The Parthenon has towered above Athens for nearly 2,500 years. Originally built by the ancient Greeks in honour of the goddess Athena, the temple has since become one of the most famous buildings in Europe.
A whopping 20,000 people climb up to the Acropolis – the hilltop complex where the Parthenon is housed – every single day, and that’s on top of those who marvel at it from street level. For the last 20 years, the site has been partially obstructed by scaffolding, which was put in place to allow essential conservation work to be done.
But now, for the first time in decades, the metal scaffolding has finally been removed, offering visitors the first completely unobscured view of the ancient monument since the nineteenth century. That’s right – there’s been ongoing work of one kind or another for over 100 years.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni spoke on Greek national radio about the significance of the building shedding its casing, explaining that for both locals and returning tourists ‘it is like they are seeing a different, a completely different monument’.
It’s particularly exciting that the Parthenon’s western face is now clear, because this is the most visible from the ground. This means that even those just passing by will be able to notice the difference.
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Unfortunately, this perfect view is only temporary. Works are continuing in just one month’s time, which means more scaffolding will have to go up. It will be less of an eyesore this time, as Mendoni has promised that this time it will be ‘lighter and aesthetically much closer to the logic of the monument’.
History geeks who aren’t able to make it to Greece within the month needn’t worry – it’s expected that, if all goes well, this scaffolding will come down in less than a year.
The current goal is to have all maintenance completed by next summer, by which point Mendoni says ‘the Parthenon will be completely freed of this scaffolding too, and people will be able to see it truly free.’ We can’t wait.
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