Description of the attraction
The National History Museum of Greece is located in the so-called Old Parliament building. The house was originally owned by the Greek tycoon and politician Alexandros Kontoslavlos. In 1833 Athens became the capital of Greece and King Otto made the house his temporary residence. During a fire in 1854, the house burned down. The new building was designed by the French architect François Boulanger. The first stone was laid in 1858 by Queen Amalia. But construction was suspended due to lack of funds. In 1863, after the overthrow of King Otto from the throne, construction was resumed under the leadership of the architect Panagiotis Kalkos, who made significant changes to the building plans. The construction was completed in 1871, but the Greek parliament only settled there in 1875. In 1932, the parliament moved to the former Royal Palace in Syntagma Square, where it has been since then, and the building housed the Greek Ministry of Justice. In 1961, a complete restoration was carried out and the building was transferred to the National Historical Museum.
In 1904, a bronze monument to General Theodoros Kolokotronis was erected on the square in front of the building. The monument was created in 1900 in Paris by the sculptor Lazaros Sokhos. The pedestal of the monument is decorated with a relief depicting scenes of the battle of Dervakion and the meetings of the Peloponnesian Senate during the Greek Revolution.
The museum displays the collection of the Historical and Ethnographic Society of Greece, founded in 1882. This is the oldest collection of its kind in Greece. Previously, it was housed in the building of the National Technical University. The exhibits in the collection reflect the period from the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to World War II, with particular emphasis on the period of the Greek Revolution and the subsequent development of the state. The exposition of the museum presents personal belongings of famous historical figures, weapons (including Byzantine armor), paintings of historical themes by Greek and foreign artists, manuscripts, a large collection of folk costumes from different regions of Greece and other interesting exhibits. The central hall of the building is used for conferences.
