Major expansion for Athens’ National Archaeological Museum

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The news in Greek

1. μεγαλώνω
   κάνω κάτι πιο μεγάλο σε μέγεθος ή διάρκεια ↩︎
2. ανανεώνω
   κάνω κάτι πάλι νέο, φρέσκο ή πιο σύγχρονο ↩︎
3. έκθεση  (f.)
   παρουσίαση έργων τέχνης ή άλλων αντικειμένων για το κοινό ↩︎
4. εκπαίδευση  (f.)
   η διαδικασία με την οποία μαθαίνει κάποιος γνώσεις και δεξιότητες ↩︎
5. έρευνα  (f.)
   συστηματική μελέτη ενός θέματος για να βρούμε νέες πληροφορίες ↩︎
6. σύγχρονος
   που ανήκει στην εποχή μας, μοντέρνος, σημερινός ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What new types of spaces will the National Archaeological Museum in Athens have after the expansion?

Question 2: What change will happen to the area around the museum building?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
μεγαλώνω	to enlarge
ανανεώνω	to renew
έκθεση  (f.)	exhibition
εκπαίδευση  (f.)	education
έρευνα  (f.)	research
σύγχρονος	modern / contemporary

Read the full story

The Greek government has approved a large-scale expansion and modernisation of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, often described as the richest collection of ancient Greek art in the world. Two top advisory bodies of the Ministry of Culture – the Central Archaeological Council and the Central Council for Modern Monuments – gave a unanimous positive opinion on the preliminary studies for the project.

The redesign is led by David Chipperfield Architects in collaboration with Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis. Work on the studies began after the Greek Parliament, in April 2024, approved a €40 million donation from Spiros and Dorothy Latsis, in memory of Ioannis and Erietta Latsis. This private funding covers all design studies for the whole museum block, including the neighbouring Epigraphic Museum, which specialises in ancient inscriptions and is considered unique internationally.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the project aims to give Greece, in the words of Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, “the National Archaeological Museum it deserves”. The minister emphasised that the building’s current appearance reflects a mixture of 19th‑century neoclassicism and later modernist additions. The original exhibition halls were designed in the late 1800s for a much smaller number of visitors and for older museum practices. Authorities say that the sharp increase in visitor numbers in recent decades has made a major redesign necessary.

The approved plan combines preservation and change. The historic façade on Patission Street – part of a complex first opened on this site in 1889 – will be respected, while new buildings will expand exhibition and support spaces. The Ministry states that the project will remove the irregular character caused by successive additions in the 20th century, restore some elements of the original layout and provide a more coherent internal structure.

One of the most visible changes will be a new main entrance on Patission Street, with a public square and a large foyer open to the city. Around the museum, the plan foresees the creation of a public park with trees, winding paths, a courtyard and a bistro. The designers describe this green space as a contemporary interpretation of a 19th‑century romantic garden, with curved routes, changes in height and carefully placed vegetation to create shade, depth and a sense of discovery.

The park is intended to function as a high‑quality urban space rather than only a museum forecourt. It will be accessible via stairs, ramps and lifts, following principles of universal accessibility. After midnight, the park will close with gates and discreet fencing integrated into the planting. The Ministry presents this outdoor area as both a benefit for local residents and an attraction for visitors to Athens.

Inside, the museum will undergo a major reorganisation of its exhibitions. Around 17,000 antiquities are expected to be displayed in two large thematic zones, divided into 13 sections with numerous subsections and focused stories. The permanent exhibition will follow a chronological route through four levels – two in the new extension and two in the historic building – presenting the evolution of Greek civilisation from the Neolithic period to Late Antiquity. A central internal axis will help visitors orient themselves and will connect key galleries.

Space for the three Prehistoric Collections (Neolithic, Cycladic and Mycenaean) will more than double, from about 1,100 square metres to 2,500 square metres. Areas for temporary exhibitions will grow from 429 to roughly 1,033 square metres, supported by dedicated storage and logistics zones. New educational rooms will expand from 50 to 178 square metres and will be located near central galleries, allowing easier integration of school visits and learning programmes.

The project also includes significant improvements to the museum’s internal operations. Storage areas for antiquities and general use will be expanded and modernised, rising from about 3,367 to 4,296 square metres. Conservation laboratories will almost double in size, reaching 1,707 square metres, and will be equipped with specialised installations for climate control, gas supply and vacuum systems. The library and the historic photographic archive will gain extra space and new storage facilities, supporting research activities.

A key part of the plan is technical. The building will receive extensive electromechanical and structural upgrades designed to protect both visitors and objects. These include improved systems for climate control (temperature, humidity and air quality), new fire safety installations, energy‑efficient heating and cooling, and modernised electrical networks and lifts. Engineers have studied the museum’s complex structural history – it consists of different sections built and altered between the late 19th and late 20th century – to design targeted earthquake‑resistant reinforcements.

The Ministry argues that, for the first time, the whole museum will be able to maintain stable environmental conditions suitable for fragile artefacts, both in the extension and in many rooms of the historic building. This is presented as crucial for a museum that aspires to operate at the standards of leading international institutions.

Beyond the building itself, the preliminary study situates the project within a wider plan for urban regeneration in central Athens. The upgraded museum complex is expected to form part of a new cultural axis connecting the National Archaeological Museum with the nearby National Technical University of Athens, the Acropolis and the Pedion tou Areos park. Greek authorities present this corridor as a way to link different historic and cultural sites and to revitalise surrounding neighbourhoods such as Exarchia and Metaxourgeio.

Official statements focus mainly on the expected cultural and urban benefits: a stronger international profile for Greek antiquities, a museum adapted to contemporary visitor needs, and a new public park for the city. The available reports do not yet detail the construction timetable, the impact on daily life during works, or the response of local communities, issues that are likely to attract discussion as the project moves forward.

With the unanimous approval of the preliminary architectural, structural and technical studies, the National Archaeological Museum now enters a new phase of planning. If completed as described, the project would transform one of Athens’ most important cultural institutions into a larger, more accessible and more technically advanced museum, while maintaining the historic character of its 19th‑century core.

Info: ‘Greek Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Greek’, a language school dedicated to teaching Greek, where we offer various types of Greek lessons online for learners at different levels.