Athens National
Historical Museum
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament
building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
Athens National Historical Museum
Photo by Reinhard Dietrich
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
The Athens National Historical Museum (or Istorikó Mouseío in
Greek) is an archive of historical documents and artefacts displayed in the
former Greek Parliament building. This was built in 1858 and was home to the
Parliament until 1934. Indeed, one of the chief attractions is the chance to
see the grand Debating Hall of the Old Parliament, which is very impressive.
The museum is likely to be mainly of interest to historians,
and admirers of Lord Byron will find a room containing some of his
belongings, such as his sword, desk, trunk, pistol, and helmet. The rooms tell
the story of modern Greek history, from about the 14th century until shortly
after independence.
Photo Archive
The museum also has an archive of wonderful old photos, so
if there’s a photographic exhibition on there when you’re in Athens it’s well
worth going along.
Photo from the Archives of the Athens National Historical Museum
There’s a large collection of weaponry, and tributes to the
freedom fighters who helped Greece gain its independence. As expected, it is
very Greek-centred, with numerous paintings of Greek worthies. Unfortunately,
only summarised information is available in anything other than Greek.
Visiting the Athens National Historical Museum
The Athens National
Historical Museum is at Stadiou 13, less than a 5-minute walk from Syntagma
Square.
nhmuseum.gr
Where to Stay in Athens
Some other Athens pages
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Athens International Airport is east of Athens city centre with its own Metro train station, buses to Athens and Piraeus, taxis and car rental offices.
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
Athens Food Tours are being introduced by new company The Greek Fork, and will include tours of the Central Market, and the best street food.
Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
The Greece Travel Secrets website looks at the Athens weather, the chance of rain, the climate in summer and winter and the best time to visit Athens.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
The Athens Museum of Cycladic Art houses a remarkable collection of Cycladic figurines and other items and is one of the best museums in Athens.
The Athens War Museum is a fascinating look at Greek history through the lens of warfare from ancient battles to the Greek War of Independence and World War II.
Two of the best cocktail bars in Athens, MoMix Kerameikos and The Clumsies, are making creative cocktails using that most Greek of Greek spirits, Metaxa.
Athens' Benaki Museum is one of the city’s top museums with an outstanding collection, especially of Greek and Egyptian artefacts, in a beautiful mansion.
A History of Athens from the first people to live on the Acropolis through the Golden Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great to the military junta.
If visiting Athens it helps to know when major events and public holidays take place, as some shops and attractions may be closed, but to be there at times like Easter can make for a magical trip.
Amusing children in Athens is easy as there is lots to do including a children’s museum, planetarium, beaches, and easy excursions to the nearest islands.
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
Easter in Athens is, like everywhere in Greece, the biggest religious celebration of the year and this page tells you what to expect over the Easter weekend.
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
Athens in the rain isn’t something you’re likely to experience but here are suggestions for things to do in the rain in Athens including museums and shopping
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
The Athens Acropolis has the city's most iconic building, the Parthenon, along with other historic buildings and is where the Elgin Marbles were taken from.
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