Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

About

Ancient Greek inventions you can see working.

The Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Heraklion shows how inventive the ancient Greeks were. It is housed in the Palazzo d'Ittar, a restored Venetian mansion in the old town, and is one of several museums founded by the engineer Kostas Kotsanas.

The exhibition includes working models of more than 100 inventions, from the Antikythera mechanism, the world's oldest known analogue computer, to automatic doors, robots, alarm clocks, steam engines and weapons. Many of the models move, and there are videos explaining how they work.

The museum is fun for both adults and children, and it's a good choice for a hot afternoon or a rainy day.

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and its biggest city, with a busy port, the island's main airport and a lively old town inside massive Venetian walls. The Archaeological Museum and Knossos make it the centre of Minoan Crete, and the city's markets, cafes and restaurants are some of the best on the island. Around the city, the coast has long sandy beaches like Ammoudara and Karteros, and the wine villages of Archanes and Peza are a short drive south.

Anreise

In Heraklion itself, easy to reach on foot.

On the map

35.34145, 25.13555 · See on map