2 Must-Visit Museums in Crete
Greetings to all travel enthusiasts! Crete is a paradise on earth. It is the undisputed heavyweight champion of holiday destinations. This magnificent island of Greece combines all the essential ingredients for a quality vacation that will satisfy all your needs and desires. Throw into the mixer sunny beaches, refined resorts, golf retreats, amazing attractions, countless activities, rich history, great nightlife, excellent cuisine and you will end up with the spicy and delightful Crete. Today we will take a look at a few museums everyone enjoys visiting in Crete!
The War Museum of Crete is in Kares Village, which was founded by the notable George A. Hatzidakis. Every room of the museum as well as its courtyard displays artefacts related to World War 2. The display includes rifles, swords, revolvers, grenades, mines, cannon balls, binoculars and military uniforms. Approximately 2000 artefacts linked to the war are exhibited. One of the most exceptional is the propeller of a plane which was shot down at the time, during a battle in Crete. The founder of the museum, Mr. George Hatzidakis, travelled all over Crete collecting every remnant of that time of history. He strived in keeping the memory of the courageous ancestors alive and wished to inspire the younger generation. The museum is noteworthy of your visit and extremely informative.
The Archaeological Museum of Chania is found in the centre of the Old Town in Chania and is housed in the Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis. Saint Francis monastery is considered as one of the most significant monuments on the island, built in the Venetian Period during 1211-1669. During the Turkish Ottoman rule on the island, the conqueror of Chania, Yussuf Pasha, converted the monastery into a mosque. It wasn’t until 1963 that the establishment started operating as a museum. The museum’s permanent display consists of significant information regarding the cultural history of the city of Chania dating back from the Neolithic until the Roman periods.
The exhibition is separated into two sections. On the one part you will find artefacts from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age and in the Western part you will encounter antiquities dating back to the Iron Age. The collections exhibited include Minoan artefacts found in the city of Chania, historic artefacts found in the multiple caves and historic finds taken from graves during the Geometric Period. The museum exhibits a diverse variation of jewellery, sculptures, vases, coins, mosaic work, columns, and clay tablets with inscriptions. These discoveries have been found mostly in Chania but also from the other towns of Crete.
Happy museum touring!