The new museum displays more than 4,000 artifacts dating from the fifth century B.C.
As building locations go, it is unmatched. What could present more of a challenge than to design a major new structure to stand at the foot of the Acropolis, revered as one of the great architectural achievements of western civilization. That new structure is the Acropolis Museum, which after more than 25 years in the making finally opened to the public last weekend. Braving the blazing sun and heat, thousands thronged immediately to its gates, eager to be among the first to explore the museum’s vast collection of sculptures and artifacts from ancient Greece. Confronting his own set of natural forces, Swiss-born architect Bernard Tschumi has been on a Greek odyssey for the past six years to finally get the €130 million structure off the ground after several setbacks. Efforts to create the museum began as far back as the 1970s. The last attempt, which was launched in 2003 under Mr. Tschumi’s leadership, was dogged by delays due to archaeologists and local residents. – From WSJ