DK Travel : Crete : Museums & Galleries

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Museum of Cretan Ethnology, Vori

Excellent collection which gives real insight into the hard life of Cretan villagers in years gone by. For example, there are displays on how wild foods – from dandelions to snails – featured in their diet!
Museum of Religious Art, Irakleio

This 15th-century Venetian church – where both El Greco and the great icon painter Michailis Damaskinos are said to have learned their skills – contains the world’s best array of Cretan icons. The collection includes three superb works by Damaskinos.
Museum of Rural Life, Piskopiana

Wooden farming tools, an old olive press and a copper raki still are among the exhibits.
Rethymno Archaeological Museum

In a converted bastion built by the Turks, the collection extends from the Stone Age to the Minoan and Hellenistic eras, with finds from archaeological sites, caves and cemeteries in the Rethymno region. Among the highlights are late Minoan burial caskets, or larnakes , and burial goods found in Minoan cemetery sites.
Silversmithing

Silver jewellery and religious objects such as icon frames and crucifixes.
Siteia Archaeological Museum

The most important exhibits are from the palace site at Zakros, on Crete’s east coast, which was uncovered in 1961. They include clay tablets inscribed with the symbols of the Minoan Linear A script, as well as bronze tools and kitchen utensils.
Siteia Folklore Museum

This fascinating small museum opens a window onto eastern Crete’s past with its collection of picturesque local costumes, beautifully woven and embroidered textiles, silver jewellery and antique cottage furniture, all of which was worn or used within living memory.
Spinning

Older village women still spin wool into yarn using a spindle and distaff – a skill that hasn’t changed since the time of the Minoans.
Weaving

Traditional hand looms are still in use, made by skilled craftsmen from cypress, walnut or mulberry wood.
Wood Carving

Olive, cypress and mulberry yield a hard wood loved by skilled Cretan carpenters.