SOUDA TRAVEL GUIDE

CHANIA > MUSEUMS

MUSEUMS

Chania Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Chania was moved to its present location in 1962 and is housed in a Venetian building that was the Catholic Monastery of St Francis. The building has had many uses and prior to the conversion to a museum it had been an armoury and a cinema.

Its collections range from the Neolithic, Minoan to Roman times. The museum also offers restoration workshops for ceramics, wall paintings, metal objects, coins etc.

The Historical Archive of Crete

The Historical Archive of Crete was founded in Chania in 1920 and is housed in a neoclassical building. The archive is a branch of the country’s main archive. The archive aims to collect reference and promote the history of Crete.

The contents of the archive are considered to be the largest collection of locally based information in quality and quantity. There are over 700,000 documents, 3,000 photographs, newspapers dating back to 1831 and a library of 10,000 books. Within these collections is correspondence written during the Cretan revolutions of 1821-1830, 1866-1869, 1877-1878, 1895-1898 and 1905 as well as material documenting the Turkish domination of Crete, the German occupation 1941-1945 during WWII.

The Nautical Museum

The Nautical Museum was founded on 27th May 1973, the 32nd anniversary of the Battle of Crete and is located at the entrance of the Firka Fort, to preserve Cretan maritime traditions.

Its collections include drawings, models, instruments, utensils, relics and items salvaged from the seabed. One of its activities is the building of a Minoan ship using techniques and materials as were used in those times.

The Chania War Museum

The Chania War Museum is aptly housed in a former barracks built in1870 and designed by the Italian architect, Makouzo. Its collections include relics and photographs of: the Macedonian War 1903 - 1922, Balkan Wars, the Asia Minor uprisings of 1919-1922, WWI & WWII, and the German occupation of Crete 1941-1945.

The Chania Byzantium & late Byzantium Collection

The Chania Byzantium & late Byzantium Collection has been amassed from various sources: archaeological findings and donations. This collection marks the historical and artistic development of the area from early Christian times to the Ottoman occupation and includes examples from the church of San Salvatore.