The Rethymnon Historical and Folk Art Museum is a private institution founded in 1973 by Mrs. Faly G. Voyatzakis and the late Christophoros I. Stavroulakis. The aims of the Foundation are the research and the collection of historical and folklore material from all over Crete and especially the prefecture of Rethymnon, the operation of the Museum and the stimulation of interest in the study of Cretan tradition.
The Museum, which was officially inaugurated in September 1998, is housed in a restored Venetian building, listed by the Ministry of Culture as a historic monument with conservation status, which has been donated by the co-founder and President of the Museum, Mrs. Faly G.Voyatzakis. Situated in the old town of Rethymnon it constitutes a typical example of an urban dwelling of the last phase of Venetian rule in Crete (late 16th - early 17th century). The restoration of the building was made possible through the Integrated Mediterranean Programme for Crete that financed the project under the aegis of the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Thus a remarkable monument of architecture has been revived, offering an ideal shelter to historical and traditional handicraft collections.

Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon

Since 1991, the Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon has been housed in the pentagonal building opposite the main gate of the Fortetsa. The building was constructed by the Turks in an effort to strengthen the city's defence. Due to the different functions that it served over the centuries - until the 1960's it housed the civic prison - its original form has been significantly altered.