THE HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM
The Museum of Agios Nikolaos is the first and most complete Archaeological Museum of the Prefecture of Lasithi. It contains important and unique archaeological finds, representing all areas under the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi competence. Its collection consists of objects mainly from excavations of the last 70 years in ancient settlements, graves, sanctuaries, etc., in the Lasithi prefecture. Collections of antiquities, traditions and donations from individuals and institutions, and confiscations of antiquities in private hands complete its content. The collection’s finds exceed 30,000 in number and date from the Final Neolithic to the Ottoman period.
The Agios Nicholas Museum Collection appears to have been created after the end of World War II and thus had no losses during the war. It was assembled from the finds of the excavations conducted by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi and foreign Archaeological Schools in Eastern Crete from the 1960s onwards. Until then, the important finds of the region were transferred to the central museum of Crete, the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, while the minor antiquities remained in the archaeological collections of the area (Neapolis, Ierapetra, Siteia).
The foundation of a museum in Agios Nikolaos was decided in 1961, and the architectural study was carried out by the architect Patroklos Karantinos (1903-1976). The building, with a total area of about 450 m2 and eight rooms arranged around an atrium, was a typical example of 1960s museum architecture. Its construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1968. In 1969, the first exhibition was formed, and the Agios Nikolaos Museum opened its doors to the public as a small provincial museum under the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion.
In 1973, with the creation of an independent Ephorate of Antiquities (the former 24th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities), the Museum of Agios Nikolaos became the central museum of the Ephorate and its headquarters, although it did not have the required building infrastructure. The lack of many exhibition and storage spaces, which very quickly exceeded the capabilities for the storage and exhibition of the antiquities and the weaknesses that were noticed daily in its function, were the reasons that led the competent former 24th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities to carry out a long struggle to ensure the expansion and upgrading of the existing building with the creation of modern facilities and functions. At the same time, the plan included the development of a new permanent exhibition that would have the potential to display the numerous finds from old and new excavations but also to present the history and character of Eastern Crete through a distinct central thematic idea and a comprehensive narrative process. Another aim of the Ephorate was to provide better service to visitors and citizens, increase the museum’s visitor numbers, and improve the working conditions of the staff.
The final phase of the project involved the construction of the display cases, conservation of all the objects, their placement and support, the completion of all the didactic material (e.g., labels, photographs and drawings for rooms and objects) and the creation of digital applications. This work was covered by the ESPA 2014-2020.