Museums and Private Collections
Department of Antiquities Cyprus
The Department of Antiquities is a government department of the Republic of Cyprus, under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. It was established in 1935 by the British colonial Government, as a result of the enactment of the Antiquities Law. Since then, it directs and controls all the archaeological activities in Cyprus and has under its jurisdiction the management of the Cypriot archaeological heritage. Its main responsibilities include the conducting of excavations and archaeological surveys, the operation, organisation and foundation of archaeological museums, as well as the conservation, rehabilitation, protection and promotion of the ancient monuments, archaeological sites and monuments of traditional architecture. The aims of the Department of Antiquities also include the use of ancient monuments and archaeological museums for educational and cultural purposes and for the development of cultural tourism. In order to achieve the above, the Department of Antiquities organises conferences, exhibitions and lectures both in Cyprus and abroad. Its activities are published in its two annual editions: the Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus and the Annual Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus.
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Geroskipou Museum
The Folk Art Museum in Geroskipou (Pafos) falls under the auspices of the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and is housed in a traditional 18th century residence of historical importance. It was known as the House of Hadjismith, after the name of the British Commodore and later Admiral, Sir Sydney Smith (1764-1840), who visited the owner of the house, Andreas Zympoulakis (a native of the Ionian Islands who had settled in Geroskipou) and, impressed by his education and cordial hospitality, appointed him as a British Consular agent at Pafos. The son of Andreas, who succeeded to his father’s office in 1826, took on the name Hadjismith-Zympoulakis. Thus, the house became known as “the house of Smith” or “Hadjismith”, and from 1800 until 1864 it housed the British Consulate at Pafos, with the British flag flying above the upper storey. This stone-built, two-storey house has been declared an Ancient Monument of Schedule A (Government property) as an excellent example of traditional local architecture. The Department of Antiquities purchased half of it in 1947/48 and the remainder after 1974. The mansion has been restored and since 1978 it is used as a Folk Art Museum, which houses a large collection of items, mainly from the Pafos district. Among a variety of exhibits (tools and manufactured items of traditional arts and crafts, household equipment, furniture, pottery, textiles, embroidery etc.), are included representative types of traditional costumes and dress items. The oldest of them were acquired in the late 1940s, and thus date back to the early decades of the 20th century or even earlier (Rizopoulou-Egoumenidou and Fiouri 2008, 217-221).
Leventis Municipal Museum
The Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia is home to an extensive collection of works, including archaeological artefacts, costumes, photographs, pottery, maps and engravings, jewels, and furniture that present the history and social development of the city of Nicosia from Prehistory to the present day. The museum was founded in 1984 after the initiative of the Mayor of Nicosia, Mr Lellos Demetriades, and was named after its donor, the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation, which bought and restored its traditional building located in the old city within the walls.
The Museum was inaugurated in 1989. Two years later, in 1991, it was honoured with the European Museum of the Year Award. Today, entirely refurbished and with the new “Constantine Leventis” wing, the Museum aims to continue in its mission of contributing to the protection of Nicosia’s history. The permanent exhibition spaces are home to exhibits which take the visitor on a journey through Nicosia’s history. The permanent exhibition includes: the Nicosia Gallery, with objects dating from the birth of the region and the ancient city (3900 BC-325 AD); the Byzantine and Mediaeval Galleries (325-1489 AD) which have a unique collection of glazed vessels from the 13th-16th centuries, as well as other objects presenting the city when it was capital of the Mediaeval Kingdom of Cyprus; the Venetian Period Galleries (1489-1570 AD) which showcase the single most important collection of mediaeval and modern maps of Nicosia; the Ottoman Period Galleries (1570-1878 AD) presenting the city as travellers saw it in the years of the Ottoman occupation; and the British Period Gallery (1878-1960 AD) exploring the social development of the city during the English occupation. Special mention is also given to the recent history from 1960 until today.
The Museum also offers organised educational programs, tours and other events. The temporary exhibition space hosts exhibitions from other museums and foundations from Cyprus and abroad, while, at the same time, it organises exhibitions aimed at the promotion of the history and social development of the city.
