The Museum Council of Greece’s Ministry of Culture has certified the Museum of Environment of Stymfalia and the Museum of Brick and Tile Making of N. & S. Tsalapatas in Volos.
The environmental museum located at Stymphalia lake is a bioclimatic design to embrace the importance of the largest mountain pond in the Peloponnese, a NATURA 2000 wetland project. The museum sits on a mythic site, where according to mythology, Hercules confronted and slew the Stymphalian birds.
As for the brick factory museum, this is a former brickworks Nikolaos and Spyridon Tsalapatas, which was founded in 1926 and operated until 1978. The new museum will reveal the nature of fine quality and workmanship the factory was known for. Including fascinating exhibits for the “then” cutting edge machinery the brickmakers used. Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni, had this to say about the new additions:
“Our goal is to upgrade the museum infrastructure and better protect and promote the cultural heritage, in order to make our museums more attractive, more competitive, more quality.”
Both museums are part of a Network of the Piraeus bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) program and 80% funded by the European Union and 20% by national funds.