It was with great honor and pleasure that we participated in the 29th forum of the “Association of Mediterranean Maritime Museums”, held in Sesimbra, Portugal from 02 to 05 October 2024.
The Maritime Museum of Crete participated in the forum, after all the necessary procedures had been carried out and the application for the Museum’s membership in the Union was accepted. The information about the existence of the Union became known when members of the Board of Directors of our Museum had visited the Maritime Museum in Piran, Slovenia, where the director of the museum there suggested and urged that our museum become a member of the Union (AMMM). The necessary supporting documents were immediately gathered and completed, so that our museum could officially become a member. At the 29th Congress, our Museum participated with members of the Board of Directors and the presentation had the theme “Maritime Museum of Crete 50+1 years of life”. In addition, several maritime museums from the Mediterranean participated with excellent speakers and very interesting installations.
By participating in the “Association of Mediterranean Maritime Museums” collaborations, conversations and the exchange of opinions and ideas between member museums are promoted. Exchanges of exhibits, collaborations in programs, lectures, discussions, can be developed between the Maritime Museums, as among them there are also Museums that specialize in marine life, the seabed etc. A discussion has already started on exchanging exhibitions with some museums and the Maritime Museum of Crete will be located in the city of L’Escala north of Barcelona, where the next conference of the “Union” will take place on September 15, 2025.
The Association of Mediterranean Maritime Museums (AMMM)
The Association is a non-profit organization with full legal capacity established in Dubrovnik on October 14, 1998, under a statute establishing its administration. As defined in its Statute, the Association is governed by the General Assembly and the Executive Committee.
The Union of Maritime Museums of the Mediterranean has the following objectives:
To guarantee the preservation of Maritime History and Culture and that their interpretation follows professional standards of quality in relation to collections and cultural heritage.
Improving professional standards and promoting research into matters relating to maritime heritage and maritime history.
To ensure the preservation of maritime heritage.
Enhancing collaboration between member institutions in the areas of research publications, exhibition, conservation and social awareness.
Promoting, wherever possible, legislation that favors the realization of the aforementioned objectives.
Promoting the dissemination of maritime museums, their actions, programs and activities related to the preservation of maritime heritage and culture.
In addition, the Association works to fulfill the objectives of the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM), ICOM and UNESCO and acts as an advisory board to these organizations where deemed necessary.
It is a great honor, but also our duty, to participate in such an Association of Museums, as we are given the opportunity to present in the best possible way our Maritime Tradition and the History of our homeland. Greece with its rich Maritime Tradition, kilometers of coastline, thousands of islands and many Maritime Museums and Institutes of Maritime Tradition, a strong Greek presence in the Union of Maritime Museums of the Mediterranean is considered imperative. We will continue with the same love and fervor the work that we are doing and we are already preparing, among other things, for a new exhibition of stamps on the subject of “Navigation” abroad, but also for our active participation in the 30th AMMM conference in 2025.