Description
The Museum
The Acropolis Museum in Athens has recently been opened and mainly exposes samples from the Acropolis itself. The museum was opened in 2009 and is located at the foothills of the Acropolis. Annually, there are approximately 5 million people visiting. All samples are shown to the public on an area encompassing 14,000m² (16,750 sq yd). Since the 19th century there have been time and again museums presenting the Acropolis, which were first built on the same ground as the Acropolis itself and thus had only little space.
The excavation site
In the museum, one can find the exhibition of a large archaeological excavation site, which was only discovered when the construction works for the museum started and therefore were afterwards integrated into the museum. Several problems occurred during the construction of the museum. Many listed buildings in the direct surroundings had to remain untouched. Flats in the vicinity lost the direct view on the Acropolis due to the construction of the museum. This again led to falling prices for these properties. The location of the museum is very special, though. One wall of the museum is entirely built of glass and thus allows an unrestricted view on the Acropolis.
Exhibition
The museum exhibits numerous statues and artworks descending from an era that spans from the Archaic period up to the late antiquity. If these samples had not been shown here, they would have certainly been abandoned in the archives and remained unseen for the public eye.
Along with the construction of the museum, there were Greek voices raised to finally bring back the so-called “Elgin Marbles” from London to their original place in the Acropolis. There have been ongoing arguments concerning these samples. Greek executives have kept arguing that these samples belong back to their country of origin, but the British Museum has so far been very reluctant to this as the British executives have claimed the exclusive right to exhibit the "Elgin Marbles". During the time Athens used to be a part of the Ottoman Empire, large parts of the “Elgin Marbles” were taken to England and have since been permanent exhibition samples of the British Museum in London.
Events
The museum in Athens is also used as a venue for several cultural events such as concerts and film screenings.
How to get there
By public transport
One can comfortably travel here by using the local public transport system. The museum encourages all visitors to do so as not using motor-operated vehicles will help prevent severe damages to the ancient buildings of Athens' historical centre. There are no car parks at the museum and there are only a few in the vicinity of the museum. Either way, it's best to come here by public transport. You have several options. If you like to travel by bus and catch a glimpse of the city on the way to the Acropolis Museum, you have several bus lines to choose from. They will all stop at the station “Makryianni”, which is located just in front of the museum. If you take one of the Trolley buses to get here, it's best if you opt for the lines 1, 5, or 15 and get off at the same stop. By using the underground you will also get to the Acropolis Museum. Just hop on line 2, get off at the station “Acropolis” and here you are.
