Mykonian Museum Offers Unique Artificats

The Aegean Maritime Museum is housed in a traditional Cycladic house of the 19th century that belonged to a legendary ship captain helped Cretans decisively in the war against the Turks. The Aegean Maritime Museum is a unique place in the the Tria Pigadia area that hosts the history of Greek seamanship in exemplary fashion through exhibits, records, and registries. Mykonos, indeed constantly offers historical accounts that visitor ought to discover, beyond the prevailing lifestyle stereotypes.

The exhibits include models of ships from the pre-Minoan period until the early 20th century, historical shipping documents, rare engravings and maps, artifacts, nautical instruments, equipment and tools, and coins with nautical themes from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD. The Museum library comprises of 5,000 volumes of rare books, old and newer versions, including manuscripts and photographs and is constantly being enriched.

The Museum garden features marble copies of tomb stelae with reliefs from Delos and Mykonos, dealing with shipwrecks and sailors who were lost at sea. Among other exhibits, the Aegean Maritime Museum is the first Greek museum undertook and completed the rescue and preservation of surviving historical exhibits.

The Aegean Maritime Museum rescued, restored to operating condition with the technology of their time the Lighthouse "Armenistis" on Mykonos (built 1890), the Aegean type sailing ship “Evaggelistria" (built in 1940) and the cable steamer "Thales of Miletus" (built in 1909). The lighthouse is located in the garden of the Museum in Mykonos, while "Evaggelistria" and "Thales of Miletus"are hosted by the Helelnic Navy at the Trocadero, at the Paleo Faliro marina.

Thales of Miletus

The Aegean Maritime Museum is a non-profit institution. It was founded in 1983 and it opened its doors in Mykonos for the public in 1985. The museum's focus is the preservation, promotion and study of Greek maritime history and tradition, and in particular the development and activity of the merchant ship, chiefly in the historic area of ​​the Aegean. In December 1987, the Founder and Chairman, Georgios Drakopoulos, was honored for establishing the Museum with the Prize of the Academy of Athens.

The Aegean Maritime Museum is housed in a traditional Cycladic building of the 19th century in the center of Mykonos, on the site tria Pigadia. The building was the home of the legendary captain Nicholas Sourmelis, who with the merchant ship "Enosis" assisted the Cretans in their fight against the Turks.
The Aegean Maritime Museum participates in international conferences, exhibitions and events, as well as Navy Week. Its publishing activity in matters concerning the history of Greek shipping is also important.