Maritime History and Research

The  Foundation’s Maritime Collection consists of individual collections on topics related to the sea and shipping. It includes sections with rare nautical instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries, natural marine finds, paintings, works of art, as well as the archive of the hydrobiologist Dr. Konstantinos Laskaridis on ichthyology, oceanography and all sectors of fisheries.

An important part of the Maritime Collection is the Nelson Collection, which includes personal items, dozens of letters and documents associated with the English Admiral Horatio Nelson and is the largest collection outside the UK. Part of the Maritime Collection is exhibited in the building of the Historical Library.

Within the framework of the project “From the Aegean to the Ionian. A sea of knowledge”, you can explore our new digital applications for the sea and its treasures, inspired by the rich material of the Foundation.

Explore the works of K. Volanakis as well as nautical objects in the Digital Art Gallery, search for information about lighthouses, shipwrecks and quarantine centers in Greece in the “Nautilοs” application  and virtually browse inside a lighthouse.

Also, responding to the need for the preservation and promotion of marine heritage, but also with respect to the dissemination of knowledge, the application With a boat called “Evangelistria” aspires to inform and awaken the public about the importance of traditional shipbuilding.