The effort of the refugees of the Asia Minor Catastrophe to preserve their identity and collective memory, the adventures of their integration into the local community and their contribution to the formation of this society, are presented through the important exhibition hosted from April 21 to May 12 at CAM, in Chania.
The temporary hybrid exhibition of the Historical Museum of Crete “Refugees in Crete after the Asia Minor Catastrophe” will be open to the public from tomorrow, Friday, April 21, 2023, on the ground floor of the Center of Mediterranean Architecture.
The Exhibition is co-organized by the Region of Crete, the Society of Cretan Historical Studies/Historical Museum of Crete and the Vikelaia Municipal Library of Heraklion, with the support of the Municipality of Chania and KEPPEDICH-CAM.
According to the organizers, starting from the broader historical context of the time and the long presence of Hellenism in Asia Minor, the Exhibition focuses on the complex processes of arrival, settlement and gradual integration of refugees into Cretan society, from those dramatic months of ’22 to modern times. Through its archival documents, comprehensive texts and rich illustrations, the efforts of the refugees of the Asia Minor Catastrophe for the preservation of their identity and collective memory, the adventures of their integration into the local community and their contribution to the formation of this society are highlighted.
The exhibition combines text and image in physical space with information in digital form drawn on mobile devices through QR Codes, following the model of the hybrid exhibition on the contribution of Crete to the Revolution of 1821 organized last year with great success in the major cities of Crete, by E.K.I.M. and the Region of Crete.
The exhibition is a product of the research program “Refugees and refugee populations in Crete from the interwar period until today” carried out by E.K.I.M. through the Historical Museum of Crete in collaboration with the Region of Crete, on the occasion of the centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the arrival of the first refugees on the island.
For its creation worked the ten-member scientific team of young historians of E.K.I.M. together with the researchers of the Vikelaia Municipal Library of Heraklion. For the realization of the exhibition, archival and material documents from the Collections and Library of the Historical Museum of Crete and the Vikelaia Municipal Library were utilized, while substantial documents were also provided by Asia Minor Associations, Services, Foundations and individuals.
Exhibition duration: 21 April-12 May 2023
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 09:00-14:00 & 18:00-22:00