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Costas & Rita Severis Foundation
Since 1999, the Costas & Rita Severis Foundation has organised cultural and educational events while promoting research and scholarship in Cyprus.
In 2013, the Foundation began implementing the Sharing History, Art, Research & Education (SHARE) initiative, a partnership programme of the Costas & Rita Severis Foundation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Turkish Cypriot University Women’s Association, and the NGO Support Center. The goal of SHARE is to provide a common platform for the exploration of the island’s cultural heritage by means of visual and creative arts, through which to increase the potential for peaceful coexistence in Cyprus.
In 2014, the Foundation opened the Centre of Visual Arts & Research (CVAR) on Ermou Street, in the heart of the walled city of Nicosia. CVAR hosts the Costas & Rita Severis collections, which comprise more than 1,500 works of art by artists travelling to Cyprus during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds of Cypriot memorabilia, hundreds of Cypriot costumes from the 18th to the 20th centuries, and more than 10.000 books on the history, art and culture of Cyprus and its neighbours.
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Limassol’s Municipal Museum of Folk Art
The renovated building housing Limassol’s Municipal Folk Art Museum showcases a rich collection of 19th and 20th century Cypriot folk art items. Over 500 exhibits are displayed in six rooms. These include items of urban attire, traditional costumes, embroideries and jewellery, as well as wood carved furniture, agricultural tools and utensils and decorative artefacts. In 1989 the Museum was awarded the “Europa Nostra” award.
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Phivos Stavrides Foundation - Larnaka Archive
Phivos Stavrides Foundation - Larnaka Archives was established following an agreement between the Phivos Stavrides' family and the Municipality of Larnaka. It started operating in March 2015 and is housed on the first floor of the former building of the Ottoman Bank in Larnaka.
The Foundation is a research centre for the history and culture of Cyprus, focusing on literature, archaeology and immaterial cultural heritage. Its collection includes more than 50.000 documents, including books that date as back as 1580, rare travel books and unique publications from or pertaining to Cyprus. The ephemera and photographs collections specifically constitute valuable research sources.
The Foundation organizes seminars, exhibitions and events, as well as publishes books, on history, art and crafts in collaboration with agencies such as the UNESCO National Committee, municipalities of the Larnaka district, and private museums.
In this context, the Phivos Stavrides Foundation - Larnaka Archives, in addition to its research and publishing activities, designs and curates specialized museums and exhibits relating to traditional crafts of the island and their application to contemporary life. Furthermore, it organizes seminars on the learning of traditional crafts, such as the Lefkara lace, with special emphasis on their development according to contemporary aesthetics and other needs of the local society. Since 2018, the Foundation is the ambassador of the Michelangelo Foundation for creativity and craftsmanship and part of its Cultural Council.
Lazaridis collection
The “Stavros G. Lazarides Collection”, also known as “Panorama of Cyprus Collection” consists of postcards, photographs, engravings, prints, books, maps, documents and other ephemera related to Cyprus, spanning over a period of about one hundred and fifty years. The collection, the main body of which covers the period of British Rule (1878-1960), includes one of the most complete collections of old Cyprus postcards (1899-1960), numbering over 4,000 different items. Part of the Collection has been recorded and documented in various books and photographic albums:
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Famagusta: Photographic Memories 1940-1950, Marfin Laiki Cultural Centre, Nicosia 2010, 248 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Souvenir of Kyrenia – The Most Picturesque Town in Cyprus 7000 B.C. – AD 1960, Marfin Laiki Cultural Centre, Nicosia 2009, 408 pages.
- Basil Stewart, My Experiences of the Island of Cyprus: With an Introduction, Comments and Notes by Stavros G. Lazarides, Nicosia 2008, 280 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Photographs by Giragos Zartarian 1935-1950, Marfin Laiki Cultural Centre, Nicosia 2007, 248 pages.
