The Museum of Natural History of Paranesti began operating in October 2002 and offers a unique opportunity for multifaceted acquaintance with the impressive natural environment of the Rhodopes and the Nestos valley. It is the main gateway to the ecological wealth of the area and its great biological and geological diversity. The exhibition space of the Museum exceeds 300 sq.m.

Inside the museum there is a large relief map depicting the Rhodope massif and a panel on mammals, reptiles, nocturnal birds of prey and amphibians.

Next is a showcase related to the geology of the Rhodopes, the minerals and rocks of the area (granite, rhyolite, sandstone, ophthalmic gneiss, pegmatite) and rocks from other areas of eastern Macedonia and Thrace. The second and third showcases exhibit land snails and arthropods (spiders, scorpions, isopods, myriopods, etc.) and specimens of mosses, lichens, fungi and ferns.

Other showcases with exhibits inform about the natural environment of the area (e.g. the Rhodope coniferous forests, logging, the alpine meadow, the estuaries and lagoons, the scrublands) and finally about the economy of the area (agriculture, animal husbandry and alternative tourism).