The Victoria Karelias Collection of Traditional Greek Costumes in Kalamata

The most comprehensive collection of Greek local costumes in the country is displayed in this modern and innovatively-lit museum. There is an advanced media tour, and interactive displays – all in all a charming journey through history, culture, aesthetics and art.

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The most comprehensive collection of Greek local costumes in the country is displayed in this modern and innovatively-lit museum in Kalamata. There is an advanced media tour, and interactive displays – all in all a charming journey through history, culture, aesthetics and art.

"We envision new perspectives through which one will be able to approach Greek clothing to reach its core, which is the relentless transformation of the inner world of our people into light. Within an abstract environment, the garments are detached from time and opened up into pure space. Thus, a transition takes place from the common historical dimension to a dimension where we are dealing with values that are considered only in their own right, such as beauty". This is how the collector Victoria G. Karelias introduces her amazing collection of Greek clothing -the fruit of 50 years’ work.

She was a founding member of the Kalamata Lyceum Club of Greek Women, and went on to be the club president for many years. She initially collected costumes out of personal interest, and later donated them to the KLC.The whole museum and the exhibits on display in it are exceptional, not just for Kalamata, but for the whole Peloponnese. This collection is one of the most comprehensive in Greece and is displayed following a modern and inventive approach, with an advanced media guide. The digital signage on the display cases encourage visitors to interact with the exhibits and engages children’s natural curiosity. As Karelias points out, “Works of traditional art eventually return, by their very nature, to the nation which gave birth to them, to be rediscovered and admired again as a source of inspiration”.

A journey through history, culture, aesthetics and art.
The exhibition of costumes follows the typological division first introduced by the folklorist, Aggeliki Hatzimichali. As the website tells us, the collection includes complete outfits for both women and men from all regions of Greece, gold-embroidered overcoats, exquisite examples of the tailors’ art and handiwork, as well as jewellery. The pieces of jewellery are more than mere decorative or complementary accessories, they are independent and significant components of the collection in their own right.

On the ground floor, visitors can find regional costumes including the Segouni, the overcoat worn by farmers and livestock-breeders in the Greek mainland.

Moving up to the first floor, the world of nomadic and semi-nomadic groups meets the clothing worn by traders and craftsmen, with costumes including the Kavadi and the Anteri.

Finally, on the second floor, you can see the Tsoukna frock, a variation of the Byzantine dalmatic frock, and the Renaissance-style version of the frock - the pleated dresses worn in the island and coastal regions which had commercial ties to the West. 

Personal guided tours, special access and parking spaces are available for persons with restricted mobility.

You will find more information on the award-winning Kalamata Lyceum Club of Greek Women which was founded in 1967 here

https://vgkareliascollection.com/en/

64 Stadiou, Kalamata
Tel. 003027210 86923

Location

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