The Museum Location

The I.8-hectare site for the New Acropolis Museum is located at the southern base of the Acropolis, intersecting the ancient road that led up to the Acropolis in classical times. A short walk and within panoramic view from and to the Parthenon, the entrance and exit from the Museum is made from the cobbled pedestrian walkway of Dionysiou Areopagitou. As the key artery in the network of pedestrian walks under construction across inner Athens, visitors will eventually be able to continue their stroll from the Museum through a 4-kilometer archaeological park linking centers of archeological interest such as the ancient Cemetery of the Kerameikos, the Ancient Agora, the Hill of Muses and Nymphs and the Temple of Zeus, free of automobile traffic and city noise.


As with much of the historic quarter of Athens, the Museum site is set within a densely built urban area that combines historic and heritage buildings with multi storey apartment and retail stores. The Museum design deliberately provides for green open spaces in its street frontages and a program of beautification for the local area is also foreseen.

The welcome location of the Acropolis station of the Athens Metro on the eastern side of the Museum site provides direct access for visitors to a central transport line giving fast passage to many of Athens key points of interest such as the central city squares and shopping districts at Syntagma and Omonoia, the National Archaeological Museum and the popular tourist district of Monastiraki.
Exhibition Design and Amenities

Unlike many classical archaeological museums, the relationship between the Museum and its visitors is a central design and planning concept. The exhibition program will both inform visitors of the historical and functional aspects of the exhibits and the monuments to which they belong, and enable them to appreciate the exhibits for their own inherent beauty.

Light and atmospheric conditions will be managed to optimize the visitor's comfort as well as providing continuity between their experience of visiting the Acropolis, and their visit to the Museum of the Acropolis.

Appropriate and innovative use of technology to aid visitor understanding of the exhibits will be available. A high standard of visitor experience will be assured not only by the exhibition program and the general museum environment but also through the provision of excellent visitor amenities including a multimedia auditorium, museum shop, restaurant and bar, medical station and lounge areas.
Visitors with Disabilities

As a visitor-friendly museum the New Acropolis Museum aims to provide easy access for all visitors including those with disabilities. The design and the layout of its exhibits ensure that as far as possible all visitors have equal access to all facilities and exhibits without the requirement for separate provisions.The Museum has two access points - the main entrance from Dionysiou Areopagitou and a large gently graded entrance ramp from Makriyianni Street close to the disability access lift of the Athens Metro Acropolis station. All museum galleries are accessible via ramps or by elevators that have the dimensions required for wheelchairs. Access to the on-site archaeological excavation is also provided for with a network of pedestrian ramps over the excavation.

(Posting date 16 January 2007)

HCS encourages readers to view other articles and releases in our permanent, extensive archives at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/contents.html.

2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.HellenicComServe.com