North of the lake, with a panoramic view of the entire Stymphalia valley, lies the Stymphalia Environment Museum, which opened to the public in 2010. It belongs to the Municipality of Sikyonia and is operated under the responsibility of the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation for the next fifty years since its establishment.
The museum building was designed to harness positive aspects of the local climate, such as cool winds for natural cooling and solar energy for the winter months.
A fundamental element of its design was also the unobstructed view of the lake. The museum emerges from the sloping ground, prominently declaring its presence.
In 2008, the building received a Special Mention at the Architectural Awards of the Hellenic Institute of Architecture and was included in the publication “The Phaedon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture.”
The Stymphalia Environment Museum, which aims to highlight the interdependence between humans and nature, focuses on their harmonious coexistence in the Stymphalia basin.
The goal of the Stymphalia Environment Museum is to raise ecological awareness among the public and preserve knowledge about the traditional technology of the area.
The Stymphalia Environment Museum is situated on the slope of one of the lush hills surrounding Lake Stymphalia. According to mythology, it was here that Hercules drove away the Stymphalian birds.
In the first section of the Stymphalia Environment Museum, you will find information about the local environment and its significance.
Stymphalia is part of the European Network of Protected Areas NATURA 2000. Lake Stymphalia and Mount Ziria have significant ecological value. They are interconnected by both underground and visible water paths, defining the Stymphalia watershed, the largest mountainous watershed in the Peloponnese. It also constitutes the southernmost mountain wetland of the Balkans, with rich flora and fauna.
In the second section, you will see how the local environment influenced the development of human activity, particularly traditional professions. To better understand the history, folklore, environment, and life in Stymphalia over the centuries, the Environment Museum offers:
Inside the Stymphalia Environment Museum, you have access to a unique exhibit for Greece: an open aquarium that cross-sections the lake, featuring live fish and plants from the area!
The Multipurpose Hall hosts periodic exhibitions, organizes events, and develops cultural activities.
Young visitors will enjoy climbing into the boat to see up close the plants and fish of the wetland, as depicted in the lake’s cross-section inside the Environment Museum. They also have the opportunity to see original models. Additionally, the museum’s digital representations vividly illustrate to children how people lived in harmony with nature for thousands of years around Lake Stymphalia.
The Stymphalia Environment Museum organizes educational programs with games and activities for schools and group visits, such as the program “Secret games, in the waters of the lake.”
