Collections

 Diakriton Collection – covers a total area of 10,000 m² and is located just 6 km from the archaeological site of Knossos and 3 km from Archanes.

All exhibits displayed across the five indoor galleries represent Cretan history and tradition from the 9th century to the present day.

Gallery 1 welcomes visitors into a warm Cretan household, complete with an odas (upper room), fireplace, and examples of traditional weaving.

Galleries 2 and 4, with their rich array of artefacts, bring to life the most important Cretan professions of recent centuries—distiller, winemaker, shoemaker, olive miller, candle maker, blacksmith, cheesemaker, carpenter, and many others.

In Gallery 3, visitors encounter the traditional olive-oil fabrika, demonstrating how olives were milled in pre-industrial societies using tools made of stone and wood. Equally impressive are the large clay storage jars (pithoi) once used to store olive oil.

Gallery 5 houses objects related to the Battle of Crete (1941), the Occupation, and the Resistance. Special emphasis is given to the sabotage operation involving the abduction of German General Heinrich Kreipe—an act of great heroism carried out in 1944 by the British SAS in collaboration with the local resistance.

Outdoors, beyond the stunning panoramic views, a variety of aromatic plants and trees introduce visitors to the flora of Crete. The site also includes a windmill for water pumping and wheat grinding, a watermill for grain milling, lime, charcoal, and pottery kilns, wells, a carved wine press, and  communal washhouses.