Salt Museum

In this Museum, visitors can learn everything there is related to Salt, from its first appearance in the world up until our recent times.

Also, what is presented in the Museum is the walt's relation with the economy, health, agriculture, stock farming, the environment, tourism and religion.

Visitors can learn about the different types of salt, its variety of colours and granulometry.

Be impressed by the 14,000 different uses of salt

Get informed about the active and abandoned Salt pans in Greece. Also get informed about the White Salt pan and Tourlida salt pan history, and about some other salt pans that used to operate in Messolonghi during the 1930s (Black salt pan, Skopovoli).

Visitors can also view works of art by artists inspired from Salt. They could see the unique collection of 1500 salt shakers from the 19th century until nowadays.

Last but not least, people attending our Museum could watch the process of cultivating and producing salt ,and the old machines of collecting salt. After the tour inside the Museum, visitors could enjoy the marvellous view of the lagoon from the outdoor space of the Museum.

History of the Building

Discover the history of the building of the Salt Museum through the years.

1939-1960

The Chamber

The building was first constructed in 1946. It used to be called "Chamber" because it served as a residence for the salt workers who came either from Messolonghi or the Ionian Islands to work in the cultivation and harvesting of salt. It was divided into five independent rooms that had entrances and exits on the side of the salt pans. Opposite the "Chamber" and in the sea, the "toilet" was built, according to the standards of the times, while west of the building an open water tank, which had been built in 1939, was covered when the "Chamber" was built in order to collect the rainwater through gutters that were placed in the cornice of the tiles.

1960-1982

The new production

Since 1960, when changes were made in the production process, in combination with the easier daily access for the citizens of Mesolonghi to the salines, due to the repair of Tourlida road, the building gradually stopped being used as a dormitory and turned into a straw warehouse for the salt transport wagons' horses.

1983-2010

The Abandonment

From ΄83 onwards, when diesel engines replaced the "work" of the horses, the building was abandoned and over the years it began to collapse. Thus, in a state of ruin, in 2010 it was granted by the Municipality of Mesolonghi to "Diexodos" with the aim of establishing and operating the first Salt Museum in the country.

2010-2020

"Diexodos"

Unfortunately 2010 Greece embarked its adventure to a deep financial crisis that did not leave our cultural organization intact. However, our dream for the realization of the museum not only did not cease, but on the contrary the flame grew stronger as we were enriching the exhibits of the future museum. In 2018, when "Diexodos" started to "breathe" financially, we started the works with the municipality of the Sacred City supporting us in the reconstruction of the roof. Since then, giving all our mental and financial powers and having the support and love of our few friends, we managed to create the first and only Salt Museum in the country, which we proudly handed over to the Greek society in September 2020.

Salt Mountain

Nikos Siamos 2018

Ένα πολύτιμο υλικό, όπως το αλάτι, η ιστορία της αλυκής που συνδέεται με την ιστορία του τόπου και των ανθρώπων του και ένα εξαιρετικό μουσείο, ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμο για την εκπαίδευση και την ενημέρωση. Θερμά συγχαρητήρια στην οικογένεια Κορδόση!

KATERINA SAKELLAROPOYLOY

President of the Hellenic Republic

Ο ιδρυτής της Διεξόδου Νίκος Κορδόσης για δεύτερη φορά δημιουργεί στην Ιερή Πόλη του Μεσολογγίου ένα καινούργιο Μουσείο που έλειπε από την Ελλάδα. Με την βοήθεια του Δήμου βρήκε τον κατάλληλο χώρο, ένα απλό χαμηλό εγκαταλειμμένο κτίριο μέσα στις Δημοτικές Αλυκές της Τουρλίδας, το οποίο με τη φροντίδα και την καλαισθησία του ίδιου και της συντρόφου του Δέσποινας το μεταμόρφωσαν σε ένα σύγχρονο Μουσείο Άλατος, μοναδικό στην Ελλάδα. Μια ενέργεια που αποδεικνύει το πόσο νοιάζονται τον τόπο και την ιστορία του.

Θοδωρος Παπαγιαννης

Γλύπτης – Ομ. Καθηγητής Α.Σ.Κ.Τ. Αθήνας

I lived near the creation of this endeavour. It is something innovative, something unique. It is about the history of salt not only for Greece and Mesologhi but for the whole world in general. It's the types of salt, their colors but most of all, what makes it unique is the presentation of the relationship of salt with humans and their multiple activities.

Prokopis Pavlopoulos

Ex President of the Hellenic Democracy

Salt, divine according to Homer, has a special symbolic importance in the Greek tradition and the Museum highlights it in a unique way, combining a large part of the economic history of the city, with future-oriented actions. The Salt Museum is another generous contribution by Nikos Kordosis to Mesolongi, for which we are all grateful.

Gianna Angelopoulou - Daskalaki

Chairman of the Committee "Greece 2021"

The Salt Museum, this architecturally simple piece of art on the sea, filled with the heavy history of the area, is the emotional, biographical, social imprint of a special city and a tribute to a worthy citizen to his birthplace.

Giannis Psixopaidis

Painter - Professor Emeritus MO.DI.P Athens

The Salt Museum in Mesolongi is of great historical importance to all of us. It encloses all its production paraphernalia, encloses every kind of salt from all parts of the world, white and colored -depending where they come from. In a special section there are a few thousand salt shakers. Some of them are works of rare art. Mesolongi, the eighth island of the Ionian Islands, is the mother of salt. From there, thousands of tons were exported not only within Greece, but also abroad. A Salt Museum was indeed needed in its hometown.