- Émile Deschamps, Cyprus, the Land of Aphrodite: A Traveller’s Journal: With an Introduction, Comments and Notes by Stavros G. Lazarides, Marfin Laiki Cultural Centre, Nicosia 2007, 300 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Vahan Avedissian – The Splendour and Simplicity of Cyprus 1925-1950, Nicosia 2006, 300 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Theodoulos N. Toufexis, an Illustrated Guide to Early Twentieth Century Cyprus: its History and its People, Laiki Group Cultural Centre, Nicosia 2004, 292 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Souvenir of Famagusta, the Town of the Three Continents, Laiki Group Cultural Centre, Nicosia 1999, 330 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Panorama of Cyprus 1899-1930: Postcards of Cyprus, Sylloges Publications, Athens 1987, 290 pages.
- Stavros G. Lazarides, Cyprus 1878-1900, An Historical Recollection of a Bygone Age through Engravings, Sylloges Publications, Athens 1984, 242 pages.
Christos Christophorou collection
The Christos Christophorou collection, currently on display at the Paphos Zoo Folk Art Museum in Pegeia, offers a panorama of the Cypriot traditional lifestyle, as preserved until the recent past. The collection was assembled by its owner, who since the 1980s has been systematically collecting folk art items.
The collection features almost all types of objects used in everyday rural life, as follows:
- Agricultural implements related to the traditional cultivation of cereals, olive trees and vine.
- Harnessing equipment such as saddles, bridles and others.
- Pre-industrial installations for the production of olive-oil and zivania (Cyprus eau de vie).
- Tools used by traditional craftsmen, such as cobblers, carpenters, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, gold- and silversmiths, potters and others.
- Articles of household equipment, namely copper and ceramic cooking pots, wooden furniture and bread making utensils, baskets, glass oil-lamps and rosewater sprinklers, textiles, storage and table ware, decorative items, ceramic and silver incense burners for averting the evil eye and others.
- Dress items and objects of personal adornment.
Damdelen Collection
Aziz Damdelen was a Turkish Cypriot collector with a huge interest in Cypriot arts and traditional culture. He visited villages and carried out research in north Cyprus, covering thousands of kilometres from Kormakitis to Karpasia, from Keryneia to Morfou, visiting every village coffee-shop where he could find people who could help him with his research. After 1974, he became the owner of a very valuable collection of old-style clothes, agricultural implements and utensils, items of daily use, as well as photographs illustrating these. Aziz did not collect photographs at random; on the contrary, looking for those that depicted Turkish Cypriots in traditional costumes, he focused on dress in connection with the people wearing it. This is clear from his notes, which give information on the attire but also on each person presented: name, age, profession, village, time of taking the photograph etc. All these data place each photograph in its specific context, time and space.
Photographs and dress items of the Aziz Damdelen collection were published by Euphrosyne Rizopoulou Egoumenidou in a book on Turkish Cypriot dress (see Rizopoulou Egoumenidou, E. and Damdelen, A. 2012: Turkish Cypriot dress: Aziz Damdelen collection (Cultural Heritage Series no. 6), Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture-Cultural Services).
National Historical Museum
The National Historical Museum was established by the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece, which since its creation in 1882 has been collecting historical items. The foundation of the Society is inextricably linked with its first official public appearance, the “Exhibition of Memorials of the Sacred Struggle”, two years later. In this exhibition, in response to an appeal by the Society, the families of fighters, who took part in the 1821 Revolution, as well as government bodies, such as the Ministries of War and Navy, provided exhibits of an era not so distant, that were in their possession. At the end of the exhibition, most of these objects were donated to the Museum of the Historical and Ethnological Society, as was its first name, thus becoming its central core.
The National Historical Museum was born through the joint action of a rapidly evolving society, in a period of research for coherent links and national identity and of creation of relevant institutions. For over half a century, the Museum operated for the public in the halls of the Athens Polytechnic, becoming a reference to city life. Since 1960, the National Historical Museum is permanently housed in the Old Parliament Building at Stadiou Street (Kolokotronis square). The Museum narrates the history of Modern Greece: the period of Ottoman and Latin rule, the Greek War of Independence (1821), the liberation struggles, the creation of an independent state, the political, social and spiritual development of the Greeks up to the present day.
