Description of the attraction
Among the attractions of the Greek city of Piraeus, it is worth noting the entertaining Museum of Railway Transport. The museum is located in the building of the Piraeus railway station and acquaints its visitors with the history of the creation and development of the Athenian-Piraeus electric railways (I. S. A. P.).
The idea of creating a Museum of Railway Transport originated in 1990. Its initiator and ideological inspirer was Manolos Fotopoulos, an employee of the Athenian-Piraeus Electric Railways, who came to grips with this issue after his retirement. The museum was officially founded in 1995 by the I. S. A. P. Union of Veterans. The next ten years went to the cathedral of future museum exhibits (carriages, rails, various equipment and tools, uniforms, photographs and much more), as well as specialized literature and documentation. Special attention should be paid to the search for suitable exhibition space, which would allow, given the large dimensions of many exhibits, to optimally present an impressive collection. Finally, in 2005, the Piraeus Railway Museum opened its doors to visitors.
The collection of the museum at that time consisted of about 1200 exhibits, a small thematic library and an archive. Over time, the collection of the museum has significantly enriched and required the expansion and modernization of the exhibition space. The last reconstruction of the museum was completed in early 2013. Today, the museum collection numbers several thousand exhibits, and the library contains more than 3000 books, among which there are quite a few and fairly rare copies. The impressive historical archive, which has been substantially enlarged in recent years, is also impressive.
