Folk Museum of the Cultural Centre of Meligi

Publications and reports

• "A smart advertisment of the Meligi Folk Museum"
• "Theoharis Sakkas, the head of the Meligi Folk Museum"
• Report in the tourist guide "Le guide du routard"

Thirty to forty French or French - speaking Europeans visit Meligi every day. Women have pictures taken, wearing traditional dresses and spinning with the distaff. Men, on the other hand, have pictures taken wearing a cape or holding the shepherds crook. Theoharis Sakkas offers them tsipouro and explains the use of each object in the museum. The advertisement mentioned is made by French tourist agents who visited the museum last year and became captive of the warm hospitality that Theo offered them.

Theoharis Sakkas has worked in Belgium for about forty years and now lives in his village and enjoys a prosperous pension. He has created a pile for his children and has spent and still does quite a lot in order to support and provide the village with financial aid. He, also, spends money for the enrichment of the museum with valuable traditional relics that due to their big price it was impossible to give them away to the museum. In spite of the fact that Theoharis Sakkas is not lettered, he is a true Greek and knows well the importance of the Greek tradition and the extensions of the Greek civilization to the whole world. He, also, knows how to make sacrifices so as to promote these Greek treasures that are written in his soul.

Dimitrios Siozos        
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"Theoharis Sakkas, the head of the Meligi Folk museum"

Humans can never be separate from the earth in order to conquer a minimal difference from its reptiles and its snails unless a mysterious power that flames their soul functions inside them, so as to raise this biped creature up to the sky.

Harris Sakkas has this gift. Though he had attended the Primary school for only two years, he became known as a truly hard - worker of the national tradition. He worked for the enriching of the museum for about a decade. He was established as the head of the museum.

If all the degree - holders offered to our country all those that Theoharis Sakkas has offered to his village, Greece would be the first country in progress in Europe. And, if all the inhabitants of Dodoni had followed Theoharis Sakkas' example, the villages of Dodoni would have been by now the first municipality in progress.

At the beginning of his life, Theoharis Sakkas was a shepherd. Then, he became a dishwasher at restaurants in Ioannina where he learned how to cook. He was one of the first immigrants to Belgium. There, he worked for a little in coal - mines and then he opened his own restaurant. Soon, his restaurant became a "goldmine" and gave him and his three children a lot of money. All his kids are excellent examples for their behavior and their progress to the society.

After his retirement, he returned to Greece having a lot of money. But, instead of enjoying his pile by staying at home and resting, he started working for the promotion  and the success of Meligi Folk Museum, making it a cultural monument for the whole Europe.

And he did i! Theoharis Sakkas had donated money to his village before, for the construction and the restoration of the churches of St. Kosmas, St Athanasios and St. Paraskevi, but he became real mad for the construction of the museum.

He spent a lot of his money for the enrichment of the museum and managed to advertise it in the French and in the German touristical guide. Moreover, while spending his own money he started a site in the Internet. The result of all his sacrifices is the arrival of visitors in great numbers from all over Greece and from other European countries.

He welcomes the visitors himself and gives information to the French - speaking Europeans about the treasures of the museum. Helen Siozou is the guide for the German - speaking Europeans (tel. +30 26510.82061). More than two thousands tourists visit the Meligi  Folk museum every year leaving a significant income by buying the album and card - postals. All the tourists know Haris Sakkas as THEO, they fall "in love" with him and are charmed by the Meligi Folk museum. The museum is a tangible example for all the people of Dodoni. It proves that our villages can develop and become as famous as Olympia, Delphi and other archeological places.

Dimitrios Siozos        
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Report on the tourist guide "Le guide du routard" - Edition 2000

Where you can eat and sleep

There is a small cafe - restaurant - hotel near this area called "Andromahi", (above the parking of the archeological site), tel. 26510.82583. It is open all year long and offers a few rooms. Only if you would like to be at the archeological place exactly at 8 o' clock in the morning that is not necessary.

What to see

The archeological site : It is located nearby the modern village of Dodoni (tel. 26510.82287). It is open daily from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. (5 p.m. during winter). Entrance ticket 1,50 €,  entrance is free of charge for students of the European Union. The site is dedicated to Zeus and it is famous especially for the theater that was built in the 3rd century B. C. It is restored today and is one of the biggest ancient theaters in Greece (even bigger than the one of Epidavros). The theater of Dodoni gave the opportunity to 17.000 or even 18000 viewers to assist to the performances.

At Roman times, 4 lines of seats were removed to convert the theater to an arena. Normally, a festival is organised in August, every year (for information contact the National Tourist Organization in Athens or in Ioannina). The site contained 6 temples, of which you can see today the ruins, and a building that housed the Parliament (Dodoni used to be the capital of the Epirotan state). The prophesies were given under an oak-tree by a ten or so priests who explained the signs of nature or the different sounds that earthen pots made while the priests hit them together.

Meligi Folk Museum: follow the road for about 4 kilometers after the theater (follow the signs) through walnuts and fruit trees. You will arrive to the village of Meligi, immigration village where not many inhabitants stayed behind. The museum is a little wonder.

The museum was created in 1994 and it is maintained by Theoharis (Theo) Sakkas. He wanted to keep the tradition of his village alive. He has collected traditional dresses, tools and other articles that his fellow - villagers had. You can see them exhibited in the 3 rooms of the old school that has been converted to a museum. Simplicity and richness. Theoharis Sakkas guides the visitors himself (and since he used to be a restaurant owner in Belgium the tour can be done in French). Theohar will not ommit to make you taste some tsipouro of his production. It is good but it is strong !

The atmosphere is fabulous and the hospitality is excellent. The entrance is free, so, do not forget to buy a post-card from Theo. The museum is open daily grom 9 am to 6 pm, telephone 26510.82319. And if Theo is absent do not panic ! You will always find one of his friends close-by to open up the doors of this cave of Ali-Baba. Call Mrs. Aphrodite on 26510.82063 or Mrs. Helen on 26510.82061. You can eat, if you want to, at the cafe - restaurant in the village. Ask for Mrs. Aphrodite.

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Folk Museum
of the Cultural centre of Meligi
Meligi, Ioannina - Greece
(4 kilometers away from the ancient theatre of Dodoni)
Tel. +30 26510 82319

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