The Historical Museum of Crete is in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. The Society of Cretan Historical Studies established it in 1953. The museum first occupied the former home of Minos Kalokairinos and has since been expanded with a modern wing.
The permanent collections cover Cretan art and history from the fourth century AD through the Second World War. Items are arranged chronologically and by subject, and holdings include ceramics, sculptures, coins, jewelry, wall paintings, icons and manuscripts. A reconstructed interior of a Cretan rural home is also displayed.
El Greco, born on Crete as Domenikos Theotokopoulos, is represented by two works, View of Mount Sinai and Baptism of Christ. A four-by-four-meter model shows Heraklion in the mid-17th century. The Nikos Kazantzakis Collection includes the study and library from the author's home in Antibes.
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