Guided tour – Municipal Museum of the Kalavritan Holocaust

Core features of the practice


  • Organisation:

    Institution name: Municipal Museum of the Kalavritan Holocaust
    Institution type: Museum
    Institution URL: www.dmko.gr
  • Format:

    Guided tour
  • Target population:

    Students, Young people, General public/non-specialist audience
  • Cost (per practice):

    Free
  • Setting:

    Your institution
  • Themes:

    Remembrance education and/or history education, The Holocaust and/or other genocides
  • Core activities:

    Group discussion, Film viewing, Testimonial

Additional information about the practice


    Target population

  • Number of participants:

    More than 100
  • Age of target population:

    6-10 years
  • Additional specifics:

    Other:, None. The activity is targeted at the general public

    • Components of the practice

  • Topics and objectives:

    The topic of the practice is to interpret any museological material (historical, photographic, etc.) related to the tragic events of 13 December 1943 in Kalavrita (Nazi occupation and slaughter of the villagers), and also to all the events that took place before and after the local Holocaust in the wider area of Kalavrita province. The objectives of the practice are the following: 1. Highlighting the events making up the Kalavritan Holocaust, a milestone in modern Greek history. 2. Paying tribute to the victims of “Operation Kalavrita”, the non-combatant civilians who suffered the consequences. 3. The historical interpretation of the Kalavritan Holocaust, to the degree permitted by research. 4. Raising awareness among the public-especially youth-about issues of war and human rights. 5. Promoting historical research on Nazi crimes against non-combatant civilians. 6. The collection, safeguarding and highlighting of objects and documents dating from the interwar period to the period of the regime change in Greece, since the consequences of the tragedy are still fresh in the local and wider community. 7. Promoting the historical and social dimension of the Kalavritan Holocaust.
  • Materials used:

    Written or other published material, Material culture, i.e., physical object or setting, Audiovisual material, Not applicable
  • Material produced:

    Not applicable
  • Sequence of activities - methodology:

    A guided tour is given through the 5 halls of the Museum, after which visitors have the opportunity to ask questions. The tour starts with a presentation of some general pre-war information on the region, followed by the historical framework of the period of the Occupation, and subsequently the tour focusses on the events that took place in the Kalavrita region during the period of the Nazi Occupation and Holocaust. The vocabulary of the tour and the approach to the events is adapted to the audience (e.g. primary school pupils, persons with special needs).
  • Length of activity:

    Up to 5 hours
  • Is the activity digital?:

    Yes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/kalavryta-museum-guide/id1178552609

    • Accessibility and replicability

  • Language(s) in which activity can be delivered:

    English, Greek
  • Is specialist knowledge or professional training required?:

    Yes
  • If yes, which type?:

    Remembrance, history, or museum education

Qualitative Details


  • Has this practice been evaluated?

    Yes
    • How many times?:

    10
  • By whom?:

    Participants
  • By what means?:

    Qualitative written feedback
  • Core content knowledge and transferable skills:

    The aim is to cultivate the historical thinking of visitors in an effort to approach and organise the historical past in such a way that it becomes comprehensible through different interpretations. Furthermore, to cultivate the historical consciousness of visitors so that they may be rendered historically literate. Finally, to raise awareness among the public- especially youth-of issues of war and human rights.
  • Indicators of success:

    Visitors’ comments in the book of impressions kept at the Museum’s shop can be seen as a reliable indicator of success, as can the increase in the number of visitors recorded based on the statistical data drawn from the number of tickets sold and the ensuing increase in the Museum’s revenues. The interaction between tour guides and visitors and the questions raised by the visitors, as well as the interest they show throughout the tour, can also be seen as an indicator of success. Finally, activity evaluation questionnaires are also available for different visitor categories.
  • Educational coordinator contact details:

    Name: Christos Foteinopoulos
    Email address: info@dmko.gr

Scalability

The RETHINK project is concerned with bridging formal and informal education. This section explores the factors that make a practice adaptable.


  • Key factors for successful implementation:

    Subject expertise of presenter/instructor
  • Main challenges to teachers adapting this practice for their students:

    A very important challenge is the suitable preparation of pupils prior to their visit to the Museum so that the pupils find it easier to understand the content of the guided tour. Furthermore, raising pupils’ awareness of issues of war and human rights, and holding further discussions at school, during which pupils can ask questions and talk about the knowledge they gained from their visit to the Museum. Lastly, achieving historical consciousness though the use of original sources and not through emotional and moral reactions of pupils, keeping them stuck in the past.
  • Availability of guidance/training/replication materials (and in what language/format currently):

    There are educational programmes intended for primary school pupils, as well as DVDs presenting the testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the period’s events. The educational programmes are available in digital format in Greek, while the DVDs also have English subtitles. Many testimonies are available on the Museum’s YouTube channel. Lastly, the Museum’s evaluation questionnaires are also available in digital format in Greek.
  • Other comments or details:

    The activities offered are suitable for all ages from age 6 upwards, not only the 6-10 age group indicated in question 10.