The much awaited New Acropolis Museum
(2-4 Makriyanni, Makriyanni, 210 9241043) is
complete and all antiquities formerly housed
in the small museum close to the Parthenon
were transported during 2007 in a mammothsized
operation. The last exhibits were placed
into their new positions in April 2008 but at the
time of writing, the new museum had still not
opened its doors to the public. The exhibition
rooms are still closed, but visitors are allowed
to enter the ground floor and inspect the
ancient city-beneath-the-city discovered
during excavations. Archaeologists
uncovered ancient roads, houses, bathhouses
and workshops dating between 3000 B.C.-
1200 B.C., all of which can now be seen in the
temporary exhibition “The excavation and the
museum”. When completed, the exhibition
rooms will house the most important artefacts
of the classical period, as well as other treasures
which were kept in storage for lack of space.
Antiquities will be divided in parts, namely the
findings from the slopes of the Acropolis, the
archaic period, the classical period, the roman
period and the recent findings underneath the
building. A room will also be left vacant with the
hope of one day housing the Parthenon (Elgin)
Marbles, presently kept in the British Museum.
The new museum was designed by Swiss
architect Bernard Tschumi, who used stainless
steel, glass and cement as his basic materials.

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