The Natural History Museum of Crete or NMHC of the University of Crete was founded in December 1980 by presidential decree within the framework of the School of Sciences of the University of Crete.
The museum has changed the exhibition venues of its collections from time to time. The first exhibition was held in May 1994 at the Venetian Fortress of Koule in Heraklion. The second exhibition was held in August 1994 in Sivas (Pyrgiotissis) while the third exhibition was held in March 1995 in Rethymno. The fourth exhibition was held from June to November 1995 at the Venetian Navy Yards in Heraklion. The fifth exhibition was held from June to November 1997 at the Navy Yards of Chania.
In June 1998, the museum rented, renovated and furnished an 800 sq m building in Heraklion, at 157 Leoforos Knossou Street, which functioned as an exhibition space until June 2005. That exhibition approaches the complex geological, ecological and cultural area of the eastern Mediterranean with realistic representations of ecosystems, exhibits from the Museum's collections, photographic material, drawings and explanatory texts.
Today the museum's exhibition is housed in the renovated building of the Old Electric Company of Heraklion, on Sofoklis Venizelou Avenue (Dermata Bay), which was granted by the Municipality of Heraklion for this purpose.
In 2012, the Natural History Museum of Crete was awarded by the Academy of Athens for its contribution to the promotion of scientific knowledge and public awareness on issues of environmental and ecosystem protection.
The Natural History Museum of Crete (NHM) offers its visitors a unique experience. Its exhibition spaces, covering 3,500 m 2, highlight, in an impressive and innovative way, the natural environment of Crete compared to that of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.
At the four different levels of the exhibition, visitors have the opportunity to browse:
- in Dioramas, i.e. life-size representations of nature
- to the Giant Deinotherium, the largest prehistoric animal of Crete that lived on the island 8.5 million years ago
- at the Living Museum, with live animals typical of the region
- at the Research Site, a space specially designed for children where they can explore the nature of Crete through interactive games
- in Enceladus, an experiential earthquake simulator where the visitor can feel real earthquakes that have occurred in various parts of the world.
In 2016, it hosted three temporary exhibitions. " Extreme Dinosaurs " concerns dinosaurs with impressive and extreme characteristics and takes us millions of years ago, introducing us to the most special creatures of that era and allowing us to walk among moving dinosaurs in life-size, from the largest and smallest dinosaur, the oldest, the fastest and the well-known T-rex. The second exhibition, " Bright Mysteries ", includes holograms, experiments and optical illusions. The third temporary exhibition is entitled " Crete, a continent on an island" and includes a multitude of exhibits and micro-dioramas on the biodiversity and geodiversity of Crete.
In all areas of the Museum, visitors can explore freely or be guided by specialized guides-museum educators.