Museum of Toys and Childhood
The Museum of Toys and Childhood is in Paleo Phalero district, in a tower-like listed building.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1991 With a donation from Maria Argyriadi, the toy department was founded.
2017 The building was restored and housed the museum.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
Approximately 20,000 toys, from ancient times to the 1970s, are housed in the Kouloura Residense, a 19th-century neo-Gothic stone tower with baroque and art nouveau elements. In the museum, we find thousands of years old Greek baby and children’s toys, folk toys from festivals, urban commercial toys of the 20th century, board games, seasonal toys and dolls from the 19th and 20th centuries from various regions of Greece, with traditional costumes. The core of the exhibits is the collection of Maria Argyriadi and is considered one of the 10 best in Europe. It includes books, clothes, publications and various children’s objects from Greece, Europe, Africa and countries of the East. The European collection of dolls and toys from the 17th to the 20th centuries also stands out.
What I can't see
It belongs to the Benaki network of museums. Its purpose is to highlight children’s play, as it has evolved in Greece and Europe, and its role in the child’s life and Greek urban and bourgeois society.
Info
- Address: 14 Poseidonos Av. & 1 Tritonos St.
- Website: http://www.benaki.gr/index.asp?id=10103&sid=0&cat=0&lang=en
Bibliography
Open House Athens, (2019), Μουσείο Παιχνιδιών, [Toy Museum] OHA
Benaki Museum- Toys Museum
https://www.benaki.org/index.php?option=com_buildings&view=building&id=7&Itemid=832&lang=el
Last visit 6/12/2024