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.

References:

Wikipedia

Museums in Greece

User Reviews

Osula Lam (2 years ago)
I walked here on a Wednesday morning in early July 2022. This museum seemed smaller than it looked from the outside but I was surprised at the amount of exhibits. I would highly recommend the 4.50-euro audio guide. I give this museum a 5-star rating because it was the most substantial cultural site that's worth visiting if you're ever in Heraklion. I Iearned a lot about the island. If you're a student, they'll give you a student discount. There are about three floors of exhibits with a Cafe on the 2nd floor. The audio guide was very thorough and would have spent even more time there had I not been in a rush. Well worth a visit.

Chris Spragg (2 years ago)
Lots of information we'll presented. Lots of info in English. The gallery about Crete and World War 2 is particularly evocative and powerful.

Jovo Coric (2 years ago)
Excellent museum , 2-3 hours easy to visit on hot or windy day at Heraklion:)

James Cheung (2 years ago)
Small but good museum on history of crete. Wish they had a bit more history on the ancient periods but overall a good experience.

Zbynda (2 years ago)
Great expositions, treated very carefully. Pleasant staff; can everybody recommend to visit it.

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Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.

Historical Museum of Crete

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