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Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical-style buildings in Athens, near the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament. It was converted into a museum in order to shelter the collections of Antonis Benakis and was donated to the Greek nation by himself and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argine. Following its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the building houses a unique exhibition on Greek culture arranged diachronically from prehistory to the 20th century.
A modest edifice was the original core of the building complex. The first enlargement, including substantial alterations, was designed by Anastasios Metaxas in 1911 after the building was purchased by Emmanuel Benakis, Antonis’s father. Additions included an external staircase and a Doric porch in marble leading up to the Vass. Sofias Ave. entrance front as well as the main façade ornamentations. The next extension was done in 1930 with the aim to convert the building into a museum housing Antonis Benakis’s Greek and Islamic art collections as well as a collection of Chinese ceramics. Further extensions in 1965, 1968 and 1973 proved necessary for accommodating the ever-expanding body of donations. After its 1989–2000 expansion and remodelling, the building houses the Benaki Museum collection of Greek art and material culture, the ‘Spyridon & Eurydice Costopoulos Gallery’ for temporary exhibitions, the Library and various museum operations and offices.
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Costume Museum of the Lykeion ton Ellinidon (CMLE)
The Lykeion ton Hellenidon (Lyceum Club of Greek Women) was founded in 1911 by Callirrhoe Siganou-Parren, a pioneer of the feminist movement in Greece and the country's first woman journalist. It is a volunteer organization, which, in the 103 years of its existence, has played an active and important role in the preservation and presentation of Greek cultural traditions and folk customs. Not less important has been the Club's social contribution, especially in the domain of adult education for women and the defence of women's rights. Today the Club maintains its dynamic presence in Greek society thanks to the voluntary service of its many dedicated members in Athens, in its 51 Branches all over Greece and in its 16 Bureaus abroad. The latter are particularly appreciated by the Greeks of the Diaspora, who see in the Lykeion a living link with the land of their origin and a "treasurer" of their ethnic traditions and cultural heritage.
The Costume Museum of the Lykeion ton Ellinidon (CMLE) is one of the most important depositories of regional costumes from the pre-industrial society of historic Greece, as well as clothing and accessories from the early urban societies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Along with the garments inspired by Minoan, Ancient Greek, and Byzantine history and created at the Lykeion ton Ellinidon during the first few decades of the 20th Century – in the spirit of the unbroken continuity of Hellenic culture that was then prominent – as well as several more recent, and contemporary to the era, costuming items, the CMLE’s collections offer visitors a panorama of the history of Hellenic costumes.
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Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation ‘Vas. Papantoniou’
The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation ‘Vas. Papantoniou’ or PFF (Greek: Πελοποννησιακό Λαογραφικό Ίδρυμα also known as ΠΛΙ) is a non-profit cultural institution and Museum based in Nafplion, Greece. It was founded in 1974 by the folklorist and scenic designer Ioanna Papantoniou in memory of her father Vasilios Papantoniou. The aim of PFF is the research, preservation, study and presentation of the material culture of the Greeks.
Since 1981 PFF is located in an early 20th century house belonging to Papantoniou family which was converted into a museum. The same year PFF was awarded with the European Museum of the Year Main Award (EMYA). During the 70's and the 80's, the foundation conducted research over Greece, Cyprus and the Griko communities of Southern Italy, gathering data and documents about the traditional culture, music and dance and also about the preindustrial technology and the old fashioned children toys. In 1989 PFF founded a children's museum in Nafplion at the old local railway station. Four years later, Melina Merkouri (then Culture minister of Greece) assigned to PFF the Hellenic National Costume Archives, while in 1999 the foundation's facilities were renovated. In 2013 PFF was awarded by the Academy of Athens for its cultural activities.
Artefacts of the foundation have been displayed in various exhibitions worldwide including Athens, Thessaloniki, Brussels, Dallas, Limassol, London etc., in cooperation with foundations and authorities such as the Benaki Museum, the Municipality of Nafplio, the Nicosia Municipality, the Harokopio University, the Foundation of the Hellenic World, the Hellenic Centre of London, the Teloglion Foundation of Art etc.
