Salt Museum in Messolonghi

About the museum

The Messolonghi lagoon covers 150,000 stremmata, and two saltworks operate in the area, the White Saltworks and the Tourlida Saltworks, which produce 65% of Greek salt. The public-benefit cultural organisation “Diexodos”, active in the town since 1999, organised the exhibition “Salt – The White Treasure”, which received more than 7,500 visitors in three months.

After the exhibition’s success, the Municipality of Messolonghi made available to “Diexodos” an abandoned building from the 1930s, with a surrounding area of 1,500 m², in the heart of the Tourlida saltworks on the coast of the Ionian Sea. The founder, Nikos Kordosis, and his family renovated it and created the first Salt Museum in the country.

The exhibition covers the origin and the 14,000 known uses of salt, its influence on the economy, literature, art and religion, as well as the history of the Messolonghi saltworks. The collection of 1,500 salt cellars from 1800 to the present stands out. In the outdoor area there are old saltworks tools, two traditional lagoon boats and a lookout with a telescope for observing birds.

Highlights

• Collection of 1,500 salt cellars from 1800 to the present
• History and uses of salt in six rooms
• Lookout above the saltworks with a telescope for birds and flamingos
• Old saltworks tools and traditional lagoon boats
• Shop with Messolonghi salt

Permanent exhibitions

• Αίθουσες εκθέσεων – History of the building, origins and uses of salt, its influence on the economy, literature and art, and the history of the Messolonghi saltworks.
• Συλλογή αλατιερών – 1,500 handmade and industrial salt cellars from 1800 to the present.
• Υπαίθρια εκθέματα – Old saltworks tools, traditional lagoon boats and a lookout.

Founded

2020

Operated by

Κοινωφελής Πολιτιστικός Οργανισμός «Διέξοδος»

Admission & discounts

Free admission is also available for residents of Messolonghi and members of “Diexodos” (on presentation of ID), journalists, guides and group escorts.

Accessibility

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

The interior spaces have no barriers and the corridors are wider than 1.5 m. The main entrance is accessible for wheelchairs, and the museum lends a wheelchair by arrangement. Guide dogs are permitted in all areas. By arrangement, a vehicle may briefly park in front of the entrance.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

For nursery and primary school children there are educational programmes with playful activities about the value of salt.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about 4 km from the port of Messolonghi, at the Tourlida saltworks, and the route passes through the lagoon. From Botsari Square a taxi takes about 10 minutes.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop with Messolonghi salt, salts from around the world, salt cellars and souvenirs. The outdoor area has shady corners with benches for resting.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The museum has a stage at the edge of the lagoon for artistic and cultural events, by arrangement with the management.

Plan your visit