Athens War Museum

Military museum in Athens, Greece

37°58′31″N 23°44′43″E / 37.97528°N 23.74528°E / 37.97528; 23.74528TypeMilitary museumPublic transit access

Evangelismos station,
busWebsitewww.warmuseum.gr

The Athens War Museum^[1] (Greek: Πολεμικό Μουσείο Αθήνας), established on July 18, 1975, is the museum of the Greek Armed Forces. Its purpose is the exhibition of weapon artifacts and the relevant research in the history of war. It covers the history of war in all ages. The museums' collections include the collection of the Greek Army, with artifacts from other civilizations such as Ancient China and Ancient Japan. In 1964, the Hellenic State decided to found the War Museum,^[2] wishing to honor all those who fought for Greece and its freedom. The design of the museum was undertaken by a team of distinguished scientists, headed by Professor Thoukididis Valentis [el] of the National Technical University of Athens (N.T.U.A). On July 18, 1975, the President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tsatsos and the Minister of National Defense Evangelos Averoff-Tositsas inaugurated the museum. Its various activities include the publication of books, the establishment and maintenance of monuments and memorials and the aid to services and agencies all over Greece. The Museum's exhibition areas are distributed over four levels (floors) and present images of Greek history from antiquity to the present. The museum's centerpieces are weaponry from wars in which Greece was involved.

The War Museum has established Museum Branches at Nauplion, Peloponnese (1988), Chania, Crete (1995), Tripoli, Peloponnese (1997) and Thessaloniki (2000). After building the Hellenic Air Force Museum, some airplanes were brought to this museum.

Gallery

Model of a Byzantine warship (Dromon)
Ancient Greek Fighting by Michael Tombros
Ottoman kilij from the Hellenic Revolution of 1821
Samurai Japanese warrior armour, 14th century A.D.
AIAS — anti-aircraft guided, ground & air missile

References

^ Interesting article about Athens War Museum Archived 2018-08-20 at the Wayback Machine in Warfare History Network (September 14, 2016)
^ Legislative decree 132/1969 on the establishment of war museum. Νομοθετικόν διάταγμα 132/1969 «Περί Ιδρύσεως Πολεμικού Μουσείου» (ΦΕΚ Α ́ 35)