The traditional olive oil mills of Messinia

They are important monuments of the pre-industrial period, representing the culture of the olive tree. The traditional olive oil mill in Charokopio, functioning as a museum, is totally worth a visit. Another olive oil mill in Kardamyli is abandoned.

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Some of the earliest testimonies for the cultivation of the olive tree were found in Messinia, such as the olive tree ideogram, and the olive oil warehouses in the Palace of Nestor in Chora of Trifylia. The thread of the story of the olive tree further unfolds in neighbouring ancient Olympia and Laconia, where you can find one of the most interesting Museums of the Olive tree in the Mediterranean. 

The old olive oil mills are important monuments of the pre-industrial period, representing the culture of the olive tree. 

The olive oil mill in Charokopio, near Koroni,has been converted into a museum, thanks to the efforts of the local cultural association. In the early 19th century, it accommodated the needs of the residents of the area. The stones and the olive press have been perfectly preserved. In the mill you will also see two enormous clay jars, one of which dates back to 1870. The mill was horse-powered. (Tel. 694 789 6356, visit by appointment).

Another -abandoned- olive oil mill is located in Kardamyli. Its chimney is discernible from the area of Tikla. It operated as an olive oil mill, a soap manufacturing industry and an olive pomace oil plant. Liakeas brothers got local builders to build it in 1932. It was shut down in 1958, and it is one of the most important monuments of the pre-industrial Greek past. 

Check out the website of the Routes of the Olive Tree.

Location

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