The first attempt to establish the Hellenic Maritime Museum was in the newly established Greek state in 1867. That year the master of the Navy Gerasimos Zochios, founder of the Navy Retirement Fund, suggested that the Fund takes the task of collecting and conserving objects related to the Greek maritime history. For reasons relating to serious historical adventures of the time the idea was not positively received at the time. However, the idea was to be implemented as a private initiative, 82 years later. On April 7, 1949, a group of distinguished citizens of

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...

together with officers of the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

and Merchant Marine, sharing a love for the sea and ships, gathered in the office of the then Minister Gerasimos Vassiliadis and signed the memorandum of association under the name "Maritime Museum Society and collection of national relics at sea." It was the birth of the Maritime Museum and the first presidency was taken by the shipowner George Stringos. The museum is located at

Freatida Freattyda ( el, Φρεαττύδα) is the name of a residential area in Piraeus, Athens, Greece. It is situated in the southeastern part of the Piraeus, near the Zea harbour. The Hellenic Maritime Museum The first attempt to establish the Hellen ...

, near Zea Harbour, in

and in its halls are exhibited more than 2,500 objects sorted chronologically and thematically, evoking the maritime history and tradition from prehistoric times to the present day. Its Naval Library is also open to the public during the days and hours of operation and consists of more than 17,000 volumes of books and magazines focusing on the naval history, science and art. In its exterior space sculptures and important outdoor exhibits are located such as the conning tower of the historic submarine " Papanikolis' and anchors of the ships of the time of the

Battle of Navarino The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O. S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–29), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied fo ...

. The museum exhibits approximately 2500 items related to the maritime history of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

from prehistoric times to the present day and include many ship models and a number of paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A member of:
ICOM
(International Council of Museums
ICMM
(International Congress of Maritime Museum
AMMM
(Association of Mediterranean Maritime Museums The museum admits visitors from Tuesday to Saturday at 09:00-14:00. It is closed on Sunday, on Monday and on public holidays. Photography in the museum is prohibited.

References

External links

Official website
Museums in Piraeus Maritime museums in Greece 1949 establishments in Greece {{Greece-museum-stub