The Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is a stunningly located and constructed archaeological museum housing a myriad of Ancient Greek artefacts, particularly those relating to the Acropolis and the Parthenon, both of which can be seen from the museum’s top floor panoramic windows.

The Acropolis Museum history

Founded in 2003, the Acropolis Museum was built to house all of the archaeological discoveries found at the site of the Acropolis of Athens, with artefacts dating from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece.

The Acropolis was the ancient centre of Athenian life, situated high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city. It included a host of temples including the Parthenon dedicated to Athena, the Erechtheion dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon, and the Temple of Athena Nike, alongside many other important culture features such as the Propylaea gateway and the Theatre of Herodes Atticus.

In proposals for the construction of the Acropolis Museum, the creation of a gallery to hold the entire Parthenon Marbles was key.

Previously, Greece’s requests for the return of the Parthenon/Elgin Marbles from the United Kingdom had found opposition on the grounds that they had nowhere to be kept in Greece. Therefore the Acropolis Museum made sure to accommodate for this in future attempts to have them returned.

The Acropolis Museum today

Housed in a strikingly modern building, the Acropolis Museum uses multimedia presentations side-by-side with a host of fascinating ancient artefacts, making it both fascinating and accessible.

Though the museum holds countless exquisite pieces from Ancient Greece, the undoubted highlight is the top floor where the Parthenon Marbles are beautifully displayed, in the order in which they would have graced the original Parthenon.

Pointedly, there are gaps, filled by plaster-cast reproductions, which await the return of the originals – the Elgin Marbles. They are currently found in the British Museum having been brought to England (‘stolen’ in the view of some) at the end of the 18th century by Lord Elgin.

This site features as one of our Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Greece.

Getting to the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is located in central Athens. A number of bus services stop at Makrigianni, a 2-minute walk away, while the nearest Metro station is Akropoli on Line 2 Anthoupoli – Elliniko, 1-minute away.