The Museum of Acropolis is the newest architectural jewel of the city of Athens. Its building is a modern one covered mostly with glass that allows the natural sunlight to lighten the statues and relieves of Acropolis and a constant view to the actual sit of the Acropolis.
The National Archaeological Museum is the biggest museum of Athens and one of the most important in the world. It is situated in a majestic neoclassical building created by L. Lange and Ziller in the 19th century. The exhibits cover a large chronological and geographical span offering sample from many different periods and places of Greece.
The Cycladic Art Museum is located in two different buildings, next to each other which are connected by a glass-roofed corridor. The main building built in 1985 by the architect Ioannis Vikelas houses the permanent collections of the museum. The Stathatos Mansion, a neoclassical building created by the architect Ziller in 1895, is the newest addition of the museum and usually houses temporary exhibitions. Even if the museum has taken its name from its prominent Cycladic collection, the visitor will be pleasantly surprised by its other collections and mostly by the very well presented information on various artistic techniques and everyday life and customs of the Ancient Greeks.
The Benaki Museum is set in a neoclassical building which was completed in 1895 by the architecture Metaxas. It was known as Harokopos mansion until it was bought by the Benaki family in 1910. New wings were added to the original building which eventually in 1930 was transformed into a museum. The Benaki Museum holds several permanent collections. It also organizes interesting exhibitions usually of contemporary art.
The Numismatic Museum is in the house of the famous archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. The building- designed by Schliemann’s friend Ziller- was completed in 1881. It is one of the few buildings of that era that remain intact and standing in Athens. It combines elements of an Italian Renaissance house and the neoclassical style that was popular in Greece at that period. Its interior is beautifully decorated with mosaics, murals and painted ceilings. The decoration of the mosaics is inspired by Schliemann’ s finding at the excavation of Mycenae. The murals and the ceilings imitate the paintings that were found in the Pompeii. The building’s beauty alone justifies a visit.
