Crete Gets First On-site Museum at Eleutherna

Archeological Museum of Ancient Eleutherna to showcase the region's bounty


Cultural institutions around the world are abuzz with offerings for International Museum Day (May 18). Greece is no exception with free admission and a bevy of events around the country. Crete, however, has one extra reason to celebrate with the planned opening of the Archeological Museum of Ancient Eleutherna, an ancient city-state that lies 25 km southeast of Rethymno, on June 19. The museum is the first on-site station to accompany an ancient site on Crete.

Located at the heart of the island, the settlement dating back to 3000 BC is nestled in a slope of Mount Ida, overlooking the sea. Professor Nikolaos Stampolidis – head of the team involved in the systematic excavations at Eleutherna, describes the museum as a “stone ship” that has anchored in a lush green landscape of olives, carob trees, oak trees, laurels and streams from the east and west, treakling towards the sea. The inauguration was chosen to take place on a June evening specifically to showcase the alignment of the full moon over the Eleutherna citadel.

 

Culture, history and natural beauty join forces in the on-site museum that features three decades worth of findings yielded from an archeological site located in a park of exquisite beauty. The display will be organized in such a way so as to emphasize the city-state’s settlement patterns, sanctuaries, necropolis and even stone quarries in the surroundings of the Prines Hill.

The opening of the first on-site museum of Crete at Eleutherna is a victory for the team of archeologists from the University of Crete, headed by Stampolis, who began digging in the area in 1984. To celebrate, the inauguration will lack nothing when it comes to pomp and pageantry, with the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos present for the ribbon-cutting.

“Culture, history and natural beauty join forces in the on-site museum that features three decades worth of findings yielded from an archeological site located in a park of exquisite beauty.”



Read More

Destinations

Tripadvisor: Greek Beaches Among the World’s “Best of the Best”

At this year’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, celebrating the highest level...


Destinations

Dutch Travel Website Reveals Its Top Greek Destinations for 2024

Readers of the award-winning Dutch website Griekenland.net, specialists in Greek...


Museums

The Life of an Opera Diva: Maria Callas Museum Opens

A museum dedicated to the legendary Greek opera singer Maria...