Municipal Library in Mykonos

Mykonos Municipal Library, Cyclades Greece: The Municipal Library of Mykonos is housed in a magnificent old mansion that belonged to the Mavrogenis family. Dated to 1735, this beautiful building has seen its own share of history. Located in Agia Kyriaki Square, it houses nearly 6,000 volumes of literature, history and many more categories, though most of the books are in Greek. You can travel through the library looking at numerous photographs as well as Cycladic coins and old seals.

The books were donated by a Mykonian historian, Ioannis Meletopoulos, from his own personal library. Other books were also donated by many more people from their own libraries, while some other donated other things as well, such as black and white sketches of landmarks on the island.

John Ratekin, an American artist who moved in Mykonos in 1966, donated also some of the library books. Also included was poetry, some of which was written by John Ratekin on his walls. He contributed immensely to the island since he visualized its modernization and created the first Tourist Guide to Mykonos, which he also included in his artwork. The library includes a lot of his poetry, sketches, and paintings and every visitor must take time to view Mykonos through his perspective.

As of now, with the advent of modernity, the municipal library is no longer operational. But they continue to be a symbol of Mykonos rich virile past. Being hundreds of years old, most of the municipal library has been thoroughly renovated and some have even been converted into museums, the most famous being the Bonis Windmill. Providing interesting insights into the life of Mykonos, all the works displayed in the library are unique and extremely interesting. A visit to this wonderful library is worth your time and effort.