The aim of the project was not only to restore, but also to return to working order, the water powered manufacturing facilities that had supported the region’s economy for five centuries. These facilities included a tannery, a water mill for grinding cereals and milling textiles, and another hydraulic mill for producing gunpowder.

Financed by the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Piraeus until 1994, the project received European funding from 1995 to 1997, which supported the restoration of the tannery, the development of the site and the production of videocassettes and publications.

The museum opened to the public in 1997. It now attracts over 30,000 visitors a year. The project created 60 jobs for local residents.
The museum´s success drives not only the mills. Its shop also sells publications on hiking trails and other remarkable sites in the surrounding area. This has given the museum a key role in promoting green tourism activities, which in turn have boosted the hotel, restoration and distribution businesses. This has helped to re-establish some of the economic prosperity that the region once enjoyed.

Total cost EUR 2.013 million
EU contribution EUR 1.510 million

Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Piraeus
Mrs Aspasia Louvi, tel. +30 210 3218015

01/01/1997

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Urban Policy > Economy knowledge & employment > Urban economy

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