The Folklore museum of Kalamata is located at the center of the city. The building was donated by the Kyriakou family to the Municipality and it initially housed the Association for the Promotion of Education and Literature, while from 1936 to 1945 was a center against illiteracy.
The museum opened its doors in 1973 but from 1986 to 2002 was closed due to the huge damages caused by the big earthquake of 1986. The visitor to the museum can create a clear image of everyday life in the past. A series of exhibits related to the agriculture industry, textile art, pottery, and many other local professions help towards that.
Kalamata hosted was the first printing press of Greece, where the delegation of rebelled Greeks was printed and sent to governments of Europe. So, the museum includes an exhibition of printing, as well as clothes from 1821 and artifacts of ecclesiastical and Byzantine art.