War Museum

Room A: HISTORY/Archaeology

In the first part of the hall are exhibited objects relating to prehistory and the three civilizations that developed in Greece, the Cycladic, the Minoan and the Mycenaean. Obsidian tools, bronze weapons, replicas of tools of the period, copies of sculptures are some of the exhibits that take the visitor back to the beginnings of ancient history.

Moving on to the part of the hall dedicated to Archaic and Classical Antiquity, the visitor sees on display authentic Corinthian helmets, an anchor of an ancient ship, ship models, as well as casts of sculptures exhibited in the British Museum – such as the centaur battle of the Parthenon’s southern metope – and in Greek museums.

Room B: JOURNEY TO LIBERTY, 1821

The hall hosts a digital exhibition dedicated to the Greek Revolution in the Peloponnese region. In front of the visitor’s eyes, important historical events of the liberation struggle come to life, with the central historical axis being the role played by the cities of Kalamata, Pylos, Nafplio and Tripoli during the Revolution, as well as the naval battle of Navarino. This experience is also enriched by the use of new electronic technologies, such as virtual reality devices.

Room C: ALEXANDRIAN TIMES

The Greek general Alexander, who was described as the Great, is the subject of the third room. His campaign, which began in Pella in Macedonia and reached the Indus River, is one of the most important chapters in Greek military history. He was honoured as a ruler-king, worshipped as a god, became a legend after his death and spread Greek civilisation to the ends of the earth. In the hall the visitor can, through two interactive screens, follow the course of Alexander the Great’s army, as well as models of his armament and the siege mechanisms he used.

Room D: BYZANTIO

Byzantium is the theme of the fourth room. Models of war equipment, the hand-held gun (for liquid fire), the theodosian walls, the ship “Dromon” and siege engines are some of the main exhibits in the hall.

Room E: FRG / TURKEY / NATION

With the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders in 1204 AD, the period of Frankish rule began, which ended with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 AD. Engravings, lithographs, paintings, maps and weapons record the historical periods of the Frankish and Ottoman rule, as well as the leaders of the liberation struggle that ended Ottoman rule. The dominant exhibit in the room is the original copy of the “Charter” of King Feraios, while works by V. Falireas, L. Dupre and other artists present the Society of Friends, the revolution in the Danube regions and its fighters.

Rooms F’ & G: GREEK REVOLUTION 1821

Works of art with depictions of heroes of the Greek Revolution of 1821, manuscripts and weapons tell the story of the Greek struggle for freedom. Battles, naval battles, heroic moments and disasters inspired artists and writers of the time, who in turn strengthened the movement of Philhellenism in Europe, which reinforced the Struggle.

Room H: NEW GREEK STATE 1828-1911 / MACEDONIAN WAR 1904-1908

Weapons, paintings, lithographs, sculptures, relics present the effort of the Greeks to organize their newly established state and then to expand its borders in order to liberate the Greeks who still lived in territories occupied by the Ottoman Empire. The revolutions in Crete, Epirus and Thessaly were part of this context.

Moving on to the collection on the Macedonian Struggle (1904-1908), we see the effort of the Greeks to protect the region of Macedonia from the expansionist ambitions of the Bulgarians, who wanted access to the Aegean Sea.

Room I: BALKAN WARS

The victorious battles and naval battles allowed Greece to expand its borders. The Greeks in Macedonia, Crete, Ioannina, the islands of the North Aegean were liberated and incorporated into the Greek State. The room is dominated by the drawings of the great painter Thalia Flora – Karavia, who was on the front line of the battles, as an envoy of the Alexandrian newspaper “Ephimeris”. Her writings were accompanied by drawings that present these historical events through the eyes of a woman who was actively involved in the women’s movement of the time.

Room I: BALKAN WARS / WORLD WAR I

Weapons, photographs, uniforms, relics and works of art recount battles and naval battles that brought about the incorporation into the Greek State of Greek populations that still inhabited territories of the Ottoman Empire.

Greece entered the First World War on the side of the Entente and emerged victorious. Weapons, relics, photographs and works of art show us the era.

Room IA΄: MIKRASATIKA REVOLUTION 1919-1922 / GREEK-Italian WAR 1940-41 (A)

After the end of World War I, the Paris Peace Conference allowed Greece to land Greek Army forces in Asia Minor in 1919. The resistance the Greek troops met there led them to campaign in the East. The initial victories were followed by defeats, which led to the violent expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor.

On 28 October 1940, Greece categorically refused to submit to fascist Italy, an ally of Germany. The Greeks enthusiastically accepted the call to protect their native lands and wrote the epoch in the mountains of Pindos. Weapons, relics, photographs, paintings and effigies convey to visitors the enthusiasm of the Greeks during the conscription, the hardships of war, and the joy of victory.

Rooms IB&& LG: GREEK-ITALIAN WAR 1940-41 / GERMAN INVASION / BATTLE OF THE FORTS / BATTLE OF CRETA

The triumphs of the Greeks in battle gave inspiration to painters, cartoonists and writers, who recorded their experiences, difficulties and experiences with their pens and paint pens. Loot, weapons, uniforms, photographs, cartoons, posters tell the story of the Epic in the mountains of Albania.

On April 6, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked Greece. Although the Greek forces defended themselves vigorously, they were unable to defeat the German armed forces. The Greek forces defended the fortifications on the border with Bulgaria, but Hitler’s troops managed to bypass them and reach Athens, forcing the Greek government to capitulate. The last battle to defend Greek territory was fought in Crete in May of that year.