The National Historical Museum: Everything you need to know

The National Historical Museum is the most important museum of modern Greek history and the oldest of its kind in Greece. It is the central museum of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece, an institution founded in 1882 with the purpose of preserving historical memory and highlighting modern Greek identity.

The entrance of the National Historical Museum

The museum is a private legal entity and is partly supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Since October 2025, it has been officially recognized as a non-state museum by the Ministry. It is also a member of the International Association of Museums of History and the International Council of Museums, and it cooperates with the Council of Europe and UNESCO.

Since its establishment in 1884, the museum has remained committed to its mission: collecting, preserving, and displaying historical objects from the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 up to the present day. Its rich collections include paintings, engravings, sculptures, figureheads from ships, flags, weapons, maps, philhellenic items, and personal belongings of key figures in modern Greek history.

Permanent Exhibition – The Period of Ottoman and Latin Rule (13th–18th centuries)

The museum also holds an important collection of traditional clothing, including outfits worn by well-known fighters, historical personalities, and church leaders, as well as regional Greek costumes and everyday objects. In addition, it maintains an archive of historical documents, a library, a photographic archive, and a conservation laboratory, making it an important research center for scholars.

Permanent Exhibition – The Greek War of Independence (1821–1827) – The Struggle on Land

Permanent Exhibition – The Greek War of Independence (1821–1827) – The Struggle at Sea

Since 1960, the museum has been housed in the historic Old Parliament building in Kolokotroni Square, in central Athens. The permanent exhibition is arranged around the impressive Assembly Hall, which is itself a place of historical significance and is also used for cultural and educational events. Temporary exhibitions are hosted in the gallery above.

Permanent Exhibition – The Foundation and Formation of the Modern Greek State (19th–early 20th century)

In the museum’s permanent exhibition, the history of the Greeks is presented from the 15th to the 20th century:

• The period of Latin and Ottoman rule (13th–18th centuries)
• The awakening of Greek national consciousness (17th–18th centuries)
• The Greek War of Independence (1821–1827)
• The foundation and formation of the modern Greek state (19th–early 20th century)

Permanent Exhibition – The Period of King Otto & George I

Over its long history, the museum has organized more than 100 temporary exhibitions in Athens, across Greece, and abroad. It has also published a large number of studies on modern Greek history, folklore, and tradition, some of which have been awarded by the Academy of Athens. The museum is also active in education, offering guided tours, school programs, workshops and outreach activities.

Temporary Exhibitions – “Revolution21reframed: Main exhibition” – The main commemorative exhibition in Athens marking 200 years since the Greek Revolution (18 May 2021 – 4 June 2023)

Temporary Exhibitions – “From Greater… to Contemporary Greece (Part ΙI): Refugees” (16 December 2023 – 31 December 2025)

Beyond its main location in Athens, the museum also operates two branches on the island of Hydra:

• Τhe Historical House of Lazaros Kountouriotis, which functions as a folk museum and art gallery,
• Τhe House and Studio of painter Panayiotis Tetsis, which preserves elements of traditional island life.