|
My relation with the Thracian land, as it evolved through numerous experiences, has made me feel almost obliged to present my own perspective of Thrace within a scope of redefinition of tradition.
The museum collection comprises of objects belonging to natives and refugees, which characterize and determine the character of their family and local history, but also testimonies: thousands of personal stories which survived the sweeping waves of history, the wounds and their healing, which complete the mosaic of history and their knowledge re-establishes our relation with the land of Thrace.
The exhibits are part of my private collection consisting of research material and objects of all the social groups living in Thrace. A great variety of topics are exhibited so that the visitor can be informed about the financial and social life of the wider history and geographical area of Thrace from the late 7th century till the beginning of the 20th century. The exhibition material has been organized as follows:
Ground floor:
Courtyard:
Basement:
Visitors also have a choice of the following videos to watch in the basement:
All videos have been produced in cooperation with various established scientists like historians and architects.
In the covered courtyard, where various seminars organized by the museum take place, visitors can have access to the database we have compiled with digitalised maps of the wider geografical area of Thrace and refugees' names who came to Greek Thrace in 1922. This database serves not only as a point of reference and a source of information for the people of Thrace but it constitutes the core of many research and educational projects. There is also a coffee-shop in the courtyard where visitors can savour traditional local specialities and a sales point where, as well as books and CDs of Thracian music, they can also purchase items which fully meet the requirements of modern aesthetic taste and derive their aesyhetic appeal from the rich Thracian popular tradition.
The agricultural civilization dictated by the geographical features of the area, the great urban civilization which has been developed in Thrace with Istanbul being its centre and the various ethnic commutinies living together - Greeks, Pomaks, Turks, Jews, Armenias - conditioned the culture of the Thracian region rendering it powerful.
The purpose of the museum is to further study the contemporary cultural heritage of Thrace so that the it can be a basis, a motive, a starting point for the re-evaluation of tradition by means of educational activities directed towards young people and children in particular.The museum has been organizing travels of historic interest since the second month of its operation and it is also the venue of local history seminars and educational programs.
In addition to the educational programs for the students of Primary and Secondary education which are held in the museum, educational projects are also organized in various cities and towns of Evros prefecture. It is our firm belief that the educational programmes are the starting point for the youngsters to get acquainted with and to love their homeland and its culture. Consequently their social reference is devoid of any nationalistic and folklore dimensions.
Our objective is for the museum to fuction as a living cell in the Thracian land, associating tradition, its memory and knowledge with the the current social issues and so enabling us to identify ourselves with the idea of human existence beyond and irrespective of any cultural differences, thus providing the enthusiasm for the preservation of our own civilization.
The chair of the Museum Board |
Museum
© Ethological Museum of Thrace