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| Nikos Kazantzakis Museum |
The Nikos Kazantzakis Museum (MNK) is a Legal Entity under Private Law, which is located in the author's ancestral village, Myrtia (the historical village of Varvaroi), 15 kilometers south of the city of Heraklion, Crete.
Information
It was inaugurated in 1983 and its founder was set designer-costume designer Giorgos Anemoyiannis. Its main goal was to save the memory of the writer Nikos Kazantzakis and to promote his work and thought.[1] The Foundation houses its services in three independent buildings, in the central square of Myrtia. The first and oldest house houses the exhibition, the second the administrative services and the third the Museum's Multispace.[2]
Central building
The two-story building, which currently houses the exhibition, was built on the site where the ancestral home of the Anemoyiannis family was located. In 1975, Giorgos Anemoyiannis acquired full ownership of the building and later, with a bold and ambitious inspiration (as he states), he thought of establishing the Museum there, which took place in 1983.[3]
Reprint 2009
In 2009, the building was radically renovated, co-financed by the European Union, presenting a new exhibition proposal of the museum's collections that was inaugurated in 2010. The exhibition was enriched with newer "Kazantzak" acquisitions, made easier to visit by people with disabilities, modernized and equipped with technological means , thus creating the image of a modern and dynamic museum.[2]
Collections
In the possession and ownership of the MNK is the Kazantzakis Archive, which includes more than 50,000 items, following the long-term efforts of its founder Giorgos Anemoyiannis, which are classified in the following Collections: 1) Letters, 2) Holographs - Autographs, 3) Publications - Articles – Studies, 4) Press Releases, 5) Photographs, 6) Audio Documents, 7) Motion Picture Evidence, 8) Theatrical Material, 9) Artwork, and 10) Personal Effects.[4] The Museum also preserves the Anemoyiannis Archive.[5]
Activities of the Museum
In addition to the operation of the permanent exhibition, the MNK implements a multifaceted program of activities, addressed to different categories of public. Among other things, it operates a research library, promoting and strengthening research on the work of Kazantzakis, implements educational programs for school groups of all levels of education, plans and develops educational activities for children, adults, families, teachers and teenagers, produces printed and electronic publications, and organizes various events, conferences, workshops, concerts, performances, inside and outside its headquarters. It also participates in or implements projects and programs (research, development, etc.), by its own means or through collaborations, programming contracts, etc.
