:: War Museum at Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki War Museum opened its doors to the public in October 2000. It is housed in the building designed by architect Vitaliano Posseli and erected between 1900 and 1902, which until recently supplied the needs of the 3rd Regiment.

The museum’s mission is to act as a base in Northern Greece for events organized by the War Museum in Athens and to help preserve historical memory and heritage in Northern Greece. Through its permanent exhibitions and various dedicatory exhibitions, the museum emphasizes the continuation of the Hellenic race throughout history, while simultaneously contributing to the documentation of the history of Greece at war.

The permanent collections show events which were a watershed in Modern Greek history from the turn of the 20th century to the liberation of Greece from German forces at the end of World War II. They include photographs of the times, Greek army, airforce and navy uniforms, weapons of the Greek army, replicas of artillery and ships, works of art, stone engravings, maps, paintings, postcards, and similar items from the armies of other Balkan countries.

These exhibits give insight to the Balkan Wars, World War I, the Asia Minor Campaign, the Graeco-Italian War, the Battle of the Forts in eastern Macedonia, the Battle of Crete, the Occupation and the Resistance, the part played by Greek forces in Allied action in North Africa, Italy and Normandy, as well as the liberation from the forces of occupation.

In addition to exhibition spaces, the War Museum has an amphitheatre, a multi-purpose hall and well-stocked library of writings on history and war. Furthermore, all Ministry of Defence, Department of Military History and War Museum publications are on sale at the museum shop.