19th Century Town House Museum (Ismeni Tzavella’s mansion)
The Ismeni Tzavella’s mansion is an emblematic building of the city, a classic urban residence of the 19th century, one of the few still surviving in Ioannina. It is designated by the Ministry of Culture as a preserved monument and is considered a work of art.
The house was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. The two-storey stone-built and tiled building, of Balkan architecture of the Ottoman period, has a later (1892), additional facade, in the neoclassical style. It has the typology of the classic residence of the wealthy families of the time and is characterized by simplicity, symmetry and authenticity as a whole.
The house was bought by the lawyer Georgios Tzavellas at the end of the 19th century, while in 1985 it came to the municipality of Ioannina with the bequest of the youngest daughter of his family, Ismeni.
The ground floor area of the Ismeni Tzavella’s mansion today houses the Historical Archive of the Municipality of Ioannina and the Digital Archive of Cultural Heritage of the Municipality of Ioannina, while the inner courtyard of the building is available for various cultural activities and events. On the first floor of the building is the Museum of 19th century Urban Housing with the heirlooms of the Tzavella’s family.