The museum (founded in 1882) is located on Stadiou Street near Syntagma (Constitution) Square in Athens and it is housed in the first permanent home of the Greek Parliament (Palaia Vouli) where members convened from 1875 to 1935. Belonging to the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece, its mission is to seek out, collect, and preserve objects and written evidence which help to shed light on the history of Modern Greece. In front of museum is the statue of General Theodoros Kolokotronis.