European Heritage Days: Greece Celebrates with Free Admission to Museums, Sites

Photo source: Acropolis Museum.

Greece will celebrate European Cultural Heritage Days this year with free admission from September 22 to 24 to state museums, archaeological sites and monuments.

An initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, the European Heritage Days are organized annually since 1999.

This year’s events will focus on the joint European theme of “Living Heritage“, which celebrates the diversity and significance of cultural traditions, knowledge, and skills in Europe.

In Greece, the theme is rephrased as “Heritage and Tradition: Evidence of yesterday in today“. Almost 100 events will take place across Greece during September 22 to 24 and until the end of October 2023.

Photo source: Acropolis Museum/Giorgos vitsaropoulos.

The Greek events organized under the European Heritage Days umbrella, will refer to practices and skills that have survived from one generation to another and are part of a community’s collective memory, promoting a sense of identity and continuity while cultivating in parallel the significance of  heritage’s protection as well as respect for cultural differences and creativity.

Furthermore, on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, entry will be free of charge to all state archaeological sites, museums and monuments for all visitors.

Events

Marathonas museum.

Some of the events that will take place include:

• traditional dances, songs, and festival customs from different parts of Greece
• exhibitions of folklore art and traditional costumes
• demonstrations of traditional crafts, such as pottery, silversmithing, and weaving
• concerts of classical music and folk music
• children’s activities, such as storytelling and puppet shows

The events will be held in a variety of locations, including archaeological sites, museums, cultural centers, and even people’s homes.

Participants will also have the opportunity to taste local and traditional cuisine and Mediterranean diet dishes, or get to know plants used for therapeutic purposes, among other activities scheduled.

Aiani museum. Photo source: Culture Ministry.

In addition, contemporary visual art events like temporary painting and photography exhibitions and guided tours in local monuments, archaeological sites and museums will focus in revealing historic and living memories surviving in local communities.

More particularly, some of this year’s highlights include:

• The Acropolis museum family program entitled “Understanding today through tales of the past” where children aged from 6 to 12 and their guardians, will explore the museum’s artefacts through the eyes of a young girl living in 5th Century B.C. Athens.
• The Marathonas archaeological museum family program entitled “Getting to know ancient weaving: fabrics and garments” where children and their guardians will be taken on a tour around the museum and follow a specially designed program for children related to the art of weaving.
• The Kozani/ Aiani archaeological museum event entitled “Oenology: historical and contemporary evidence” where visitors will get the opportunity to taste local wine and attend a forum on ancient botanology and wine making.
• The ” Mozart’s violin” event, scheduled to take place at the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights on Rhodes and will include a violin recital and the first time Mozart’s Costa Violin is exhibited in Greece.

Photo source: South Aegean Region.

The goal of the European Heritage Days initiative is to raise awareness of the importance of cultural heritage and to promote dialogue, inclusion and cooperation between different cultures.  In 2022, some 20 million people participated in events of the initiative.

Events scheduled to take place in Greece for European Heritage Days can be found here: https://www.europeanheritagedays.com/