Archaeological Museum of Kythera
The Archaeological Museum of Kythera is located at the entrance of Chora, the island’s capital, just a short distance from the central square
The museum is housed in a building covering approximately 191 square meters, situated on a spacious site within the town plan of Chora.
After remaining closed for nine years due to severe damage caused by the 2006 earthquake, the museum reopened to the public on May 8, 2016, fully renovated and featuring a modern exhibition. Today, the museum offers contemporary facilities, free internet access for visitors, and full accessibility for people with disabilities, including visitors with mobility or visual impairments.
The effort to establish an archaeological museum on Kythera began in the 1930s, when the school principal Spyros Stathis started collecting antiquities donated by local residents. In the 1940s, philologist and archivist Themistoklis Petrocheilos continued this work. The first collection was displayed in a room within the Archive Building at the Castle of Chora. Later, in 1959, Panagiotis Stathis provided a small hall on the main road of Chora, where antiquities and historical objects from different periods were exhibited.
During the 1960s, systematic excavations at Palaeopolis brought to light a large number of important archaeological finds. In the 1970s, the Kytherian Association donated the current museum building, originally used as a Household School in the 1920s, in order to house and display these discoveries. The Archaeological Museum officially opened in the autumn of 1981 and remained open for 25 years until the powerful earthquake of January 2006 caused significant structural damage.
In 2013, restoration and reorganization works began as part of the “Attica” Operational Programme of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) 2007–2013. The renovation and new exhibition were completed in December 2015 under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Today, the Archaeological Museum of Kythera presents the island’s rich archaeological heritage through a modern and accessible exhibition, offering visitors a journey through the history and culture of Kythera from antiquity to later historical periods.
