Suggested route
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1. Entrance 2. Introductory unit 3. New grinding mills 4. New grinding mills 5. Ramp to mill’s loft 6. Educational programmes Museum offices 7. Mill’s loft 8. Boiler room 9. Production berth 10. Lecture hall 11. Old drying chambers 12. Toilets 13. Hoffmann kiln 14. Museum’s café 15. Museum’s shop 16. Sheds 17. Decauville locomotive 18. Clay backs 19. Open-air exhibition of finished products
Photo: Than. Kottas
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and Brickworks Museum in the premises of the main plant: in the "new grinding-mills" area, at the clay backs, in the boiler house and in the Hofmann kiln. The Museum belongs to the thematic Museums Network created by the Foundation and aims at presenting not only the history of this particular brickworks but also the development of brick-making both in Greece and abroad in relation to the industrial history of the city of Volos. Visitors have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the chain of production within the framework of the plant’s history, as well as with the development of brick-making in general. The permanent exhibition is displayed in the buildings where bricks and rooftiles were once produced, with brick-making machinery and other equipment being the main exhibits, supplemented by models and an extensive informative material. Also, special educational programmes as well as various events and activities take place providing the public with an insight to the production process.
Photo: Than. Kottas
The brothers Nicoletos and Spyridon Tsalapatas founded the Tsalapatas Brickworks in 1926. The plant occupies 22,000 sq. m., of which 7,500 sq. m. is roofed over. In its heyday the plant could boast of a peak (maximum) horsepower of 300 hp and a staff complement of 200-250 workers. It produced various types of bricks (8-hole, 6-hole, solid), roof tiles of the "French" (Marseilles) type and of the "Greek" (Byzantine) type, as well as roof-ridge tiles. Its yearly output came to 8-9 million assorted pieces. In 1975 the plant ceased its operation, because of rising competition and accumulated financial obligations. The completeness of the plant’s installations and equipment, in conjunction with its historical importance and its position within the urban tissue of the city of Volos, prompted the Greek Ministry of Culture in 1995 to designate it a monument worth preserving. In 1995, within the framework of the URBAN programme, the Volos Municipality acquired the plant and the necessary funding for restoring the premises and converting them into halls suitable for a cultural centre devoted to the industrial and handicrafts tradition of the area as well as to contemporary artistic creativity were raised. Restoration began in 1998 and was completed in 2001. In the period 2004 to 2006, the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation established the Rooftile
OPENING HOURS
From 1 March to 15 October Daily (except Tuesdays) 10:00 -18.00 From 16 October to 28 February Daily (except Tuesdays) 10:00 -17.00 Closed on: January 1st, Good Friday (until 12 noon), Easter Sunday, May 1st, 15 August, 6 December, 25 and 26 December. ADMISSION FEE Standard entrance fee: € 4 Concessionary ticket: € 2 Group visits: For better service, it is recommended to notify the Museum for scheduled group visits. Disabled visitors: Admission for disabled visitors is free. For group visits, it is necessary to notify the Museum in advance. Photographing, filming: Amateur photography and video filming are permitted. Professional / commercial photography or filming is strictly prohibited without prior special authorization from PIOP (tel. +30 210 3256 923).
ROOFTILE & BRICKWORKS MUSEUM N. & S. TSALAPATAS South Gate, 38334 Volos, Tel.: +30 24210 29844 Fax: +30 24210 31160
PIRAEUS BANK GROUP CULTURAL FOUNDATION 6 Ang. Geronta St, 105 58 Athens Tel.: +30 210 210 3256 922, Fax: +30 210 3218 145
piop@piraeusbank.gr, www.piop.gr
EN ISO 9001:2008 No.: 01012310
ROOFTILE & BRICKWORKS MUSEUM N. & S. TSALAPATAS PIRAEUS BANK GROUP CULTURAL FOUNDATION 2012 EU PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE EUROPA NOSTRA AWARD