[Leros, Greece]

Small is beautiful: Μουσείο Λεριακου Τύπου

Leros printing museum

Printing museums can turn up in the most unexpected places. This one is to be found on the beautiful Greek island of Leros in the Dodecanese in the southern Aegean, just off the Turkish coast. It’s part of the Bellenis Museum of local history in the small seaside town of Alinda and offers a small selection of type, machines and printed materials (notably the local paper): a medium format Italian-made flatbed letterpress machine, two treadle presses, three or four table top hand presses, several frames of type, and some sundry finishing equipment. Most of the equipment came from a technical college which once existed at Xirokampos in the south of the island in buildings which have served variously as an extremely strict educational establishment (under the Italians), a mental hospital, and an internment camp (under the Greek Colonels).

If you happen to find yourself in the district and would like to visit the museum, you would be advised to contact the Bellenis Museum few days in advance in order to be sure they have the key to the Press Museum. The staff are extremely pleasant and helpful and will certainly do all they can to help.

The Bellenis local history museum, just next door to the printing museum.