Since 1963, the Museum has been situated in the Venetian Monastery of St Francis’ church.
The displays depict the area’s cultural history and character throughout the years, from Neolithic times to the Roman Empire.
The exhibition hall is separated into two primary portions in terms of breadth. The east wing has antiquities from the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age (Minoan era), while the west wing houses Iron Age artifacts (Historic era).
Excavation groupings and thematic units are used to group the discoveries. Minoan finds from Chania, prehistoric finds from caves, Minoan finds from various parts of the Prefecture, finds from Geometric period tombs, Historic era finds from Chania and other towns and cities in the Prefecture, coins, prehistoric and historic jewelry, sculptures, inscriptions, stelai, and mosaics are among the items in the collections.
In the year 2000, the intriguing Konstantinos, Marika, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis Collection was presented to the Chania Archaeological Museum. It is situated in three modest chambers on the Museum’s north side, adjacent to St Francis’ church. The pieces on show make about one-third of the whole collection and are arranged chronologically (late 4th millennium BC – 3rd c. AD). Examples of Minoan pottery, clay models, stone carving, seal carving, jewelry, and variety are among them (various objects from different areas).
The Museum contains its own pottery, metal artefacts, coins, frescoes, and mosaics conservation facilities, as well as a chemical laboratory. In the converted belfry next to the main entrance, the Archaeological Receipts Fund runs a museum store.
The Museum’s goal is to promote local cultural heritage as much as possible in order to make it a prominent attraction that attracts a great number of tourists. Temporary exhibitions, educational programs, and other events conducted at the Museum are examples of how this might be accomplished.
