Last month, the Archaeological Museum of Chania in Crete reopened its doors at its new premises in Halepa. For any history or cultural enthusiast visiting Crete, this stunning new archaeological venue is a must visit.
Located previously at a former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at Chalidon Street, the Archaeological Museum of Chania closed to the public in 2020. Now, the rich collections exhibited at the previous location, have been expanded and enriched with a great number of new objects and exhibits.
The Director of the Museum and Head of Chania Ephorate of Antiquities, Eleni Papadopoulou, opened the new location at an event attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotaki, and Culture and Sports Minister, Lina Mendoni. At the time of the opening, Crete Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis had this too offer:
“Chania and Crete now have a museum worthy of the great Museums of Greece and the world. The Cretans and visitors to our island will enjoy it through the exhibits, the modern way of demonstration, and the extraordinary events that the infrastructure of the new museum can accommodate.”
First established back in 1962, the Archaeological Museum of Chania held substantial collections of Minoan and Roman artefacts excavated around Chania and the greater prefecture. Objects the Rethymno Prefecture alos found a home in the old museum.
The new location is a single-story 6000 square meter state-of-the-art repository for more than 3,500 objects of antiquity. The Mitsotakis family collection is now featured prominently, and contains heirlooms spanning 6,000 years of Crete history.
The current museum also houses key restoration labs, a large venue for educational activities, a 120-capacity amphitheater, and digitalized exhibits that represent ancient time in the virtual.
The New Archaeological Museum of Chania is part of the Operational Program “Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship” (OPCE II) co-financed by the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union and by national funds.
Full admission to the museum is 6€, and the reduced admission is 3€. Tickets may be purchased online here (use Google translate). For more information, readers are advised to visit the museum’s official website. For current visitors to Chania, you may follow this Google Maps link or click the map above to find the new museum.