The Helmis National History Museum is located in the small village of Agia Marina, in the center of Zakynthos, only 15 km from the capital of the island. The mountainous nature of the village matches perfectly with the museum, whose exhibits represent the rich flora and fauna of Zakynthos and Greece in general. In fact, this is the only museum of natural history on the island.
The Museum of Natural History opened in August 2000 by Panagiotis Helmis and it was founded by private initiative. Its aim is to make visitors aware of the rare ecosystem of Zakynthos, which varies from sandy beaches in the coastline where sea turtles lay their eggs to lush forests in the center.
The building of the museum is modern and functional. It has been properly designed to host the collection of the exhibits. With informative boards and representations of many scenes from nature, the museum presents more than 1,500 specimens from the flora, fauna and sea life of Zakynthos. Animals are represented in their natural environment, while visitors can also see collections of rare fish and birds. Other sections of the museum have mineral rocks and fossils with ancient plant and animal imprints.
