Military Museum of Rethymno

The building that houses the Military Museum holds significant historical and architectural value. It is an early 17^th-century Venetian villa, originally constructed in 1610. This villa served as the summer residence for a prosperous Venetian-Cretan family named Clodio. The Clodio family belonged to the privileged social class of the period known as the ‘Veneti Nobili’ or the Venetian Nobles, representing the Republic of San Marco, which was the official name of the Venetian state.

Over time, the villa gradually fell into disrepair, and in 1985, the last owner of the villa, Alkiviadis Kotzambasis, made the decision to donate the building to the local community of Chromonastiri.

In 1997, the building was handed over to the Hellenic Army General Staff with the purpose of restoration and transformation into a military museum. The initiative and establishment of the museum were led by General Manousos Paragioudakis, who served as the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff at that time.

More Information/ Photos: Museum