Archaeological Museum of Rethymno

The core of the Rethymno Museum was the archaeological collection of the Philekpedeutikos Syllogos of Rethymno, which was established in the second half of the 19th century. The collection mainly included vases, sculptures and coins without indication of origin as well as some Egyptian objects and a glass Phoenician periaptos. The objects were acquired by the Philekpedeutikos through purchases and donations. After the incorporation of Crete into the Greek state, the Museum acquired a public character and its collection was enriched with findings from the excavations carried out in the P.E. of Rethymno. Until World War II, the Museum's collection was housed in a building in the Old Town of Rethymno. In 1954, the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno opened to the public in the Venetian Loggia building, where it remained until 1990, when it was relocated to the pentagonal fort in front of the entrance to the Fortezza fortress.

The Temporary Exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno in the church of Agios Francis, which was decided due to the serious static problems of the pentagonal fort, constitutes a transitional phase until the construction of the new Archaeological Museum, which will present the timeless history of the place from ancient times to modern times.

Author
N. Karamaliki, archaeologist
A. Fiolitaki, archaeologist