Natural History Museum of Crete
Natural History Museum of Crete features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Heraklion. Give it roughly ~90 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Heraklion Heraklion guide
About Natural History Museum of Crete
Feel a simulated earthquake, come face to face with a life-size extinct elephant relative, and roam Crete's mountains-to-sea wildlife inside a restored seafront power station.
The Natural History Museum of Crete is a research and exhibition museum of the University of Crete, founded around 1980-81 and devoted to the natural environment of the eastern Mediterranean. Its public exhibition occupies the restored building of the former Electricity Company power station on the Heraklion seafront at Dermata Bay, with exhibition halls exceeding roughly 3,500 square metres, among the largest natural-history displays in Greece.
Displays recreate Cretan and eastern Mediterranean ecosystems, from mountains and gorges to the coast, with dioramas of the region's flora and fauna. Highlights include an earthquake simulator named 'Enceladus' after a giant of Greek myth, a life-size model of the extinct elephant relative Deinotherium giganteum, and the 'Erevnotopos' Discovery Centre, a hands-on area designed for children.
Did you know? The building was once a power station. The museum occupies the restored shell of Heraklion's old Electricity Company plant on the seafront, turning an industrial relic into more than 3,500 square metres of living-world exhibits.
How long is a visit to Natural History Museum of Crete?
Set aside roughly ~90 min for Natural History Museum of Crete. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Natural History Museum of Crete worth your time?
Natural History Museum of Crete is among the 20 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Heraklion, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Heraklion
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Natural History Museum of Crete and read more:
Day 1 of the Heraklion in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Natural History Museum of Crete
Preview the Heraklion tour free in the Gingerguide app.