The first museum, built in an area near the eastern part of the Parthenon, was built at the end of the 19th century. In it, many of the ancient vestiges of the Greek world found on the Acropolis and its surroundings were exhibited, such as stone sculptures, bronze statuettes, vessels, glasses and plates.
Due to the limited size of the old museum, the Greek authorities set out to build a new one in the late 1970s, although the project did not begin to see light until 2000.
After four major architectural competitions, the American architect Bernard Tschumi won the tender to design this new venue for culture in Athens. Tschumi built an impressive building. This creation is known as the New Acropolis Museum.
The structure, made of glass and concrete, was completed in 2007 and inaugurated in 2009. It is located about 300 meters from the Acropolis. It covers a total area of 25 thousand square meters and offers all the comforts of a modern museum.
The ground floor of the structure leads to the Gallery of the Acropolis Slopes, while the spacious hall houses the treasures found in the hills surrounding the Acropolis of Athens. There you can admire everyday objects used by Athenians from different historical periods.
On the first floor, you will find the Archaic Gallery. The exhibits here date from the 7th century BC. until the end of the Persian wars. The archaic period coincides with the flourishing of the ancient Greek city-states. It is also when the political culture went from aristocracy to tyranny and eventually evolved into democracy.
As this was also a period of numerous economic, political, artistic and intellectual achievements, the Archaic Gallery has tried to reflect this fact with a vast and beautiful exhibition of Greek history. Architecturally, the gallery has large windows that flood it with sunlight.
The central room of the Parthenon Gallery is located on the next floor, and allows visitors to watch a video presentation about the Parthenon, its history, and the details that make it special. Herein lies the true magic of the museum; in fact, the entire gallery is arranged around the Parthenon section.
The museum tour ends with exhibits of portraits, Roman copies of classical Hellenic works, and depictions of historical figures. We can also see remains of the Sanctuary of Artemis and votives from the classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods, dating from the 5th century BC.
The Acropolis Museum is normally open throughout the year, and every day it welcomes thousands of tourists from all over the world. Likewise, it offers a large number of tours, both free and guided, and special events that tell the history of ancient Athens.
It can be reached comfortably by metro from Athens, the nearby stations are Akropoli or Monastiraki. It is also accessible by walking about 10 minutes from the central area of the Plaka neighborhood, of which the Acropolis Museum is an illustrious neighbor.
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