Summary

Children in the small rural villages of Rhodes, Greece, grow up surrounded by nature, however, they lacked access to cultural, technological and interactive activities available in urban areas. 

In order to address this need, a toy museum was set up presenting a collection of Greek games dating back to 1930. This museum also organises various gaming activities and events. The toy museum was established in a two-storey stone building in the village of Archipolis and it contains a multifunctional space for various interactive activities and events. The building is also self-sufficient in terms of energy consumption, thanks to a photovoltaic solar system that provides heating and cooling year-round. 

Results

In 2017 and 2018, the museum, which is also a cultural centre, hosted approximately 30 000 visitors, 2 000 of whom were children visiting the museum with their school. 

Many events have already taken place in the cultural centre, such as puppetry, theatrical and musical performances, as well as retro games and much more. 

There has been a significant increase of tourists visiting surrounding villages for food, or to buy souvenirs after they have visited the museum. This has a positive effect on the local economy and has created new job opportunities.