WWII German bunker on Crete turned into museum




A unique museum that travels back to the period of the German occupation on Crete was created by volunteers and donations in Ano Platanias, near Chania.

The museum is housed in German bunker used during the Battle of Crete.
The memories and a very important part of the history of that time are “revived” at a depth of eight metres underground, inside tunnels dug by the Cretan captives used as forced labour by the Germans, who used the tunnels to store ammunition during the occupation (1942-1945).
According to Platanias Mayor Yiannis Malandrakis, the museum created “in addition to documenting and presenting the history of the Battle of Crete though exhibits, is also steeped in history for Platanias”.
After the end of the war, the place was used by local residents as a storage area until the initiative to turn it into a war museum was launched.
The bunker-museum is 200 metres long and has 13 halls that have been preserved in their original form. The visitors can see unique exhibits from WWII, such as uniforms, ammunition, furniture, helmets and other objects, mostly from private collections.
On some parts of the walls the visitor can see names of German soldiers that served in the area, the German cross or swastikas. Anti-aircraft guns (flak), torpedo tubes and sea mines are on display in the surrounding area.
A special leaflet in Greek and in English is available for visitors.

Source: ANA-MPA

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