Crete is blessed with many things: sun, sea, beautiful beaches, mountains, delicious cuisine, the list go on. And for all of you culture vultures out there, Crete has got more museums and archaeological sites than you can shake a stick at.

But some museums are under the radar. 

One of them is the Museum of Cretan Ethnology at Voroi Village.

The Museum of Cretan Ethnology was established in 1973 as an initiative of the Mesara Cultural Association.

Located in the village of Voroi in southern Crete,  just a few kilometers from the archaeological site of Phaistos, this award-winning museum brilliantly shows off what life was like for the rural inhabitants of the island in the medieval and early modern periods (from c. 1000 AD).

The exhibition is divided into 7 ethnological sections concerned with the evolution of human activities.

These sections are not mutually exclusive: from some point in their development onwards, they interact and operate in harmony.

The classification of the 7 sections is based on human beings’ biological need to survive and adapt, and the methods they use to do so successfully.

It is especially rich in exhibits related to domestic life, agriculture, pottery, basketry and traditional music, its walls hung with graceful lyras and other musical instruments.

Since its formal opening in 1973, the Museum has developed into an important ethnological research center, and regularly hosts educational workshops and conferences.

The Museum is neatly divided into seven thematic sections, each devoted to human society’s fundamental modes of survival and successful adaptation: food, architecture, handicrafts, production and trade, transportation, customs and traditions, and social organization.

Curator of the museum
Dr. Christoforos Vallianos

Post address
Voroi Pirgiotissis, 70200, Heraklion, Crete

Tel: +30 28920 91110
Fax: +30 28920 91394

E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.cretanethnologymuseum.gr