The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, inaugurated the Vlasti, Eordaia Textile Center as part of the Ministry of Culture and Sports’ strategic priority policy, launched in 2019, for the revival of Greek handicrafts.

The strategy for reviving Greek handicrafts aims both to preserve intangible cultural heritage and to facilitate the critical transition of handicrafts to a modern and sustainable development model, so that they can serve as a springboard for growth, employment, and revitalization of the Greek periphery.

The space that houses the weaving training facility is located in a building owned by the Municipality of Eordaia, in the village of Vlasti. The Swedish Factory, as it is known in the area, is a building located on the outskirts of the settlement. It was built in 1965 by the Swedish humanitarian organization IM (Individuell Människohjälp) to house the weaving center they had established in Vlasti in 1963, with the aim of not only promoting the rich weaving tradition but also providing employment for women in the area.

Four of the 19 structures of the Ministry of Culture’s Strategic Program for the Revival of Greek Handicrafts are based in the Region of Western Macedonia. In addition to Vlasti, there are structures in Psarades (ceramics), Nestorio (weaving), and Florina (woodworking). The University of Western Macedonia (UWM) oversees the structures in Psarades, Vlasti, and Nestorio, while the woodworking facility, which is housed in the UWM School of Fine Arts in Florina, is supervised by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The opening ceremony of the Vlasti Eordaia Textile Center was attended by Kozani MPs Stathis Konstantinidis and Michalis Papadopoulos, Grevena MP Athanasios Stavropoulos, the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia, Giorgos Amanatidis, the Mayor of Eordaia Panagiotis Plakentas, the Rector of the University of Western Macedonia Theodoros Theodoulidis, and the professor in charge of the University’s educational program, Giannis Ziogas.

On the eve of the inauguration, a highly successful workshop entitled “Greek Handicrafts in Western Macedonia Today” was held at the University of Western Macedonia.