President inaugurates Goulandris Museum of Natural History 

The President of the Hellenic Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas officially inaugurated the Goulandris Museum of Natural History in Kifisia on Tuesday evening, following its designation as the Goulandris National Museum of Natural History.

Describing it as “a model museum, a jewel of Kifisia and a source of pride for all of Greece,” President Tasoulas praised the institution’s six decades of tireless contribution to environmental protection, education, and research. “Today we celebrate its recognition as a National Institution for the Protection of Greek Nature, Environmental Education, and Scientific Research — an honour it has earned after sixty years of unwavering service,” he said.

During his address, the President paid tribute to the museum’s founders, Niki and Angelos Goulandris, “two visionaries driven by their deep love for nature, science, and culture, and by their concern for the destruction of the natural environment and the absence of environmental education in Greece.” In 1964, the couple founded the country’s first botanical museum in a neoclassical house dating from 1875, aiming to study, record and protect Greek flora and fauna.

Referring to the museum’s new national status, President Tasoulas said, “With deep respect for the work of Niki and Angelos Goulandris, we salute the entry of this great museum into a new era — one I hope will be wiser, where development will not clash with the natural world, where natural resources will not be sacrificed to overconsumption, and where life on our planet will not be endangered by human greed and irresponsibility.”

He emphasized that the institution will continue to function as a “living organism of knowledge,” promoting environmental ethics as a foundation for social progress and encouraging humanity’s reconnection with nature. Led by long-time president Fali Vogiatzaki, who has been involved since 1971, the museum will remain “a forum for dialogue, a platform for action, and a laboratory of environmental awareness — a guardian of knowledge and a catalyst for change.”

In his speech, Tasoulas recalled the broader European awakening to environmental issues in the 1970s, citing the pioneering work of the Club of Rome and European leaders such as Sicco Mansholt, who warned of the global threats of pollution, population growth, and resource depletion. He noted that the Goulandris couple had already anticipated such concerns when they founded the museum in the early 1960s, a time when “ecological consciousness was almost entirely absent in Greece.”

The President also highlighted the museum’s expanded responsibilities under Greek law (Article 38 of Law 5106/2024), which now formally recognises it as a national scientific and educational body. Its collections — including plants, insects, birds, mammals, shells, minerals and fossils — are now part of Greece’s official natural heritage, while its educational and research programs will be further strengthened.

Tracing its evolution, Tasoulas noted that the original Botanical Museum expanded in 1977 to include zoology, paleontology, and geology, becoming the Goulandris Museum of Natural History. In 2001, the addition of the Gaia Centre linked natural history with contemporary environmental challenges through state-of-the-art ecological and biotechnological research laboratories.

“The Goulandris Museum represents all those who stood against destructive attitudes and understood that environmental consciousness cannot be built without education, knowledge, and memory,” he said.

The President concluded by congratulating the museum’s scientists, curators, and artists, along with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which supported the new exhibition ‘Biodiversity: Everything Is Connected’, officially opened following the ceremony.

Earlier the same day, the final step in the museum’s transition to national status was completed with the publication of the relevant Presidential Decree in the Government Gazette (Issue B 6055/12.11.25), formally renaming it The Goulandris National Museum of Natural History.

The evening concluded with President Tasoulas touring the new exhibition, marking a milestone in Greece’s long-standing commitment to environmental awareness and preservation.