International Museum Day is celebrated every year on May 18th and is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
The day was established in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society, and it has been steadily gaining momentum ever since.
"This year's celebration of International Museum Day coincides with the reopening of Culture and the opening of museums throughout the country from May 14. Last year we were forced to celebrate International Day only digitally. This year, the big celebration of museums has a special meaning," said Greece's Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni.
"It is an opportunity to get to know again the treasures of the Greek museums, but also for the museums themselves, to welcome the visitors, who have been missing since last November, due to the pandemic. Museum spaces are spaces of interaction. They need physical contact, spectator and exhibit communication. By observing all the protection measures and safely for visitors and employees, this communication is now restored," she added.
On the occasion, museums across Greece are offering free admission on Tuesday, May 18.
This year’s theme “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine” invites museums, their professionals and communities to create, imagine and share new practices of (co-)creation of value, new business models for cultural institutions and innovative solutions for the social, economic and environmental challenges of the present.
Today, more than ever, the creative power of museums can be a driver for recovery and innovation in the post-COVID era.
On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Greek Revolution (1821), the Greek branch of ICOM chose the National Historical Museum as the honoured museum for 2021.
The Museum's collections, as well as its anniversary activities, are an occasion for reflection of the country's history with a view to the future.
Digital exhibition
The digital tour of the anniversary exhibition "REVOLUTION '21", illuminates, through stories of 80 items, invisible aspects of the Revolution.
In addition, the 360° tour gives the user the feeling that they are physically there in the exhibition.
The exhibition takes place in the framework of the "Initiative 1821-2021", with the support of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and with the technological support of the Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH).
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