Lazaros Efraimoglou (1932-2013)

My family and I, back in 1993, founded the Foundation of the Hellenic World placing an initial endowment of 4 million ECUs (1.2 billion Drachmas). Our vision was, and still is, to create a place where:

• The complete history of Hellenism from 8000 BC until today will be told.
• The complete presence (in the geographical sense) of Hellenism will be shown.
• All aspects of life of the people will be presented.
• All the above, will be shown in an educative way as a means to help the people of today through their lives.

Our idea was born during our trips abroad and at home. In San Francisco we were impressed by the educative value of the interactive "Exploratorium". In the southern part of Asia Minor (today part of Turkey), we were astounded by the dozens of ancient relics of Hellenic presence that were not only unmarked in any tourist map, but even I, although my origin is from that area, had only a vague idea of their existence.

When touring Greece, our joy in seeing the lovely countryside and the picturesque villages was only made greater by the never-ending spectacle of historic sites, landmarks, decaying temples, old monasteries, tombs and other reminders of human life.

Ancient philosophers and Christian religion alike, teach that the noblest purpose in life is to serve your fellowmen. On the other hand, though a successful businessman, I always thought that money is not an end, but only a tool to help accomplish an aim. So the Foundation was created.