Alternative Tourism Greece: SILVERSMITHING MUSEUM - P.I.O.P. [Contact info]

The Silversmithing Museum is situated in the Castle of Ioannina, in the western bastion of the south-eastern citadel (Its Kale). It occupies two levels of the bastion, as well as the adjoining building that once housed the kitchens. The main objective of the Silversmithing Museum is to preserve the knowledge of epirote silversmithing, to disseminate to the public information about the techniques used, and to provide links between this technology and the characteristics of the social environment in which silversmithing in Epirus developed and thrived. The main objective of the Silversmithing Museum is to preserve the knowledge of epirote silversmithing, to disseminate to the public information about the techniques used, and to provide links between this technology and the characteristics of the social environment in which silversmithing in Epirus developed and thrived. The exhibition galleries are developed along the two levels of the bastion. The main part of the exhibition unfolds on level one, presenting the history and technology of silversmithing in Epirus. A diverse range of resources help visitors discover the traditional techniques used in the making and the decoration of silver objects, by encouraging them to explore the stages for each technique that lead to the final product. A collection of 18th to 20th century silver objects made in Epirus is displayed on level two. At the same time, visitors are asked to engagewith the properties, functionality and the symbolic power of silver objects. The Silversmithing Museum was founded by the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation which is also responsible for its operation. The project was incorporated into the Operational Programme ‘Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship’ OPCE II, as part of NSRF 2007-2013, and was co-financed by the Public Investments Programme and the European Regional Development Fund.