The
Historical Archive of Crete
was founded in 1920, as a regional department of the General Archives of the State. The Archive is housed in a
neoclassical building in Chania, where it maintains its headquarters. Today, the Historical Archive of Crete
comprises the largest regional historical Archive of the Country, aiming at the collection, protection and research
of archives and relics related to the Cretan history.
The over 200 archive collections of the Institute include about 1.000.000 public and private documents
from 1821 to date. Of particular historical significance are:
• The documents referring to the Cretan revolutions against the Ottoman and Egyptian occupation in the second
half of the 19th century until the integration of Crete in the Greek State after the second Balkan War in 1913.
• The private correspondence of leading personalities of the military and political history of Crete.
• The official archives of the Ottoman administration, as well as of the Autonomous Cretan State (1898-1913).
• The archive related to the Second World War, a valuable source for the period of the German occupation and the
heroic resistance of the local population.
Another section comprises the complete record of Cretan Press, which includes rare printed papers, such as the
"Vakai Girit" ("The Voice of Crete"), the first newspaper printed on the island in 1831 by the Egyptian authorities. It’ s worth
mentioning that the newspaper was printed in both languages, namely Greek and Arabic.
The archival material is complemented by a rich photographical collection, as well as by a specialized library with
approximately 10.000 titles of books, among them some rare editions. A valuable addition is also the folklore archive of Pavlos Vlastos.
Within the Historical Archive premises is also housed a museum, open to the public, with a significant historical and folklore collection.
