Olive & Oil Museum

Olive & Oil Museum

Built in the 18th century, the oil factory that houses the Olive and Oil Museum is considered to be the oldest among the six oil factories that the village Vatolakkos once had. Nowadays, it is the only surviving building of pre- industrial archaeology in the Prefecture of Chania. It is officially listed as a monument by the Department of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture. The building was refurbished, brought back to its initial form reviving the “fabrica” — as the olive oil factories were once called in Crete and turned into a museum. The Dermitzaki Folklore Collection consists of more than 100 old objects displayed in the Olive and Oil Museum according to their function. Most were used in the olive oil production, in basic agricultural tasks or in important household duties. The Museum’s collection also includes various objects of everyday life, giving visitors a rare glimpse into the lives and habits of the locals. The place was chosen by the acclaimed director Yannis Smaragdis to shoot scenes of his film about the Cretan writer Nikos Kazantzakis.

Highlights

• Admire the olive oil factory machinery: the mill, the press and the so-called “worker”, placed exactly as in the 18th-century fabrica.
• Marvel at the folklore collection of the museum which keeps expanding thanks to its owners’ dedication but also the generous offers of friends and fellow villagers.
• Wander around one of the richest and most productive villages of the
  prefecture of Chania, Vatolakkos, in an area full of orange
  trees.
• Order your coffee, a drink or even a typical Cretan meal in one of the scenic cafes of the village square. Just opposite the main church, the old Primary School and “the Clock”, a clock tower donated by a resident of the village in honor of all the residents killed by the Nazis.
• Enjoy a tour and a wine tasting at one of Greece’s top wineries, the nearby Manousakis Winery.
• Explore the dam of Valsamiotis, situated in an idyllic landscape near the village.