1966-1998
Physics Experiment Collections and Technical Exhibit Halls
The Eugenides Foundation’s Physics Experiment Collections and Technical Exhibition Halls were established in 1966 and operated at the Eugenides Foundation’s facilities until 1998. Over the course of more than 30 years of operation, they have continually evolved to meet the needs of the time and have welcomed thousands of visitors to their facilities.
The Eugenides Foundation’s Physics Experiment Collections and Technical Exhibition Halls featured more than 150 physics experiment setups, covering primarily topics in General Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, and Thermodynamics. The Deutsches Museum in Munich served as a model for their creation.
A major innovation for the time was that they had a separate hall with exhibits donated to the Eugenides Foundation by leading scientific institutions, organizations, companies, and industries such as BP Greece Ltd, Shell Co. Ltd, Hellenic Petroleum Refineries S.A., Ford, OSRAM, BOSCH, M.A.N., and PITSOS S.A., S.A., IZOLA S.A., SIEMENS Greece S.A., the Physics Laboratories of the University of Athens, DEI S.A., the Geodesy Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens, the Air Force, OLIVETTI, SVENSKA, ORIANT LINIEN, PHILIPS, and others.
The goal of the Physics Experiment Collections and the Technical Exhibit Halls was to offer students the opportunity to learn about physics in the laboratory, at a time when schools lacked experimental equipment. The Eugenides Foundation’s ultimate goal in establishing these collections was to contribute to the development of technical and vocational education in Greece, an area in which our country lagged behind other nations.
Both high school and college students/as well as the general public. Visitors had the opportunity to explore the space on their own, understand the basic laws of physics, and learn how the exhibits work through hands-on interaction. This method, which was based on educational models from other countries, was highly innovative for Greece. Interaction with the exhibits always took place under the guidance of the Foundation’s highly trained staff.
Visits by schoolchildren, high school students, and college and university students always began with a brief introductory talk, which was based on the exhibition texts as well as the specific interests of each group.
1999-2005
In 1999, the Foundation decided to renovate the building and its infrastructure in order to more effectively carry out its mission. In September 2003, two new wings of the Foundation were completed: the New Digital Planetarium and the “Marianne Simou” Interactive Science and Technology Exhibition Hall. The Foundation commissioned the design and construction of the interactive exhibits to the International French Center for Science and Technology “Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie.”
While awaiting the new exhibits, this space hosted the first temporary exhibition in November 2003, titled “The Science of Sports,” organized by the General Secretariat for the Olympic Games in collaboration with the Eugenides Foundation, in anticipation of the 2004 Olympic Games.
