Unique ‘folk museum’ cafe offers ‘coffee and history’

A unique folk museum where visitors can view rare artifacts from the Greek Revolution of 1821 and other important periods of Greek history while sipping their coffee is operating in Raxas municipality in Trikala prefecture.

The museum is, in actuality, a traditional cafe, where a trove of rare rifles used by the Greeks in the 1821 war of independence against Ottoman rule, photographic material and other artifacts from different periods in history are displayed.

The creator of this innovative exhibition is Nikos Verentziotis who remembers having a big interest in such memorabilia from a very young age. This interest, combined with a love for folk art, prompted him to become a collector or rare artifacts, most of which are related to the 1821 Revolution.

Verentziotis told ANA-MPA that “the youth must know and learn about our local tradition, the Hellenic civilisation and the struggles of the Greeks for liberty and independence”.

The cafe is divided into two sections. One section displays rare costumes, while the second section hosts a folk museum. In both sections, visitors may enjoy a tour of history while sipping their coffee or drink, munching on snacks, and even watching a match with their favorite team on television.

Verentziotis is avidly continuing adding objects to his collection, and his dream is that a proper museum will be built in his village that will house his collection and other such objects.