Point of interest
Acropolis Museum
in Athens, Greece
A striking modern museum with glass floors over live excavations, displaying the original Acropolis sculptures including the Caryatids and the Parthenon marbles.
Where it is
At the southeastern foot of the Acropolis, at Dionysiou Areopagitou 15 in the Makrygianni district, a few minutes below the citadel.
Address: 15 Διονυσίου Αρεοπαγίτου, 117 42 Athens
What it is
The highlight is the light-filled Parthenon Gallery on the top floor, whose glass facade matches the temple's axis and dimensions so the frieze can be shown in its original arrangement. It also holds the Archaic korai, the original Caryatids of the Erechtheion and finds from the slopes. The top-floor café looks straight out at the Acropolis.
History
Designed by Bernard Tschumi and Michalis Photiadis, the museum opened on 20 June 2009 to bring together the finds from the Acropolis and its slopes in one place. It was built over an excavated ancient settlement, which is visible beneath glass floors on the ground level. The building was conceived in part with an eye to the possible return of the Parthenon sculptures held in London.