The Residence - Museum of Eleftherios Venizelos
The house of Eleftherios Venizelos in Halepa, Chania, restored as a modern museum with original museum material and interactive activities.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The two-storey house in Halepa was built in 1880 on a plot bought in 1876 by Venizelos’s father, Kyriakos. Venizelos and his family lived there from 1880 to 1910, when he went to Athens to take up the premiership. In 1927–1935, after his return from Paris, a thorough renovation was carried out to designs by the architect Stavridis, and the house took its present form.
In 1941, during the Battle of Crete, the house was bombed, and during the Occupation the Germans used it as headquarters and residence of the commander of the Fortress of Crete. In 2002 the Ministry of Finance bought the house and transferred it to the “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” National Foundation for Research and Studies. From May 2012 the structure was stabilised and converted into a modern museum. The house received its first visitors in summer 2015 and was officially inaugurated on 1 November 2015.
The museum route has 18 stations. The ground floor and part of the upper floor are preserved as the family left them, with furniture of the period 1925–1935, the political office and the dining room. On the upper floor and in the attic, Venizelos’s political and diplomatic career, his personal life and the assassination attempts against him in 1920 and 1933 are presented.
Highlights
- Furniture of the period 1925–1935 in the living room and dining room
- Venizelos’s political office
- Interactive wall with a timeline of his life
- Interactive attic room with educational games
- The Packard car of the 1933 assassination attempt
Permanent exhibition
- Μόνιμη έκθεση της Οικίας-Μουσείου Βενιζέλου – An 18-station route through the Halepa mansion, with furniture and personal objects of Venizelos, visual material on his political and diplomatic career, and interactive elements.
- Founded
- 2015
- Operated by
- Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών και Μελετών «Ελευθέριος Κ. Βενιζέλος»
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4People over 65 years of age, students, members of large families and families with three children, unemployed people and companions of people with disabilities, upon presentation of supporting documents. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Free admission for children and minors up to 18 years of age. |
| Seniors | €4People over 65 years of age, Greeks and foreigners. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities; companions pay the reduced ticket. |
| Students & apprentices | €4Upon presentation of a student card. |
| Groups | –Guided tours for groups and school visits by appointment. |
Free admission is also granted to historians, archaeologists, guides and journalists with a professional identity card, holders of a free-admission card or ICOM membership, employees of the Ministry of Culture, conscripts and teachers accompanying school classes.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
The interactive and technological room in the attic, a donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, offers educational games and hands-on activities for young and old.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups and school visits are by appointment. A virtual tour is available on the foundation’s website. |
