Thessaloniki Olympic Museum
Encyclopedia
Thessaloniki Olympic Museum, the unique Olympic Museum of Greece, is situated at Thessaloniki
, Greece
. The museum is located on the confluence and educational, athletic and cultural routes of the city. It stands next to the Kaftanzoglio National Stadium
and the Aristotle University
.
–Thrace
, Athletic Unions and Associations of Local Authorities.
The aim of the museum is to collect, conserve, record and establish the sport history and to promote it in an active and vivid place, having a mainly educative character. Since its establishment and until 2004 – year of Athens
Olympic Games
– the Museum was housed on the floor of a neo-classical building, where the limited space – that was accorded by the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) – of 300m2 , constrained its exhibitional and educational activities.
During Olympic Year 2004, the Museum relocated to a new building primarily designed to serve its needs
into the building block of the Kaftanzoglio Stadium, which hosted the preliminary games of the Athens Olympic Games 2004.
The new building was inaugurated by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Jacques Rogge
. It is a modern building, of 4500m2, which was designed and constructed according the specifications that sets the modern museological architecture.
On January 30rd the International Olympic Committee
, after the proposal from the Hellenic Olympic Committee
and acknowledging its contribution to the athletic and cultural section, renamed the museum “Thessaloniki Olympic Museum”. The organizing of the first permanent exhibition dedicated to Olympic Games and Olympic Sports
was the immediate priority of the new exhibition policy. The exhibition consists of historical records and objects of the Greek Medalists, medals, torches, memorabilia from the Olympic organizations and athletic equipment. The new mission of the Museum is not only recording and promoting of the sport heritage but the conservation and prominence of the national Olympic history and of the Olympic ideal.
Thessaloniki Olympic Museum consists of four exhibition halls (permanent exhibition dedicated to Olympic Games titled “Prominence of Sport History and Olympic Ideal”, permanent machine interactive exhibition titled “Science of Sports”, permanent exhibition hall housing a parallel exhibition and simulation of track and field stadium and finally, exhibition hall of temporary exhibitions). All exhibition halls conclude recreation ground for educational programs and workshops. Furthermore, the Museum has communal halls, an amphitheatre with 300 seats, two halls of manifold uses, shop and a large foyer where temporary exhibitions of small scale and events can be housed.
The new building standards resulted in the redeployment of the Museum’s missions and in the organization of the permanent Olympic and sport collection, that consists of donations of personal belongings from Greek athletes that have excelled in their sport section, athletic federations, private collections, independent collectors, etc.
The new policy on collection of the museum is centered to the presentation of exhibitions which are always focused on the triptych “body, spirit and soul” with athletic, historic and cultural interest. The exhibitions that have been produced are divided in long-term exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, interactive and artistic exhibitions of further interest.
One of the primary aims of Thessaloniki Olympic Museum is to approach young people and children, promoting the museum as a friendly place and converting a visit to a pleasant experience. Every exhibition is supported by a variety of educational programs, while educational workshops are performed on weekends, summer workshops and theatrical classes.
Being a modern cultural institution pays great attention to new technologies and their uses in the Museum’s policy in collections, exhibitions and communication. In 2007, a digital tour in the “Track and Field
” exhibition was created while two other interactive exhibitions, “Paralympics”http://www.olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147&Itemid=290 and “Medals and Torches”http://www.olmuseum.gr/content/view/57/69/lang,el/ can be found in the websitehttp://olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/ of the Museum.
The communication of Thessaloniki Olympic Museum with the public is achieved through its newsletter and monthly electronic information. Moreover, the Museum publishes catalogues from its exhibitions and transcripts from its conferences.
In the course of these ten years, the Museum has developed a variety of collaborations with Cultural Institutions and European or International Museums. More specifically, Thessaloniki Olympic Museum is member of the International Sport Heritage Association (I.S.H.A.http://www.sportsheritage.org/), of International Council of Museums (I.C.O.M.http://icom.museum/) and from 2007, member of Olympic Museum Network. It has also developed international collaborations with representatives of administration of sport cultural heritage of Europe
and Balkans
that were consummated through memorandums of collaboration.
Greek Medalists Exhibition: ‘’1896-1996…100 years of Modern Olympic Games’’ (24/3/2000 - 23/7/2000)
Nautical Sports Exhibition – Canoe-kayak’’ (2/12/2001 - 2/12/2002)
Football Exhibition: ‘’Greek and International Football History’’ (5/8/2004 - 5/8/2005)
Track and Field Exhibition: ‘’On your marks…’’ - (3/3/2006 - 15/7/2008)
Testimonies and Stamps from International Olympic Games, Athens 1906 (16 – 30/6/ 2006)
Ancient Theaters of East Mediterranean (21/11/2007 - 30/6/2009)
Ancient Theaters of East Mediterranean
Medals and Torches (From 13/3/2009)
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The museum is located on the confluence and educational, athletic and cultural routes of the city. It stands next to the Kaftanzoglio National Stadium
Kaftanzoglio Stadium
Kaftanzoglio stadium is a sports stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece. The stadium was built with money donated by the Kaftanzoglou Foundation, hence its name. At the time of its opening on 27 October 1960, the stadium was one of the highest quality stadiums in the Balkans...
and the Aristotle University
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest Greek university, and the largest university in the Balkans. It was named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, Chalcidice, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia...
.
