Vrana Olive Press – Museum

The Vranas Olive Press–Museum is in Papados, Gera, and is one of Lesvos’ most important industrial monuments, inextricably linked to the island’s olive-oil history. Built in 1887 by Nikolaos Vranas, grandfather of Nobel laureate poet Odysseas Elytis, it was one of the first steam-powered olive presses in the Aegean, operating for about ninety years. The Gera area, with its age-old olive-growing tradition, was the natural environment for its development. After it ceased operation, the ruined complex was restored at the initiative of the “Archipelagos” Cultural Society, under the presidency of film director Nikos Koundouros, and since 2009 it has operated as a museum. Today, the Vranas Museum showcases the evolution of olive production in Lesvos and its importance for the island’s social and economic life, linking Gera’s industrial heritage with its cultural identity.