Kalamáta, lying to the west of Mt Taygetos, is chief town of the nomos of Messenia and a port for the shipment of the agricultural produce of the region. It occupies the site of Mycenaean Pharai, a town in the kingdom ruled by Menelaos. In 720 B.C., together with the rest of Messenia, it fell into Spartan hands. From 1204, under its present name, it became the residence, along with Andravída, of the Villehardouins. After periods of Byzantine, Turkish and Venetian rule it was sacked by Ibrahim Pasha in 1825. It still bears the marks of the damage caused by a severe earthquake in 1986.
The Benakeion Archeological Museum houses artifacts from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. The museum is in a Venetian-style mansion which was damaged in a 1986 earthquake, but was restored between 1988-92.
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Easter - Christian
Tips: Admission is free on Sundays between November and March.
The Kalamáta Folk Art Museum has a good number of exhibits, ranging from Stone Age weapons to mirrors and coins from Venetian times. The most impressive part of the museum, however, is that which houses mementos and relics from the Greek War of Independence.
Address: Kalamáta Folk Art Museum, Kalamáta , Greece
Located in the southern end of the Municipal Park of the Railways in Kalamáta, are the railway exhibits. Visitors can see the railway station, platform, water-tower, fountains for steam engines, as well as rolling stock.
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Kalamata
