The construction of the new museum of acropolis, in a place filled with ancient buildings is an intentional destruction.

The construction of the new museum of acropolis, in a place filled with ancient buildings is an intentional destruction.

Everyone that participates in the procedures for the success of this purpose (the construction of the museum) if they are archaeologists they prooving that they don't possess the moral, that it is needed, for the refinements and teaching of archaeology. Whoever is not an archaeologist, only the lack of education can justify them. The new museum of acropolis is a dream of generations. It's contruction will have disappear the ugliness that exist on the rock of acropolis which in years ago we could see it from Faliro. When it was a dream, becomes a nightmare because for it's contruction in a dense populated area must be destroyed an extensive ancient architectural complex, well preserved and not publicated. What ever is said about it is based on speculations. One thing is certain, the antiquities that they will be destroyed they constitute a source for an almost unknown period of the history of athens. Scientificaly this action cannot be interpreted. Someone could to blame it to expediency. The destruction that will happen, constitutes consequent policy after the destruction of marathon, that removed from the area the moral importance that had and replaced it with the importance of profit, amusement and recreation. Here in this area they will construct a trade centre for ancient ideas. The teachers of the modern archaeologists, with the artificial manufactured authority, if they were still alive they will have turned away their glance from their students.

B.Petrakos,Member of the Academy of Athens, General Secretary of the Archaeological Company

G.Dontas,Honorary Inspector of Antiquities, President of the Archaeological Company
http://www.icomoshellenic.gr/en/b/01/...

ACROPOLIS NEW MUSEUM CATASTROPHIES



The Ministry of Culture and the Organization for the Construction of the New Museum of the Acropolis of Athens (OANMA), adhering to the Greek Government's earlier decision concerning the location of the Museum for its construction, are in the process for the same site "Macriyannis" at the South slope of the Acropolis Rock.
This decision, made some years ago arbitrarily, without any previous research for the most suitable location, has been strongly criticized by various professional organizations, such as the Architects' Association, as well as by distinguished archeologists and other specialists. This criticism, based on documented arguments, has been ignored by the Ministry of Culture and collaborating archaeological institutions.

1. This site is considered unsuitable from an archaeological point of view because:

a) Significant archaeological findings have been unearthed in the field intended for the Museum as verified by the Organization for the Construction of the New Museum itself. These antiquities date back to the mesohelladic and late neolithic periods down to the 7th century BC. As mentioned by OANMA itself (July 2000), "The antiquities found in the piece of land intended for the Museum have been proven more significant than originally anticipated. The new finds have changed radically previous agreements concerning the availability of the site, which had resulted from test excavations". Nevertheless, radical change in estimates did not lead to a reconsideration of the choice. The competent Ministry and its archaeological services are going on with their plans to construct the Museum on the location decided originally, thus committing an act of inconceivable vandalism, building on important archaeological finds, which essentially are destroyed, a Museum whose purpose is to preserve and reveal antiquities.
b) The installation of the Museum in this space will prevent the possibility of an extension and unification of the field of excavation in the southern belt of the Rock. Such excavations in the same belt would, probably, offer significant information about the city and its relationship to the Acropolis. It must be noted here that, despite the opposite assertions of the competent body which declared the archaeological research finished in May 2000, the excavation of the field intended for the Museum has not been concluded and it is most probable that the scheduled demolition of the buildings, existing in it, will reveal important archaeological findings. In any case, it is obvious that this will create a gap on the history of the city and its relation to the Acropolis. Today's residential area neighboring the Sacred Rock separates it from the ancient urban environment, while it diminishes the vital space which
is necessary in order to put on value the monuments crowing it. The objective here should be to decongest the area surrounding the Acropolis rather than add more buildings to it.

2. The site in question is entirely unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view;

It is obvious that the construction of whatever building, and especially the voluminous Museum, in the immediate environment of the Rock, on the edge of it -- only a few dozen meters from its southern wall-- is a vulgar, aesthetically unacceptable act that alters drastically the morphology of the archaeological landscape, upsetting its scale and contributing to the downgrading of the image of the Acropolis and its adjacent Monuments.
We are not, of course, aware of the particulars of the building to be approved, since the competition is still in progress, but some features of the structural program are enlightening. According to the proclamation of the competition, the building will occupy a total mixed area of approximately 14000 m2; from which, 8000 will be used for the display of the antiquities. However, along with already existing in the space of the Museum buildings to be assigned to it, its total area will be over 20000 square meters. The height of the southern wall may approach 40 m. It is worth mentioning that the floor area at the stylobates level of Parthenon is 2145 m2 and the total height of 17 m. without its pediments. Its height is diminished drastically during the visual perception not only because of the damages it has sustained, but also because of the fact that in viewing the southern side from the level of the ground, the lower part of the colonnade is hidden.
After the erection of the intended building, the visual field of the spectator will be overwhelmed by the image of the Museum, which is going to be projected oppressively over that of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
The Museum will also dominate the landscape of Acropolis when viewed from the West, "merging" with the Propylaea and the entire image of the Monuments, while its presence will be strongly noticeable from an eastern sighting of the Rock as well (more)