Open the doors of the Typography Museum of Chania, and reality quickly typesets itself into two columns: nostalgia for a slower world and the awkward modern need for QR codes. Greece’s first museum dedicated solely to the art of printing sits quietly in Souda’s industrial park, enveloped in the aroma of coffee and printer’s ink, daring visitors to appreciate the heroic struggle of the letter “e.”
Founded in 2005 by Yannis and Eleni Garedakis, the museum’s origin story echoes the epic sagas of private collections that outgrow their owners’ closets. Originally tucked inside the offices of the newspaper Haniotika Nea, also known as the local oracle of Chania (Yannis’s other not-at-all modest project), the archive ballooned. In 2012, it relocated to larger premises in the Industrial Park of Souda, where metal presses have a reduced likelihood of tripping up journalists at the water cooler.
Step inside, and the Typography Museum isn’t shy about showing off its two distinct wings. Visitors are quickly reminded that every printed word owes a debt to the sweat and ingenuity of press operators, most of whom never made it onto a commemorative stamp. Small children, big children, and adults feeling clever can work the heavy, old machines, rediscovering the lost art of grumbling about ink stains.
Permanent Collections
Main exhibitions at a glance:
- Wing A: Relics of stubborn metal from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Expect a collection of printing presses, from a Gutenberg replica to the gravity-defying Victoria foot-powered machines, hand-operated Boston presses, and typesetting benches that still carry the ghosts of forgotten headlines.
- Wing B: Homage to the printing rooms of Haniotika Nea, with an extra helping of bookbinding drama, copper and wood engraving, the show-off flair of silk screen printing, and a litany of modern techniques that sound more glamorous than they ever looked at 3 a.m.
Not impressed by heavy gear? The museum features 40 panels tracing the “History of Writing” under the guidance of artist Antonis Papantonopoulos. The exhibit’s narrative travels from cave scribbles to keyboard clicks, making all visitors wish they had paid more attention in handwriting class. Special displays also feature Braille because even satirical museums possess a conscience.
Things took a turn for the bibliophilic when Kostas Tzortzakis gifted a collection of Latin rarities, calligraphy manuals, ancient Greek treatises, religious and philosophical works, and more. In 2015, this rarefied hoard got a room to itself in honour of the museum’s first decade—because nothing says “happy anniversary” like a shelf full of books in dead languages.
A Librarian’s Dream and an Amphitheater With a Mission
Not content to be a mausoleum for metal and musty paper, the Typography Museum manages to hold onto a robust library. Inside, visitors find typewriters that make a laptop look like a toy, a line-up of polygraphs (no, not the lie detector kind), first-run newspapers from Crete, exotic maps, postage stamps, currency, and a stack of Greek and foreign books that could double as a small fortress.
A small amphitheatre, tucked strategically within the exhibit halls, sets the stage for educational programs, short films, book launches, oddball performances, and even those inevitable poster contests that attract creative types with a love of irony. For the record, the annual International Poster Contest had seen eight editions by 2024—though who’s counting when there are snacks at the museum café.
Relics, Events, and a Gift Shop with Fewer Magnets Than Expected
When the clatter of presses gives way to the rumble of hunger, visitors can find refuge in the museum café. It’s the sort of place where a latte serves as both an intermission and an existential joke about modern writing. The adjacent gift shop stocks books and souvenirs for anyone who wants to prove they survived the Industrial Revolution’s less glamorous cousin.
Memberships in the Association of European Printing Museums, the International Association of Printing Museums, and the European Route of Industrial Heritage keep the museum in good company—one that rarely reads email chains but swears by history.
In 2016, the Typography Museum of Chania found itself listed among the finalists for the European Museum of the Year Award, which it famously didn’t win. That honour went to Warsaw’s POLIN Museum. But as any good print operator knows, it’s not always about the headline. Sometimes, the margin notes say more.
Admission and Practical Information:
- Location: Typography Museum of Chania, Yannis and Eleni Garedakis, Chania Park of Local Industries, Building 13-03.
- Contact: 28210 80090, 28210 51003 (115) | info@typographmuseum.gr
- Hours: Monday–Friday 12:00–15:00, Saturday 10:00–15:00. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
- Entry:
- €5 with a guided tour
- €4 for those above 65, students, or groups of 15+
- Free for children under 12, people with special needs, and members of the press
- Entry:
Highlights for the Indecisive Visitor:
- Watch, touch, and print on historic presses
- Marvel at typewriters that weigh more than small pets
- Step into a printing hall filled with the drama of movable type
- See the eccentric “History of Writing” exhibition
- There’s an annual poster contest because irony is alive and well
- Walk out with actual ink stains and maybe a book
And if all of this sounds like too much commitment, the museum’s Facebook page will happily distract with fewer risks of papercuts.
