Hellenic Maritime Museum
The maritime history and tradition, from prehistoric times to the present day, come to life in this outstanding museum in Piraeus. The inauguration of the Hellenic Maritime Museum in the Zea Marina building took place in 1969. The exhibition areas cover an impressive 1,700 square meters, showcasing more than 2,500 items organized chronologically and thematically.
As you take your first steps on the ground floor, you'll encounter a striking sight: a section of the Long Walls of Conon, a reference to the historical significance of the place where the museum is located. The architectural remains of the famous fortifications from the 4th century BCE, which protected the Piraeus coast, have been incorporated into the exhibition space. Alongside, you'll admire six pyramid-shaped stone anchors that were raised from the seabed of Zea's harbor. They date back to the 5th to 4th centuries BCE.
In the other 10 consecutive halls, arranged in a semicircular layout, Greek maritime history unfolds. This includes ancient shipbuilding, the evolution of ships from ancient Greece, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine eras, up to the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Additionally, it covers the history of the Greek Navy and its actions in modern times, seafaring, and maritime trade.
In the first hall, you will find the Maritime Art Gallery with works by the most significant marine painters of the 19th and 20th centuries (Prosaliendis-Volanakis-Hatzis, among others).
In Hall D, there's another interesting feature: the collection of ship owner Aristotle Onassis, which includes ship models, micro-artworks, maritime instruments, weapons, furniture, paintings, and engravings dating from the 17th century. These treasures once adorned the luxurious yacht "Christina," a model of which you can see in the same area.
The Hellenic Maritime Museum also houses a vast collection of maps from Greece and around the world dating from the 16th to the 19th century. It is home to the unique maritime library, open to the public, with over 10,000 volumes of books and periodicals.
In the courtyard, you will find the conning tower from the legendary submarine "Papanikolis." The vessel was named after Dimitrios Papanikolis, a renowned submarine captain during the Greek War of Independence in 1821. It also served during World War II. You can also see anchors from ships of the era of the Battle of Navarino.
Information…
The Hellenic Maritime Museum is located at the entrance of Zea Marina.
Tel: 210 4516264, 210 451682. Visiting hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 - 14:00, closed on Sundays, Mondays, and official holidays.
The museum features a Maritime Library open to the public.
Detailed information can be found at: Hellenic Maritime Museum's Official Website.
Location
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