Heraklion Kazantzakis Museum

Location: Myrtia
Don't miss: Museums guide (free admission dates and other useful info)

The Museum of Nikos Kazantzakis is dedicated to the life and works of the great author, Nikos Kazantzakis, the most translated Greek writer and considered one of the greatest novelists in modern Greek history, having received a total of 9 Nobel Prize nominations.
Kazantzakis is most famous for his works “Zorba the Greek” and “The Last Temptation of Christ”, as well as “Captain Michalis” and “Christ Recrucified”.

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Kazantzakis’ family stemmed from the village of Varvaroi, now called Myrtia, just south of Heraklion. In honor of the village’s most notable individual, it was decided in 1983 to build a museum about him on the central square.

The museum was founded to preserve the work of Nikos Kazantzakis and narrate his life through his manuscripts, personal items and letters, and is made up of three buildings. The first serves as the main exhibition area while the second hosts the administrative offices of the institution, as well as a 170-seater conference hall. Finally, the third building houses the gift shop and the cafeteria.

The initiative to found this museum came from Yiorgos Anemoyannis, a family friend of Kazantzakis and a stage designer who also originated from the village of Myrtia. Anemoyannis had his childhood home, where Kazantzakis had stayed as a guest on multiple occasions, demolished and the museum built in its place.

The museum’s collection, comprised of letters, manuscripts, Greek and foreign-language printings of Kazantzakis’ works, photographs and other depictions of the writer, stage material, as well as rare footage of the man, is split into five categories: his biography, his 24-rhapsody, 33.333-line “The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel”, his influences and his correspondence, his early works, including theatrical plays and children’s books, and finally his novels, journeys, film adaptations, his political beliefs, and various studies on his works and days.

There is also a 20-minute documentary on show, with subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, and Hebrew.

Opening hours
Summer Season (April-October): Tuesday-Sunday: 09:00-17:00; Monday closed
Winter Season (November-March): Monday-Friday, Sunday: 10:00-15:00; Saturday closed

Official website: www.kazantzaki.gr