Visit the Maritime museum in Chania

The maritime museum in Chania first opened its gates in the year 1973. The day of its opening was the 32nd anniversary of the battle of Crete in World War 2.

Located right at the entrance of the port of Chania the building that hosts the museum has significant history. During the Ventenian occupation of Chania (from 1204 to 1669) the fort “Firka” was built, it was used to shelter the local garrison and also as a prison for condemned prisoners. Later during the Ottoman occupation of Chania the fort was used for the same reasons and also to host the local divisions headquarters, hence the name “Firka” which means division in Turkish. Another significant fact is that in fort Firka was first raised the Greek flag as a sign of the union of Crete with Greece. In the museum you can find many interesting exhibits, among them the most notable is an ancient Minoan ship totally rebuilt. Also you can see various types of traditional ships, tools and materials used in shipbuilding and many more interesting information.