Museum-Residence of Eleftherios Venizelos

The Museum-Residence of Eleftherios Venizelos is classified as an authentic (documentary) home since it is recounting the life of a personage and it is preserving authentic items, most of them in their original position. The Residence-Museum is not just a building containing collections or the original furniture of a bygone era, but as a result of a collective and integrated museological project, has developed the ability to recall the past, which in turn gives the monument great social and political significance.

The Museum–Residence of Eleftherios Venizelos consists of 3 floors and has a total of 18 rooms – stations in its route, which all include authentic museum material. The ground floor and part of the first floor are exactly as delivered to the Foundation by the Venizelos Family and much like when he was living in it himself. Subsequently, five rooms presenting the action of Venizelos were divided into the following topics: “The Rebel”, “The Politician,” “The Diplomat”, “The Man,” and “The Myth”.

The different sections are completed with visual material and original museum objects from the Collection of the Foundation. Finally, two “stations” present the murder attempts against Venizelos, respectively in 1920 and 1933 with original documents of the era and visual material. Furthermore, in the attic of the residence, the visitor is guided through an interactive – educational exhibition, donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which aims to bring the visitor closer to the world of history fulfilling in this way the museum experience as well as the uptake of information.

The power of a museum is to communicate with its guests. The whole of this effort is aiming not only at gaining the maximum of knowledge one can drain from a place ground on its memories but mainly on the essential and fecund interaction with the past. This objective becomes even more powerful to the extent that appeals to young people and students who are visiting the Venizelos residence while in contact with Modern Greek history.

The guests coming face to face with the past have the opportunity to create a strong link between collective and personal memory. A (historic) house is more than a memorial to update the lost past. It is a place where people lived their lives. More