TOY MUSEUM

The Greek collection features toys and other items for infants and children dating from antiquity to modern times: handmade traditional toys, fairground and commercially-produced toys, board games and group street games as well as childhood customs. A special display showcases toys made by members of Social Clubs for the Elderly based on memories from their childhood.

The European collection includes urban and folk toys between the 18th and 20th centuries, mostly from England, France and Germany, as well as European-made dolls dressed in traditional costume from various areas of Greece.

The Benaki Toy Museum is housed in an eclectic-style building dating from 1897–1900. It was donated by Vera Kouloura in accordance with the wishes of her husband, Captain Athanasios Koulouras, a benefactor from the island of Hydra. The building’s architecture combines Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau elements.

The building was declared listed by a decision of the Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works in 1997. Its restoration was included by the Ministry of Culture in July 2011, in the project which was implemented under the Regional Operational Program Attica 2007-2013 of the NSRF and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.