Acropolis Museum - Athens, Greece
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endeavour3
N 37° 58.140 E 023° 43.690
34S E 739648 N 4205887
The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on artifacts of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens.
Waymark Code: WM18H62
Location: Greece
Date Posted: 08/04/2023
Views: 2
The Acropolis Museum is located in the southeast corner of Acropolis rock on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. It was built to house the vast exhibits that were found from the excavations in the Acropolis of Athens.
The museum was designed by the New-Yorker architect Bernard Tschumi, in cooperation with the Greek architect Michael Photiades. The total area of this building is 14,000 sqm and there are more than 4,000 historical objects on display.
All the artifacts recovered from the excavation site date back to the Greek Bronze Age, the Roman and the Byzantine era. It is a four storied museum, where three levels have been used to showcase the historical artifacts and the remaining top floor houses the gift shop, cafeteria, restaurant, and offices.
The entire tour of the museum is structured in such a manner that visitors will be going to each of the floors according to the chronological order of the time period.
At first, visitors come across the exhibits found on the Acropolis Slopes. The hall housing these exhibits is long and rectangular in shape and imitates the ascending path on a rock. Here, there are various objects and remains of buildings from the settlements dating back to the Neolithic period, from 3000 B.C to the 6th century A.D, and ancient sanctuaries dedicated to gods Dionysus and Asclepius.
The next stage in the tour involves findings from the archaic period, marble statues used as decorative pieces and various gifts dedicated to goddess Athena, the protector of ancient Athens. There are also sculptures from the Propylaia, the temple of Athena Nike and the Erectheion.
In the third phase of the tour, visitors will see the Parthenon gallery, where sections of marble structures from the Temple of Parthenon have been kept for display. This gallery is totally made out of glass enabling natural light to fall on the displayed items.
On the top floor, there is the most impressive part of the museum: the frieze of the Parthenon, as it was in its original form. Of course, there aren't all the pieces of the frieze, as almost half of them are kept in the British Museum in London. However, the archaeologists and special artists have managed to copy the Elgin Marbles, unite them with the parts of the frieze that Greece possesses and make a view of the frieze as it used to be in the ancient times. This is one of the main reasons why this museum was created: to put pressure on the British Museum and give the Elgin Marbles back to Greece, to host them in a proper house at their homeland.
The entire cost of construction of the Acropolis Museum was covered by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund). Although it took many years to finish this project (discussions about it started in 1975), the museum was finally inaugurated in June 2009.
The Acropolis Museum is open every day from 8 am to 8 pm, except Monday and Greek public holidays.It is close to Acropolis Metro Station and easy to reach by the disabled.
Theme:
Archaeological Remains from the Acropolis of Athens
Street Address:
Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, Athens
Food Court: yes
Gift Shop: yes
Hours of Operation:
Winter Season - 1 November to 31 March
Monday - Sunday 9am to 5pm
Summer Season - 1 April to 31 October
Monday 9am to 5pm
Tuesday - Sunday 9am to 8pm
Cost: 15.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Medium
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
In order to log this waymark in this category, you must be able to provide proof of your visit. Please post a picture of yourself or your GPSr in front some identifiable feature or point of interest either in the museum, or on the museum grounds.