Pouliás Soap Factory (now Plomari Cultural Center & Soap-Making Museum)

The Poulia soap factory was founded around 1880 in Plomari by Panagiotis Poulia, later passing to his son Ioannis. It expanded to meet high demand, with production, storage and drying areas for soaps. Its products were exported mainly to markets of the Ottoman Empire. Its operation contributed significantly to Plomari’s economic development, which by the late 19th century had become an important industrial center of Lesvos. It remained active until 1953 and, after restoration, today houses the Plomari Cultural Centre and the Soapmaking Museum.