The first Maria Callas Museum in the world opens its doors in Greece

The first Maria Callas Museum in the world opens its doors at 44 Mitropoleos Street in Athens, Greece.

From today, Thursday October 26, the Maria Callas Museum, the world's first museum dedicated to the legendary Greek soprano who defined 20th century opera, opens its doors, in the "heart" of Athens, at 44, rue Mitropoleos.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, included in the UNESCO birthday list for 2023, Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens inaugurates the museum, which will be a constant cultural reference point for years to come.
The organization of the museum highlights the career and personality of Maria Callas, beyond the myths that have been maintained about her, with the aim of inspiring, entertaining and highlighting the elements of her technique that made it unique.

This Museum, created in the center of Athens, focuses on an experience that, first of all, awakens visitors' love for Maria Callas and then encourages them to discover different aspects of her career and life. The museum's exhibits include unique objects belonging to this versatile artist who, thanks to her extensive range, unique voice tone and stage presence, managed to change the world of opera forever.


Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said in a statement: "Athens owes this honor to the legendary Divina. The Maria Callas Museum, the first in the world, makes us all proud. I would like to thank the donors, sponsors, the project team and everyone who contributed to the city's acquisition of this special cultural space."

For his part, the president of Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, Konstantinos Dedes, underlines: "The creation of a museum, the first in the world for the great artist Maria Callas was a demanding project that the Municipality of Athens entrusted at Technopolis and it is with great pleasure that we inaugurate it. Residents and visitors to the city will have the opportunity to know, smell and listen to it in a modern and accessible space in the heart of Athens."

Konstantinos Bitzanis, General Director of Technopolis of Athens Municipality and coordinator of the project notes: "The creation of the Maria Callas Museum is a project undertaken by Technopolis of Athens Municipality, which has owned and maintained the original collection of the Athens Municipality since 2000. municipality of Athens with objects belonging to the great diva. Know-how and organized, efficient work made it possible to build this new museum in less than a year. It is accessible to the public 100 years after her birth, like a modern and perfect museum, dedicated to this great artist who gave a new dimension to opera and lyrical singing.

From October 26 to 29, the Maria Callas Museum will open with free entry, reservation required.

The museum

The world's first Maria Callas Museum invites visitors to discover her world and her unique interpretation of some of the most iconic roles of her career.
Through texts, objects, videos and rare audio extracts which create a global experience for the visitor, the thread of the life and career of Maria Callas unfolds. Her beginnings, her years in Greece, her international career and her major roles, her social life, her personality and the people who marked her life and the legacy she left.

THE COLLECTION

The creation of the Athens Municipality collection with objects by Maria Callas began in 2000, when the municipality acquired the first objects by participating in an international auction in Paris. Since then, the collection has been enriched with donations of objects from several institutions and individuals, such as the Hellenic Association of Maria Callas and the couple Konstantinos and Victoria Pilarinos, relics that belonged to Maria Callas or were there reference, but also loaned objects, so that today the collection numbers around 1,000 pieces.

In October 2022, at the Megaron Mousikis music library in Athens, the couple Konstantinos and Viktoria Pilarinos (respectively president and member of the Maria Callas Scholarship Association) honored the municipality of Athens with their trust by donating 50 unique pieces having belonged to Maria Callas and coming from their personal collection.

In September 2023, the Hellenic Maria Callas Association showed its support for the Museum by donating important relics it owned to the Municipality of Athens. The donation contract was signed by the President of the Hellenic Association Maria Callas, Ms. Liana Skourli and the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis.

Building

The four-story building at 44 Mitropoleos Street was built during the interwar period (an older contract refers to 1928) and housed for a long time (until the 1960s) the class C "Royal" hotel, with 20 rooms. The building was listed by presidential decree (Government Gazette 349D/85) and was modified around 1950. The initial appearance of the building is more evident from the Petraki Street side. In the 2010s, it was purchased by the municipality of Athens in order to install its services there. Thanks to the action of current and previous municipal authorities, it was decided that the building would house the Maria Callas Museum.

The team

The first Maria Callas Museum is the result of years of research and work by top professionals. The study team is made up of Andromachi Gazi, professor of museology at the University of Panteion, Erato Koutsoudaki-Gerolympou, architect-museologist and Alexandros Charkiolakis, director of the "Friends of Music" association ".
Technopolis took charge of the implementation of the project, the organization and coordination of the different working groups (design and implementation) and the execution of all the procedures and works necessary for its opening. She will also manage the operation of the new museum for the next five years.

The museum implementation team consists of Konstantinos Bitzanis, General Director of Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens, Maria Florou, Head of the Industrial Museum Sector, Grigoris Gaitanaros, Civil Engineer, Despina Andriopoulou, Cultural Administrator - Museologist and Niovi Andrioti, museologist - communicationist.


Ticket price :
GENERAL ENTRY: €10
REDUCED TICKETS: €7, €3
FAMILY: 2 adults + 2 children (6 years and over) €22


Free admission
Children up to 6 years old, disabled + accompanying person, ICOM members, refugees, sponsors, donors.