mid-20th century, thematically presented in a scientifically documented way. In the stone-built wings of the Museum are presented the wine press, the oven, the raki still, the farming tools, the Cretan house, the olive mill, the carpenter’s shop, the smithy and the cooper’s shop. In 2011, the Museum acquired the newer wings dedicated to Cretan weaving and weaving implements from the Collections of Mrs Theano Metaxa-Kanakaki and the SCHS. The lace-making section was added to the permanent exhibitions in 2017, with selected examples of lace from the collection of the late journalist Maria Papoutsaki, recently enriched by another unique presentation of lace from the Collection of Mrs Theano Metaxa-Kanakaki. In the last thematic section of the SCHS Collections, visitors can see examples of traditional basket-weaving, the dairy, laundry utensils and the saddler’s craft.

With support from the Heraklion LEADER Project, the Museum provides information in Braille with the collaboration of the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece, audio guides in four languages (Greek, English, French and Russian), and a group tour guide system for organised tour groups.

In the framework of the same project, the digital applications of the Collections will soon be upgraded using cutting-edge technology, while selected elements of the Museum’s infrastructure will be enhanced to the benefit of all our visitors.

The Museum has a small shop and rest areas with Cretan herbs in the courtyard. The verandas, where cultural events are regularly held, offer a view of Hersonissos Bay and Mt Harakas.

The Menelaos Parlamas Museum of Rural Life consistently receives positive reviews from all our visitors. It has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence by international travel platform TripAdvisor as one of the best places to visit in the Municipality of Hersonissos. The Museum also recently received the Green Minoan Olive Tree gold award from the Association of Cretan Olive-Growing Municipalities for its restoration of the stone-built olive mill.

Useful information

Period of operation

May – October

Opening hours

Monday & Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 – 18:00 (closed Tuesdays, Sundays & holidays).

Admission

Adults: €5,00

Concessions: €3,50 | School and university students with passes, visitors over 65 and people who have visited the Historical Museum of Crete (on presentation of recent ticket)

Free: School groups and children under 12

Address – Contact us

4, Museum of Rural Life Square, Piskopiano, Hersonissos, Crete

Tel.: (+30) 28970-23303, Email: eth@ekim.gr

URL: www.historical-museum.gr/gr/content/agrotiko-mouseio-menelaou-parlama

FΒ: MuseumOfRuralLife