PFF collections include 45,000 items. The majority of them, namely more than 27,000 items, are directly connected to the popular and modern Greek culture including traditional costumes and items from mainland Greece, Crete, Aegean and Ionian Islands, Cyprus, Asia Minor, etc. The museum also holds a collection of 5,500 items linked with the history of fashion, including works by designers such as Christian Dior, Issey Miyake, Paco Rabanne, Christian Louboutin, Sue Wong, Mariano Fortuny, Laura Ashley, Jean Dessès, James Galanos, Yiannis Tseklenis etc. Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation also owns a photography, sound and film collection dedicated to its past researches, a library of 10,000 titles and a publishing house.
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Historical and Folklore Museum of Corinthos
The Historical and Folklore Museum of Corinthos is a Public Benefit institution, established in 1976 for the purpose of discovering, protecting, maintaining and publishing folklore materials and of disseminating, in all possible ways, the accumulated knowledge and information to the wider public.
The Museum, whose full name is Vassos Petropoulos-Panayiotis Gartaganis- Historical and Folklore Museum of Corinthos, was founded by Alkmini Vassou Petropoulou, nee Gartagani, and was housed in a building erected by the donor on a site made available by the Greek State. The Museum’s rich collections, which were accumulated by the donor with great effort, vast affection and personal sacrifices, include valuable works from a wide range of Greek handicrafts. In these creations it is possible to trace the historical past of the Greek nation, assimilated influences from East and West, local and chronologically-specific aesthetic concepts, and testimonies of the economic and social conditions of the last three centuries.
The exhibition halls of the museum contain male and female traditional costumes (bridal dresses, festive costume and day-to-day clothes) from the Greek islands and mainland, a variety of Greek embroideries and woven articles, masterly examples of the crafts of goldsmiths, silversmiths, metalworkers and carvers (ecclesiastical and secular), household utensils and farm tools (in stone, metal and wood).
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Louvre Museum
The Musée du Louvre contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments with more than 60,600 square metres (652,000 sq ft) dedicated to the permanent collection. The Louvre exhibits sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. It is the world's most visited museum, averaging 15,000 visitors per day, 65 percent of whom are foreign tourists.
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Pierides Museum - Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation
The Pierides Museum is the oldest privatemuseum in Cyprus and is housed in the ancestral home of the Pieridis family, a colonial building built in 1815.
The Museum's collection was established by the Pieridis family and includes some of the most representative cultural objects of the island. It records the economic, social and cultural development of Cyprus over thousands of years.
The objects on display date from 4000 BC. to the 15th century AD and are an important testimony of the long-standing culture that flourished in Cyprus. Objects in the collection include red glazed ware from the Early Bronze Age, Roman glassware and medieval ceramic dishes. The visitor can also see in the courtyard of the Museum a collection of modern Greek and Cypriot sculptures.
The Museum is connected to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.
Patticheio Municipal Museum – Historical Archive and Research Center of Limassol
The Patticheio Municipal Museum – Historical Archive and Research Center of Limassol is a pivotal institution for the preservation and study of the city's historical and cultural heritage. Situated in the restored residence of the former District Governor within the Municipal Garden, the Museum provides a comprehensive exploration of Limassol's evolution from the 18th century to the present.
Through a diverse collection of artifacts, archival documents, and oral histories, the Museum illuminates key aspects of the city’s socio-cultural, political, and economic developments. Its exhibits encompass historical manuscripts, photographs, periodicals, furniture, handcrafted artifacts, garments, and other invaluable materials that serve as primary sources for historical inquiry.
The Center functions as an academic hub, offering access to an extensive archive that includes municipal records and private collections. This resource supports multidisciplinary research, catering for historians, archaeologists, sociologists, journalists, and students. Additionally, it serves as a cultural nexus for the public, promoting community engagement with Limassol’s rich historical narrative.
By facilitating scholarly research and public education, the Municipal Museum – Historical Archive and Research Center of Limassol actively contributes to the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge about Limassol's past, ensuring its legacy informs future generations.