While in Argostoli, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Archaeological Museum of Cephalonia, which houses interesting archaeological finds from the Mycenaean, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Its rich collection includes coins, swords, sculptures, and ceramics.
Another museum worth visiting is the Historical and Cultural Museum of Corgialenio, on the ground floor of the homonymous library located in a restored 19th-century building. The museum displays exhibits from private collections depicting the history and folklore of the island from the 16th century to 1953. However, many elements of the Cephalonian culture were destroyed by a devastating earthquake. In the museum, you can see household dishes, porcelain, silverware, embroidery, and various everyday items – watercolors, lithographs, maps, and photographic records consisting of 3,000 photos that were taken before the earthquake. The wonderful collection of clothes from different periods is also a must-see.
The Korgialenios Library is located in the building of the museum bearing the same name and is a legacy of Marinos Korgialenios from 1924. The current building looks the same as it did before the earthquake. The library has about 60,000 volumes and is one of the largest in Greece. Approximately half of the books, written in Greek as well as in foreign languages, are from the 19th century or even earlier. The oldest publication is the Souda Dictionary, edition from 1499, and there are also manuscripts of Byzantine music and archives of Kefalonian writers Babi Aninnou and Mikeli Avlichou. The oldest manuscript, Katren, is from the 12th century. The main room of the library, where the books are stored, also functions as a reading room equipped with computers. It serves as a venue for lectures and book presentations.
