Historical Museum of Crete

Heraklion, Greece

The Historical Museum of Crete was founded in 1953 and is housed in a neoclassical building of significant architectural merit. The museum’s permanent collections highlight the art and history of Crete from the 4th century AD to modern times. The collections are ordered chronologically and by subject matter, and are combined with visual material and multimedia. They include ceramics, sculptures, coins, jewellery, wall paintings, portable icons, ritual objects, manuscripts, heirlooms, weavings, the reconstructed interior of a Cretan rural home and much more.

The museum’s finest exhibits are two paintings by Doménikos Theotokópoulos, born in Crete: The Baptism of Christ (1567) and View of Mount Sinai (1570–2), the only works by the artist now on Crete. Another outstanding exhibit is a 4×4 metre mock-up of mid-17th century Chandax (Heraklion), at the time when the city reached its peak under Venetian rule. Of particular interest is the Nikos Kazantzakis Collection, featuring the study and library from the author’s home in Antibes, France, personal effects, manuscripts of his works, first editions of books in various languages, etc.

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Details

Founded: 1953
Category: Museums in Greece

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Linda Brice (2 months ago)
I spent five hours here today completely absorbed in the wonderful exhibits and all the information imparted. This is a must see if you want a full understanding of what you are seeing and experiencing in Crete.
Anna (3 months ago)
It is well worth visiting, and the understanding of the history of the Cret island is very rich in multicultural deposits today.I also saw the costumes and hats of Chinese Miao people here, which are very kind.
Soph (4 months ago)
Enjoyable museum, showcasing the many layers of Cretan History. Set in a nice historic building. A favorite was the historical diorama of Candy city, which for those who know Heraklion is amazing to see what has remained and what has changed from all those years ago.
Anghelina Costoaea (5 months ago)
A really interesting museum about the history of Crete. The tickets cost 8 euro for adults and 5 euro for students under 25. There is information written on the walls next to each exhibit so we did not feel the need for a guide. We read about almost each object displayed so the time spent inside the museum was about 1 hour and a half.
W M (5 months ago)
Wonderful museum - does a good job of explaining Cretes complex and turbulent history with a variety of different displays - historical, political, artistic and religious. I left much better informed - recommend for day one in Crete so you can make sense of everything else you see!
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