The Fοlklife and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia-Thrace is a permanent non-profit-making institution, a legal entity in public law operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.

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The F.E.M.M.-Th. explores and studies the traditional culture of recent times in the region of northern Greece. It gathers, preserves, safeguards and records the material evidence of that past, making it available to the public for purposes of study, instruction and amusement.
Through knowledge of the society of yesterday the Museum hopes to promote a better understanding today's world. Its role is first and foremost a social one. Through its varied activities (exhibitions, educational programmes, publications and other activities) it communicates with the public and participates in the culture and life of the community. 

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According to the legislation founding the Museum, its purpose is:
1. to familiarize the public, and particularly the younger generation, with the traditional culture of our recent past,
2. to raise public awareness of the material and spiritual elements of our recent cultural heritage,
3. to preserve collective memory,
4. to promote understanding and interpretation of the past and its organic links with the present day. 

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Within this context the objectives of the Museum are defined by the specific activities in which it is involved, namely:
1. In the area of research: Promotion of scientific research and study (ethnological-ethnographic) of traditional material from the culture of recent times in Macedonia and Thrace, in collaboration with other agencies or institutions here and abroad,
2. In the area of museum management: Preservation and safekeeping of the relics of our traditional culture, and communication of the results of its research in all possible ways (exhibitions, publications, guided tours, educational programmes, conferences, events, etc.),
3. In the area of consultancy: Offering advice and opinions to museums and collections in northern Greece and working with societies and agencies to achieve the fullest possible promotion of traditional culture.