Acropolis museum Parthenon marbles New Acropolis Museum

The New Museum of the Acropolis

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.

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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.

New Acropolis Museum Open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. Closed every Monday. Photography and Video are not allowed in this museum.

Entrance Fee 5 euro

The New Museum of the Acropolis will provide services that can be expected from a 21st century museum. Service areas prevail on the ground floor. The visitors enters into a large anteroom housing a sales shop, a refreshment stand overlooking the archaeological excavation, a 200-seat amphitheatre, an area of periodic exhibitions and a virtual reality room.

The entresol has a gallery with multimedia and a restaurant providing a panoramic view of the Acropolis. Provisions have been made for the easy access of persons with special needs.

The New Museum of the Acropolis is situated in the historic area of Makriyannis, southeast of the Rock just opposite the Dionysus theatre.

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