History
The museum was established in 1998 with the name “Sports Museum” – being the unique sports museum in Greece – with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Special Secretariat for Sports of MacedoniaMacedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
–Thrace
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or simply Thrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
, Athletic Unions and Associations of Local Authorities.
The aim of the museum is to collect, conserve, record and establish the sport history and to promote it in an active and vivid place, having a mainly educative character. Since its establishment and until 2004 – year of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
– the Museum was housed on the floor of a neo-classical building, where the limited space – that was accorded by the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) – of 300m2 , constrained its exhibitional and educational activities.
During Olympic Year 2004, the Museum relocated to a new building primarily designed to serve its needs
into the building block of the Kaftanzoglio Stadium, which hosted the preliminary games of the Athens Olympic Games 2004.
The new building was inaugurated by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
. It is a modern building, of 4500m2, which was designed and constructed according the specifications that sets the modern museological architecture.
On January 30rd the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
, after the proposal from the Hellenic Olympic Committee
Hellenic Olympic Committee
Hellenic Olympic Committee also known as Comité Olympique Hellénique is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is one of the oldest National Olympic Committees in the world, being founded in 1894 and recognised in 1895....
and acknowledging its contribution to the athletic and cultural section, renamed the museum “Thessaloniki Olympic Museum”. The organizing of the first permanent exhibition dedicated to Olympic Games and Olympic Sports
Olympic sports
Olympic sports, as defined by the International Olympic Committee, are all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics, as of 2012, will include 26 sports, with two additionall sports due to be added in 2016...
was the immediate priority of the new exhibition policy. The exhibition consists of historical records and objects of the Greek Medalists, medals, torches, memorabilia from the Olympic organizations and athletic equipment. The new mission of the Museum is not only recording and promoting of the sport heritage but the conservation and prominence of the national Olympic history and of the Olympic ideal.
Thessaloniki Olympic Museum consists of four exhibition halls (permanent exhibition dedicated to Olympic Games titled “Prominence of Sport History and Olympic Ideal”, permanent machine interactive exhibition titled “Science of Sports”, permanent exhibition hall housing a parallel exhibition and simulation of track and field stadium and finally, exhibition hall of temporary exhibitions). All exhibition halls conclude recreation ground for educational programs and workshops. Furthermore, the Museum has communal halls, an amphitheatre with 300 seats, two halls of manifold uses, shop and a large foyer where temporary exhibitions of small scale and events can be housed.
The new building standards resulted in the redeployment of the Museum’s missions and in the organization of the permanent Olympic and sport collection, that consists of donations of personal belongings from Greek athletes that have excelled in their sport section, athletic federations, private collections, independent collectors, etc.
The new policy on collection of the museum is centered to the presentation of exhibitions which are always focused on the triptych “body, spirit and soul” with athletic, historic and cultural interest. The exhibitions that have been produced are divided in long-term exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, interactive and artistic exhibitions of further interest.
One of the primary aims of Thessaloniki Olympic Museum is to approach young people and children, promoting the museum as a friendly place and converting a visit to a pleasant experience. Every exhibition is supported by a variety of educational programs, while educational workshops are performed on weekends, summer workshops and theatrical classes.
Being a modern cultural institution pays great attention to new technologies and their uses in the Museum’s policy in collections, exhibitions and communication. In 2007, a digital tour in the “Track and Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
” exhibition was created while two other interactive exhibitions, “Paralympics”http://www.olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147&Itemid=290 and “Medals and Torches”http://www.olmuseum.gr/content/view/57/69/lang,el/ can be found in the websitehttp://olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/ of the Museum.
The communication of Thessaloniki Olympic Museum with the public is achieved through its newsletter and monthly electronic information. Moreover, the Museum publishes catalogues from its exhibitions and transcripts from its conferences.
In the course of these ten years, the Museum has developed a variety of collaborations with Cultural Institutions and European or International Museums. More specifically, Thessaloniki Olympic Museum is member of the International Sport Heritage Association (I.S.H.A.http://www.sportsheritage.org/), of International Council of Museums (I.C.O.M.http://icom.museum/) and from 2007, member of Olympic Museum Network. It has also developed international collaborations with representatives of administration of sport cultural heritage of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
that were consummated through memorandums of collaboration.
Long-term Temporary Exhibitions / Great Exhibition Productions
Chess and its History (15/1/ 1998 - 28/2/1999)Greek Medalists Exhibition: ‘’1896-1996…100 years of Modern Olympic Games’’ (24/3/2000 - 23/7/2000)
Nautical Sports Exhibition – Canoe-kayak’’ (2/12/2001 - 2/12/2002)
Football Exhibition: ‘’Greek and International Football History’’ (5/8/2004 - 5/8/2005)
Track and Field Exhibition: ‘’On your marks…’’ - (3/3/2006 - 15/7/2008)
Exhibitions of Historical Interest
Ancient Stadium and Games in Antiquity (5/11/2005 - 5/10/2007Testimonies and Stamps from International Olympic Games, Athens 1906 (16 – 30/6/ 2006)
Ancient Theaters of East Mediterranean (21/11/2007 - 30/6/2009)
Travel Exhibitions
Ancient Stadium and Games in AntiquityAncient Theaters of East Mediterranean
Digital Interactive Exhibitions
Paralympics (From 13/3/2009)Medals and Torches (From 13/3/2009)