Archaeological Museum of Igoumenitsa

About the museum

The Archaeological Museum of Igoumenitsa belongs to the Ministry of Culture and is run by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thesprotia. The decision to build it was taken in 1989, during Melina Mercouri's term as minister. The original site, on the wooded hill of the Dioikitirio with the ruins of a medieval castle, was replaced by a municipal plot at the northern entrance to the town. Construction of the building began in 1999, funded by the Second and Third Community Support Frameworks, and the permanent exhibition was implemented from October 2003 to June 2009.

The museum opened to the public in December 2009. During excavations for the foundations, part of a Roman cemetery from the 1st–4th centuries AD was found, and some of the finds are displayed in the museum. In July 2024 it was certified by the Ministry of Culture as one of the first public museums to be awarded the title of Certified Museum.

The permanent exhibition “Land of the Thesprotians” includes more than 1,600 exhibits in five thematic sections and covers the period from the Middle Palaeolithic to the late Roman years, with a few Byzantine and post-Byzantine objects. Emphasis is placed on the Hellenistic period, a time of flourishing for the cities of Thesprotia. Most of the exhibits come from excavations in Thesprotia from the 1960s onwards.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition “Land of the Thesprotians” with more than 1,600 exhibits
• Emphasis on the Hellenistic period of Thesprotia
• Part of a Roman cemetery, found in the foundations of the building
• Videos in Greek Sign Language and International Sign
• Free Wi-Fi in all rooms

Permanent exhibition

• Θεσπρωτών Χώρα – The permanent exhibition presents more than 1,600 exhibits from excavations in Thesprotia in five thematic sections, with emphasis on the Hellenistic period.

Founded

2009

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Θεσπρωτίας

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 6 March (Melina Mercouri Day), 18 April (International Monuments Day), 18 May (International Museum Day), the last weekend of September (European Heritage Days), 28 October and every first Sunday of the month from 1 November to 31 March.

Free admission is also granted, among others, to guides, members of the friends associations of state museums, large families and parents of single-parent families, as well as holders of the three-year free admission card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

At the main entrance there is a stairlift and a vertical platform lift for visitors using wheelchairs, and a manual wheelchair is also available. There is a lift and an accessible toilet. The museum's short guide is available in Braille in Greek and English. Videos of the permanent exhibition in Greek Sign Language and International Sign, with audio description, are shown on tablets that are provided free of charge at the entrance. The museum's sensory map records the stimuli of each room for visitors on the autism spectrum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

There are educational programmes and museum kits; the women's toilets have baby changing tables.

Getting there & parking

The museum is at the northern entrance to Igoumenitsa, at 2 28th October Street.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi in all rooms. Publications, replicas and souvenirs of the Archaeological Receipts Fund are sold at the ticket office.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit