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The New Museum of the ACROPOLIS
on the south foothills of the Sacred Rock opened in 1st July 2009.
Entrance fee from January 1st 2010: 5€. Entrance is free for Children up
to 18.
For the first time after
the completion of
the archaeological excavations on the rock, all important findings of the
Acropolis will be exhibited together within a single area of 14.000 square
meters with the main aim of narrating the history of the Acropolis and its
foothills. From prehistoric to classical times and then to Hellenistic,
Roman and up to later antiquity, the rich collections of the museum will
convey to the visitor the presence of man at the Acropolis. At the same
time, the extensive ruins of the Ancient city of Athens, brought to
surface at the site where the Museum is built, will enrich the exhibition programme.
The archaeological excavation at the
base of the Museum, the linking of the top part of the building - the
Parthenon Room - with the temple a top of the hill and the exhibits
themselves have determined the architecture of the Museum, which gives the
impression of being suspended as it is supported by more than 100 pillars,
thus creating an impressive protective shell for the archaeological
excavation.
Visual contact of those visiting the Sculpture Room with the monument will
be achieved through the see-through glass facets of the Museum, and in
particular of the Parthenon room. At the same time, the visitor may enjoy
a unique panoramic view of the Acropolis, of the historic hills and of
modern Athens.
Although it will show a wide range of exhibits, the New Museum of the
Acropolis is mainly a sculpture museum. Sculptures, architectural and free
items that were embellishing the monuments and the Rock were bathed by the
changing natural light. The extensive use of glass on the external surface
areas of the Museum allows natural light to enter, ensuring similar
exposure conditions.
The emphasis on natural light is apparent in all
exhibition rooms. Light enters from the atrium of the Parthenon Room and
passing through its glass floor brightens the exhibition areas down to the
excavation area. The archaeological ruins also receive natural light
through perimetric, cellular openings on the base of the Museum.
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