from Asia Minor

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP), as part of the commemoration of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, presents the exhibition "From Asia Minor", at the Rooftile and Brickworks Museum N. & S. Tsalapatas, until Monday 8 January 2024.



Modern Greek literature plays a significant role in the exhibition narrative, with excerpts from works by important authors such as Kosmas Politis, Stratis Myrivilis, and Dido Sotiriou. Combined with testimonies from individuals who experienced the events, these excerpts vividly convey the atmosphere before and after the Catastrophe.

The exhibition sections depict daily life in Asia Minor, snapshots from the Asia Minor Campaign, the aftermath and displacement, the arrival and care of refugees in Volos, their integration into the city through the establishment of the Nea Ionia Settlement, as well as the preservation of memory. Additionally, the exhibition highlights the profound impact that the Asia Minor refugees had on the local history and development of the region, as well as the broader influence their presence had on various sectors of Greek society.

PIOP received authentic objects from collections of refugee associations in Volos, national and local institutions, and private collectors for the exhibition. The touching stories of those who survived and settled in Volos are presented through archival material, photographs, relics, and personal belongings they brought with them. Notably, the embroidered dowries of the Menoglou family, which were returned by Turks to the family's descendants in Volos, 75 years after the Catastrophe, are prominently displayed.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see various items, including clothing, personal care accessories, icons, church utensils, rare publications, letters from the Front, diaries and memoirs of prisoners, as well as certificates and documents related to the integration of refugees in their new homeland.