Historical Museum of Crete old entrance 4050560

The Historical Museum of Crete is a museum in

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. It was founded by the

Society of Cretan Historical Studies The Society of Cretan Historical Studies ( el, Εταιρεία Κρητικών Ιστορικών Μελετών (ΕΚΙΜ)) is a research society based in Heraklion, Crete, with the aim of “supporting and promoting Cretan studies in the fields ...

in 1953 and was originally housed in the former home of

Minos Kalokairinos Minos Kalokairinos (Μίνως Καλοκαιρινός, 1843, Heraklion - 1907, Heraklion) was a Cretan Greek business person and an amateur archaeologist. He is known to be the first to undertake excavations of the ancient site of Knossos. He w ...

. The museum has since been expanded with a modern wing. The museum's permanent collections highlight the art and history of Crete from the 4th century AD through the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The collections are ordered chronologically and by subject matter, and are combined with visual material and multimedia. They include ceramics, sculptures, coins, jewelry, wall paintings, portable icons, ritual objects, manuscripts, heirlooms, weavings, and the reconstructed interior of a Cretan rural home. The museum exhibits two paintings by

El Greco Domḗnikos Theotokópoulos ( el, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco ("The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El G ...

, who was born in Crete as Domenikos Theotokopoulos: '' View of Mount Sinai'' (1570–1572) and ''Baptism of Christ'' (c. 1567–1569). These are his only works in Crete. There is also a 4×4 meter mock-up of mid-17th century

Chandax Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Gree ...

(Heraklion), at the time when the city reached its peak under Venetian rule. The

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis ( el, ; 2 March ( OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greek writer. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in nine different years. Kazantzakis's no ...

Collection features the study and library from the author's home in

Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department of southeastern France, on the French Riviera, Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, personal effects, manuscripts of his works, first editions of books in various languages, etc. The temporary exhibition rooms at the Historical Museum of Crete host exhibitions on a wide range of themes (e.g., in summer 2012, the life and work of poet

Odysseas Elytis Odysseas Elytis ( el, Οδυσσέας Ελύτης , pen name of Odysseas Alepoudellis, el, Οδυσσέας Αλεπουδέλλης; 2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as th ...

). The museum library, featuring rare editions and much archive and photographic material, serves both researchers and the general public.

References

External links

Official website
History museums in Greece Museums in Heraklion Museums established in 1953 1953 establishments in Greece History of Crete {{Greece-museum-stub

See also

References

External links