The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation supported the activities of the National Research Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”, through co-funding the restoration, maintenance and upgrade of the Museum - Headquarters of the Revolution of Therisso (1905) in Chania, Crete. The Therisso Headquarters played a very important role in Crete’s contemporary history and since July 2019 it has been operating as a modern museum area, under the management and care of the National Research Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”.
The main goal of the Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” is the operation, at a national level, of a dynamic research and education centre, which will form a central coordinating institution for the research and study on the work and life of Eleftherios Venizelos, as well as Greece’s modern history. Having as a point of reference the emblematic personality of Eleftherios Venizelos, the Foundation is engaged in a variety of activities, such as the creation of library and archive, the implementation of research and educational programmes, publications, the establishment of Museums and organisation of conferences and events in Greece and abroad that aim to preserve the historical memory of the Greek politician, as well as to highlight and disseminate his work and legacy.
The Museum, which is inextricably linked to the political and personal activity of Eleftherios Venizelos, was officially inaugurated in October 2019 and contains a rich collection of relics from the period of the 1905 Revolution. The exhibition extends across the building’s two floors and includes authentic museum material and valuable artefacts from the Foundation's archive, such as an original flag-banner of the revolution featuring the inscription “Therisso 1905”, an authentic 19th century Cretan attire, as well as items from important recent donations, such as two rifles used in the revolution, etc. Furthermore, the evolution of the Cretan State up to its 2nd phase (1898-1908) as well as the most important events and protagonists of the Revolution of Therisso are presented through educational material from the Foundation’s archive collections. Within 2020, modern technological applications with interactive content are to be installed in the Museum, in order to improve the visitors’ museum experience.
