Acropolis Museum, Athens

The ultra-modern new Acropolis Museum, as seen from the Acropolis. The new building opened in June 2009. Photo dinstereo.


Closer exterior view of the new museum. Photo Mel & John Kots.


Large windows and green landscaping. Photo dinstereo.


View of the Acropolis from the Parthenon Room. Photo dinstereo.


Friezes in the Parthenon Room. Photo dinstereo.


Statue room, with all given equal emphasis. Photo dinstereo.


For comparison, a statue room at the old Acropolis Museum.
Photo David Vo.


Moschophoros (Calf-Bearer), c.560 BC. The Archaic-era statue is shown here on display in the old museum. Photo Robert Wallace.


The symbolic Three-Bodied Serpent, c.550 BC. Photo Templar1307.

Location map and aerial view of Acropolis Museum. For a larger interactive view, see our Athens Map.

After decades of planning and years of construction, the Acropolis Museum in Athens opened in an ultra-modern new building on June 20, 2009. Located at the foot of the Acropolis, the new museum displays statues, reliefs and artifacts from the Parthenon and other sites on the Acropolis.

History

Immediately after the War of Independence (1821-29) drove the Turks from Athens, plans were discussed for an Acropolis Museum. Under Ottoman rule, many foreign visitors had taken souvenirs from the Acropolis back to their own countries (the most infamous being the Elgin Marbles) and the protection of the remaining artifacts became a significant part of establishing independent Greek identity.

The first Acropolis Museum was built in 1865 southeast of the Parthenon. After archaeological excavations of the Acropolis began in 1886, this small museum proved inadequate to hold all the finds. A second museum was built in 1888, which was in turn demolished in 1946-47 in favor of expanding the original.

By the 1970s, the old museum was proving too small for the amount of artworks, insufficient for the numbers of visitors it received and inadequate for the beauty and importance of the artifacts displayed there. Discussion for a new museum began and architectural competitions were held in 1976 and 1979, but the project stalled.

In 1989, in large part in the hopes of getting the British Museum to return the Parthenon friezes to Athens, Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri initiated a new competition. But construction plans had to be canceled after the discovery of an ancient residential area on the building site.

Finally, in 2000, a fourth architectural competition was held, with the winning design going to architect Bernard Tschumi. The old museum closed in 2007 for the final phase of construction and the new Acropolis Museum opened to the public in June 2009.

The completion of the new Acropolis Museum has brought an ongoing debate to the forefront: should the British Museum return the Elgin Marbles to Athens? Taken by Lord Elgin when he was ambassador to the ruling Ottoman Empire in the early 1800s, these Parthenon reliefs have been a prize exhibit in London's British Museum since 1818.

Among the reasons given by the museum for not returning the Parthenon friezes to Athens is that there would not be a suitable place to display them there. That argument, at least, has now been rendered obsolete. On the official website of the Acropolis Museum, the Greek Minister of Culture writes that not having those fragments in Athens is like "missing a piece of our soul" and that he expects them to be reunited in Greece soon.

What to See

The new Acropolis Museum is housed in a state-of-the-art building designed by Swiss-born architect Bernard Tschumi. With an area of 226,000 square feet - 10 times larger than the old museum - the new building feels open and full of light. Its design has received mixed reviews from locals, but there is no doubt it is a striking and highly functional work of architecture.

The Acropolis Museum houses all of the portable objects removed from the Acropolis since 1834, with the exception of a few bronzes displayed in the National Archeological Museum and inscriptions in the Epigraphical Museum. The museum's artifacts are primarily religious in nature, including a fascinating collection of ancient statues used in religious ceremonies, and they provide a fascinating visual history of Greek religion.

The permanent collection includes the following exhibits:

• Slopes of the Acropolis - including a look at an ongoing excavation beneath the museum
• The Acropolis in the Archaic Age
• The Parthenon Room - display of all friezes remaining in Greece (including portraits of Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, and Eros) and a sweeping view of the Partheon through a glass wall
• Other Monuments of the Classical Acropolis
• The Temple of Artemis Vravrona
• Classical and Hellenistic Offerings
• Roman Offerings

In addition to the Parthenon frieze, notable highlights of the collection include several statues and offerings from the Archaic Temple of Athena and the original Caryatids salvaged from the Erechtheion Temple (replicas are displayed on the original site).

Quick Facts

Travel Resources

• Athens Map - our detailed interactive map of Athens, plus hand-picked links to more
• Athens Guided Tours - book sightseeing tours and activities in Athens
• Athens Hotels - check availability, maps, photos and reviews, then book at the guaranteed lowest rate
• Athens Hostels - reserve budget lodgings with no booking fees
• Athens Car Rentals - get the lowest rate by comparing multiple car companies at a glance
• Athens Flight Search - compare multiple travel sites to find the lowest airfare to Athens
• Athens Restaurant Reviews - the best places to eat in town
• Athens Travel Forum - tips, answers and advice on Athens tourism

Article Sources

Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:

1. The Acropolis Museum - official website (currently Greek only)
2. Michael Kimmelmann, "Elgin Marble Argument in a New Light" - New York Times, June 23, 2009

Article last updated: 06/24/2009.

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