Resin Museum of Ampeliko

The Resin Museum stands in the courtyard of Saint Nikolaos of Ambeliko on a site offered by Dimitrios Karlaganis and Emmanouil Kaldis. It was founded in 1995 on the initiative of Priest Efstratios Kakabouras with the contribution of all the villagers. The exhibition is organized into three main collections: folklore, ecclesiastical and resin. The folklore collection displays 1,660 objects that record almost the entire history of the village, including pithoi and millstones, coins, agricultural tools, rifles, musical instruments, household utensils, etc. The ecclesiastical collection exhibits various sacred vessels and vestments, psalters, books of Lesvian and Byzantine music, and carved wooden ripidia. The museum’s resin collection is unique in Greece. Visitors can explore the history of resin and learn about collecting it and daily life around the “tear of the pine.” This room presents resin tappers’ tools, rare old photos of resin collection and the archive of the Resin Cooperative (1929–1967).