2. The New Acropolis Museum, sits near the base of the Acropolis with a direct view of the Parthenon, is one of the highest-profile cultural projects undertake in Europe in this decade.
3. The new facility, 226,000 square feet of glass and concrete designed by the New York-based architect Bernard Tschumi, replaces the old Acropolis Museum, a small 1874 building tucked into the rock of the Acropolis next to the Parthenon.
4. The Acropolis Museum provides a Museum Restaurant with panoramic views of the Acropolis and a 700 square meter public terrace commanding a breathtaking view of the historic hills of Athens. The Museum Café on the ground floor level overlooks the archaeological excavation.
5. 188 years since the declaration of the Greek Independence, 33 years since Constantinos Karamanlis took the far-sighted decision to built it in this particular site, and 27 years since the campaign of Melina Merkouri, a duty is fulfilled and a dream is realized: the new Acropolis Museum.
6. The new Acropolis Museum was designed with two objectives: the first to offer the best conditions for the exhibition of its exhibits and secondly to be a Museum that welcomes and befriends its visitors.
7. A walk through its galleries is a walk through history – between the masterpieces of the Archaic and Classical periods, but also in the ancient neighborhoods of Athens.
8. There are strong, sacred bonds, connecting us with every single item, from the humblest archaeological fragment to the most ornate figure. All of the artifacts are parts of our soul… Mostly the ones missing! With the anticipation that eventually – better sooner than later – they will be re-united in their birth place and in the integral form they were meant to be. Antonis C. Samaras Minister of Culture
