These may not be the biggest museums of Cyprus but they are definitely the best way to explore the history and culture of Cyprus. What’s best, they are hidden in villages or street cities you wouldn’t find in tourist maps.
Ploumisto Psomi Museum
The museum of bread (Ploumisto Psomi), was founded in 2011 by Dorita Voskaridou, who specializes in popular Cyprus culture and has written numerous articles on folkloric themes.
The museum is located in Limassol and is dedicated to the island’s baking traditions. Visitors will learn about the kinds of bread that are baked on different holidays and during fasting periods and see what they look like. The museum also offers baking classes.
Grigori Afxentiou 9, Limassol
Tel. 99526772
Cyprus Historic and Classic Motor Museum
The Cyprus Historic and Classic Motor Museum is comprised of the personal car collection of veteran champion of international and Cypriot rally competitions, Mr Dimi Mavropoulos, who founded the museum especially to display the eclectic collection.
The museum highlights the cultural importance of the development and growth of the automobile industry and includes a Ford ‘T’ roadster from 1912, which has over 100 years of life on the road. Vehicles that have both cultural and emotional significance for the Cypriot people are also exhibited, and include the armoured presidential Cadillac, donated by the US government and built especially for President Makarios III in 1977.
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The Cyprus Wine Museum
Situated at the edge of the wine-producing countryside – in the village of Erimi – the Cyprus Wine Museum will take you on a journey through the history of the island’s long winemaking tradition.
The various stages of wine production and consumption – along with the various uses of wine – are shown through different presentations. Ancient jars and canisters, medieval drinking vessels, old documents and instruments illustrate the social, economic and symbolic aspects of wine production, whilst wine tasting is also available.
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Cyprus Railways Museum
The Cyprus Railways Museum is housed in the old railway station near Evrychou village, in the Troodos mountains.
The Cyprus Government Railway (CGR), which was in operation from 1905 to 1951, extended from Famagusta in the east to Morfou in the west, passing through the island’s capital, Lefkosia. The southern terminal of the third section of the CGR was at Evrychou, coming from Morfou. From the station only the main building has survived, and has been restored by the Department of Antiquities.
The Evrychou station is now a Railways Museum, one of its kind on the island. Original documents, drawings, photos and various objects related to the Cyprus railways are exhibited in the Museum Rooms, as well as scale models of the main stations and rolling stock.
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Museum-Workshop of Shadow Theatre (Karagiozis) Pafios
The Museum-Workshop of Shadow Theatre Pafios aims to present and promote the folk culture of our country. The museum exhibited figures, theatrical objects and family artifacts of the popular karagioz player Christodoulos Pafios (1904-1987), his son Achilleas Pafios (1928-1987) and grandson Christos A. Pafios, items which demonstrate the survival of folk art of Cyprus Shadow Theatre Karagiozis. In the museum area there is also a manufacturing figures workshop.
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Courtesy of the CTO
Praxia Aresti
