Ministry of Culture (Greece)

The Ministry of Culture (Greek: Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού) is the government department of Greece entrusted with preserving the country's cultural heritage and promoting the arts.

This ministry was established on 26 August 1971 as the Ministry of Culture and Sciences (Ὑπουργεῖον Πολιτισμοῦ καὶ Ἐπιστημῶν), and was renamed the Ministry of Culture (Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού) on 26 July 1985.

It ceased to exist on 21 June 2012, when the Ministry of Tourism was re-established and the culture portfolio was absorbed by the Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs to form the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports.

A separate Ministry of Culture and Sports was re-established on 25 June 2013, but on 27 January 2015 it was again merged with the education ministry to form the Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs.

On 23 September 2015, the merger was reversed and the culture and education portfolios were restored as separate ministries.