Museum of Industrial Olive Oil Production in Greece

Really cool museum! Spent about 1-1.5 hours depending on how much reading you want to do. When we went, it was entirely self-guided, but it looks like some of the equipment is set up for demonstrations, which would have been nice. As others have said, the gift shop is surprisingly sparse.

Interesting place where you can learn not about olive production but also about daily life in the area when production of olive oil was a main source of income. The museum itself is well maintain and organized.

Very informative and over-all cool place, with a lot of history, both written and physical. The museum is a beautifully restored communal olive press, where you're guided through the different parts of the both the history of the press, but also olive oil production in general throughout history. Very nice visit and still worth going there. Unfortunately, and ironically, you can't buy any olive oil at their museum shop, but you can buy olive oil soap. And of course you can buy olive oil wherever you go on the island.

An excellent museum with very interesting content. The former cooperative olive oil press has been transformed into a museum that tells the story of the culture of oil production on the island. The museum displays machines that were once in use. I recommend a visit to anyone who wishes to learn something about the island’s culture.

An old olive oil factory that was renovated and turned into a museum. The exhibits are well put together and informative. They even turn on the machines so that you can see it all in motion. It was fascinating to see and learn about the olive oil production process. Our group enjoyed the tour. Bathrooms were clean and accessible. A worth-while stop when visiting the island of Lesvos.

The Museum is housed in the old communal olive press of Aghia Paraskevi on the island of Lesvos. The buildings and the mechanical equipment have been restored in an exemplary fashion. Thus, you can observe how the equipment functions and how the factory evolved from steam power to diesel engine operation. At the same time, you will acquaint yourselves with daily life at the «People’s Machine». In the main building, you will familiarize yourselves with the basic stages of olive-oil production: crushing the olives, compressing the olive pulp and separating the olive oil from the water. You will also see the flourmill, which functioned in a complementary manner during the summer months when the olive press was out of use. In the old storage rooms for olives, you will discover the work cycle relating to the production of olive oil: The cultivation and care of the olive tree The production of sub-products (olive-pomace, kernel oil, soap) The marketing and distribution of olive oil in Greece and abroad Professions and activities linked to the production of olive oil. Lastly, you will learn the history of the «People’s Machine», the communal olive press of Aghia Paraskevi and realize how pioneering for its times the process of communal property was and what its repercussion was on the region’s social fabric and economic structures.

We stopped here in November 2024 for a visit. This is a vast place, with many buildings and exhibits. We spent well over two hours here. The exhibits are very well done with both Greek and English placards for each exhibit. Local and national history are covered, as well as detailed engineering explanations about the equipment and the pressing process. All of this in the context of the history of Lesvos. Ample, very clean restrooms. Gift shop and cafe on site. Parking is street parking or a lot a bit farther away. We would have spent even more time here at the special exhibition, but we had to catch a ferry. Well worth the price of admission. Huge outdoor courtyard if your kids need to run off some energy. If the gift shop had local olive oil we would have purchased some.

Really great museum with much of history! EU students can eneter for free. Others 4€/person. So its cheap. Every process of making olive oil is described and showed there, also with big steam engine that powered this place back then. You can learn new processes and see the history. Clean toilets. Car park nearby.

This is the site of a olive press facility that successfuly operated for over a century, through many technological, political and economic changes. As a museum it is very effective and well-done. Easy access and good design make it ideal for small or large groups of any age. It has a tremendous number of local artifacts, and good displays with labeling in English. There is also a very nice gift shop and cafe with a comprehensive library. All around, an excellent and informative experience!

Nice place to visit but difficult on a hot day! Time it right and it could be very nice, the old presses are amazing to see up close and worth a visit the storage areas are well presented with lots of historical facts and information we had to skip as this is where it gets hot! Entry is not expensive, you have to park around the corner and there are some areas with steps so you may wish to contact the site beforehand if you need to park in their courtyard for accessibility, i am sure they can accommodate! Friendly, welcoming staff