The New Acropolis Museum

The New Acropolis Museum was due to open this year, but it's behind schedule and won't open until around March next year. The Museum is designed to replace the small museum next to the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis.

Although it isn't officially open yet, some parts have been opened to the public to gain an idea of what the finished museum will look like. There is only one exhibition space open at present and the material contained within that exhibition has come from collections all over the world. The exhibit has been set up to illustrate the amount of ancient artefacts that have been stolen from Greece over the last couple of hundred years and repatriated. It was an interesting collection and intriguing to see where most of the artefacts have been repatriated from.

Beneath the museum is an archaeological site. There was no information explaining what we were looking at, but hopefully by the time the museum is completed it will be there. Although there was no information it was extremely interesting and a huge site. It has been done really well because it can be viewedfrom many different angles by the public. From outside of the museum they have left the site uncovered so you can see it clearly or have created areas of glass that you can walk on directly over the site. They have continued this glass floor inside the museum. It's really impressive and I think it has been done well.

After I'd wandered around the museum I gave Mum a call to tell her what I'd just seen. While we were chatting she told me about a program she had watched on tv regarding the New Acropolis Museum. The program was particularly focussed on 2 buildings in front of the museum. These buildings are 2 heritage listed Art Deco apartment blocks. The apartments are positioned between the museum and the Acropolis. However they do not block much of the view of the Acropolis and the museum was designed and constructed so these buildings would not impact the view of the Acropolis.

Mum was telling me that the director of the New Acropolis Museum wants to have these 2 apartment blocks pulled down! What's worse is that the government has approved the demolition of these buildings!

It's an absolute outrage!

I found these 2 apartment blocks and they are absolutely amazing. They are some of the most gorgeous Art Deco buildings I've ever seen and the best example of Art Deco architecture in Greece.

On the front of the buildings was information regarding the demolition that is due to happen and a petition for people to sign to try to stop it from happening.

What was very interesting is that the apartment blocks were given heritage listing which of course would protect them from this sort of thing happening. However, in 2007, the Ministry of Culture decided to revoke the heritage listing which would of course allow the buildings to be pulled down! The point of heritage listing is to protect buildings from this sort of thing happening. If it can be revoked whenever the government deems it financially viable what's the point of having heritage listing in the first place!?!

I think this really explains a lot about the mentality in Greece regarding their cultural heritage - unless something is several thousand years old and can make money from tourism, it isn't deemed culturally and historically important.

Greece is trying to prove to the world that they have progressed into the modern age and have the capability to look after the Parthenon friezes (better known as Elgin's Marbles and are currently housed in the British Museum). However this sort of act, pulling down of something that is historically important to Athens, proves that they don't fully understand or appreciate their cultural heritage and they are merely doing all of this for the money that comes from the tourists flocking to the city.

I'm sorry for getting preachy, but I just couldn't help myself. It really irritates me when people assume that just because something is less than 100 years old it can't be a part of history. Every single day affects the historical record. In 100 years the new buildings of today will be considered monuments of the past.