Archaeological discoveries

The renovation of the Acropolis of Athens:a controversy that goes beyond the borders of Greece

The project to renovate the Acropolis, the famous sacred rock of Athens listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is coming up against many critics, the Greek government being accused of damaging an invaluable heritage.

Tourists visit the Parthenon on June 4, 2021 in Athens

Main object of this anger:a new concrete footbridge unveiled in December, as part of a larger renovation presented as necessary to welcome millions of visitors each year, including people with reduced mobility. Veteran architect Tasos Tanoulas, a former member of the Acropolis restoration team, called the new ramp "incongruous" and "stifling" for the 5th century BC monument, while the main opposition leader, Alexis Tsipras, spoke of "bad treatment" inflicted on the most famous archaeological site in Greece.

Opponents of the works, which were completed a little over a year ago, believe that they were carried out without the care necessary to safeguard the emblematic monument. The government replies that all precautions have been taken and that these criticisms are fueled by the opposition. More than 3.5 million people visited the Acropolis in 2019, before the pandemic. The Ministry of Culture announced this week new facilities on the Acropolis for visitors with disabilities, according to it the results of interviews with the main associations of people with disabilities.

Bags of concrete near the Parthenon, June 4, 2021 in Athens (AFP - Aris MESSINIS)

Braille panels will be installed for visually impaired visitors, as well as railings and signage for sloping access. But the risks remain.

Risk of tripping

On the day AFP visited the Acropolis, a woman stumbled into a hole in the middle of the new gateway, one of several purposely designed hollows to give a glimpse of the ancient rock below. Further on, an employee quickly sweeps the earth to another hollow after a group of visitors has passed.

Tourists visit the Parthenon on June 4, 2021 in Athens (AFP - Aris MESSINIS)

"It's a plateau with potholes. Potholes are far from safe" , notes tourist guide Smaragda Touloupa, who recently showed her elderly parents around the site. The renovation of the Acropolis, which cost around 1.5 billion euros and includes night lighting, the installation of a lift for the disabled and better drainage, was financed by the private Onassis Foundation. The work, intended to boost traffic to the site, was carried out by "world-renowned experts" , with four decades of experience, underlined the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni.

"No one questions their work" , noted the minister. "We entrusted them with the restoration of the monuments of the Acropolis. How can we doubt them on a project" concrete ramp?, she added a month ago. But Smaragda Touloupa, author of articles on heritage management and guide on the Acropolis since 1998, regrets that this major project was decided by a restricted circle, composed mainly of archaeologists. "It is a completely technocratic approach" , she criticizes.

Even Unesco learned about the "interventions" on the Acropolis by “third parties” , Mechtild Rossler, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, told AFP. As a signatory to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Greece must warn "before taking any decision that would be difficult to reverse", she continues.

"Minor" changes

According to Lina Mendoni, there was no obligation to inform Unesco for these "minor" changes and "fully reversible" . UNESCO experts will take part in an international conference in Athens in the fall, the minister said.

Tourists visit the Parthenon on June 4, 2021 in Athens (AFP - Aris MESSINIS)

For the authorities, the renovation was necessary because the paths around the Acropolis, designed 50 years ago and last redeveloped in 2012, caused hundreds of accidents each year. Project manager Manolis Korres, a respected architect who has been involved in the work since 1975, ensured that the concrete sits on top of a protective membrane that can be quickly removed if necessary. Solid paving was also essential to allow heavy machinery to move slabs weighing several tons.

Under the Thessaloniki Metro

Critics also point to a plan to relocate a Byzantine-era track found during the construction of a new metro in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.

Tourists visit the Parthenon on June 4, 2021 in Athens (AFP - Aris MESSINIS)

Last month, dozens of experts denounced a decision that "jeopardizes the preservation of important remains" of the ancient and Byzantine past of the city. The 6th century BC road "is one of the most spectacular finds from this period in the world" , they assured in a forum. The metro, whose construction, at a cost of 1.5 billion euros, began in 2003, should be operational in 2023.