Lychnostatis Open Air Museum is a museum in Hersonissos, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. It is an autonomous private foundation, established in July 1992, based on private collection owned by ophthalmologist Yiorgos Markakis. The Markakis and local workers were responsible for the building of the museum between 1986 and 1992. In March 1994, the Association of Members of the Museum was established, to obtain sponsorships and grants to operate the museum .
The museum contains a variety of artifacts and structures related to Cretan folk tradition and ethnology, economic activity and culture, nature and the environment. Notable assets include traditional Cretan farmer and merchant houses, wine and olive presses, a distillery, weaving and ceramic workshops, a herbarium and fruit and cactus gardens, a folk art gallery, library, a mineral and stone exhibition, a 150 seat auditorium and a 250 seats theatre as well as a cafe and shop. A number of performances are put on in the auditoriums includuing the "Traditional September" annual event as well as Greek dancing performances, and grape and wine-tasting events.
Famous quotes containing the words open, air and/or museum:
“When the inhabitants of some sequestered island first descry the “big canoe” of the European rolling through the blue waters towards their shores, they rush down to the beach in crowds, and with open arms stand ready to embrace the strangers. Fatal embrace! They fold to their bosoms the vipers whose sting is destined to poison all their joys; and the instinctive feeling of love within their breasts is soon converted into the bitterest hate.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“Make me a willow cabin at your gate,
And call upon my soul within the house;
Write loyal cantons of contemned love,
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;
Halloo your name to the reverberate hills,
And make the babbling gossip of the air
Cry out “Olivia!” O, you should not rest
Between the elements of air and earth
But you should pity me.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“Things will not mourn you, people will.”
—Hawaiian saying no. 191, ‘lelo No’Eau, collected, translated, and annotated by Mary Kawena Pukui, Bishop Museum Press, Hawaii (1983)