The Maritime Museum of Crete, with the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors, participated with great joy and honor in the 13rd Panhellenic Conference of Maritime Museums, held in Skiathos on 17-19 May 2024. The Conference of Maritime Museums was organized with great success by the Municipality of Skiathos and the Museum of Maritime and Cultural Tradition of Skiathos, and was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.
The institution of the Panhellenic Conferences of Maritime Museums, which began in 1996 with the first conference held in Chania, led by the Maritime Museum of Crete, is the only joint action of these thematic museums in Greece. This year’s conference was the joint participation of the Greek Maritime Museums in the celebration of International Museum Day on May 18.
The aim of the conferences is to network and strengthen the cooperation between the Greek Maritime Museums for the drawing up of a common cultural policy in the fields of the study, rescue and promotion of maritime history and tradition.
In addition to museums, maritime heritage organizations and institutions participate in these conferences, presenting their cultural activities. At the same time, a special theme is developed in the context of the event, always related to the maritime history and cultural tradition of the region, which is home to the museum, which each time has undertaken its organization.
At this year’s conference, the first day, May 17, was dedicated to Skiathos and its special theme is: “Naritime Heritage of Skiathos: Past, Present and Future”. The second day, May 18, was dedicated to maritime museums and institutions with maritime collections, and the session was entitled: “Maritime Museums: Challenges and actions for the protection and promotion of the local maritime tradition”.
In this, the participants presented the work carried out by museums and institutions and had the opportunity to express their concerns about the challenges they face, hoping that with the same love and passion they will continue the difficult, but at the same time beautiful work for the preservation and promotion of Naval History and Tradition. At the same time, it was agreed that the 14th Panhellenic Conference of Maritime Museums will take place in 2026 at the Maritime Museum of Greece.
The last day of the conference was dedicated to visits and guided tours to the museums and monuments of Skiathos.