The Natural History Museum
was founded in 1964 by Angelos and Niki Goulandris, as a private non profit institution
devoted to study and protection of natural environment, the first museum of its kind to be established in Greece.
The Museum galleries host extensive collections of animal and plant fossils,
representative samples of contemporary flora and fauna from all over the Greek territory and a rich minerals and rock collection.
The exhibits illustrate the evolution and biodiversity of ecosystems,
while a special display is dedicated to man’s first appearance and development on earth.
The exhibition galleries encompass the following fields:
• Botany
• Zoology
• Entomology
• Marine Biology
• Ornithology
• Herpetology
• Geology
• Paleontology
Furthermore the Institute’s primary mission - and its founders’ vision -
is to promote the ecological principals and the environmental protection ethics.
Special displays are dedicated to two marine species threatened by extinction,
the Mediterranean monk seal
(Monachus monachus) - a rare and one of the most endangered mammals in the world -
and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta).
In addition the Museum has developed a continuous and eminent scientific activity,
relating to field research, collection, identification and recording of species, landscape studies of areas of particular environmental interest,
digitization of the museum collections, publications, collaborations with other scientific centres and institutes in Greece and abroad.
The Goulandris Natural History Museum was also the first to initiate environmental education in Greece and today plays a pivotal role in this field
by the implementation of programs, projects and workshops, addressed to pre-school and school-aged children, but also to the general public.
Ever since its foundation the activities of the Museum focus on raising awareness about the critical environmental issues
and cultivating attitudes favouring the preservation of natural wealth.
