Folklore Museum of Arachova

One sunny morning towards the end of October 2023 we decided to take a wonderful day trip a few kilometers away from Athens to Delphi, at the navel of the earth. According to mythology, Zeus wanted to establish a sanctuary at the center of the world, in order to find the right location for the construction he thought of releasing two eagles, one facing East and one facing West. The meeting point of the two eagles would be the construction site of the sanctuary. The two eagles met above the magnificent location of Delphi. The sanctuary was dedicated to the God Apollo. In addition to the magnificent Archaeological Museum, the visitor will admire the sanctuary of Apollo, the ancient theater, the treasury of the Athenians. But what literally impressed us was the Sacred Dome of Pronaia Athena. Then at noon we visited Arachova for lunch. A wonderful mountain town built on the southern slopes of Parnassos at an altitude of 950 meters. A town with wonderful architecture in its old stone-built houses but also with wonderful narrow stone streets. A landmark of the town is the Clock on the cheese rock. After a short rest and after we had recharged our batteries with the wonderful dishes of Arachova cuisine, it was time to visit the town’s Folklore Museum, the main reason for our excursion. The Folklore Museum of Arachova is housed in the former Elementary School which was built with a donation from Andreas Syngrou and inaugurated in 1911. Apart from what a Folklore Museum usually contains, costumes, furniture, various documents, tools, looms, etc., it also hosts an unusual collection of robots. The robots and the other metal structures that surround them are creations of the now retired employee of the Greek Telecommunications Organization, Mr. Takis Mylonas. Mr. Mylonas was a technician in the Montage Service. In this department, the technicians were involved in the assembly of analog telephone exchanges. When he retired, it was the time, the late 80s, when the OTE was replacing the old analog telephone exchanges with new digital technology. This wonderful and creative man collected various telephone parts from old exchanges, old telephones and instead of them ending up in some scrap company, he gave them a second life. Imaginative creations, which are not just static. Humanoid robots with eyes made from ringing bells, a chest made from circuit boards, a nose made from switches, shoulders made from heat shrink covers, a heart made from telephone keypads, etc. You are left speechless…..silence…..what to say about this inventive man, what we all call garbage or recyclable materials in the hands of Mr. Takis are transformed into works of contemporary art. Impressive creations from an impressive man who, despite his age, continues to amaze us. Many congratulations to Mr. Mylonas and many congratulations to the Municipality of Arachova for giving us the opportunity to enjoy the ingenuity, creation and alternative perspective of this man’s art.