GREECE: Acropolis practises moving delicate statues by air to new base, as museum controversy heats up
- 00:00:03
- ITN Source
GREECE: Acropolis practises moving delicate statues by air to new base, as museum controversy heats up
Greek officials make their first successful test run of a delicate operation to transfer sculptures from the Acropolis to a new museum at its base by air. A controversy has arisen over two private neoclassical buildings standing in front of the museum that officials want to demolish. The ancient treasures of the Parthenon will soon be hanging in the air above Athens as museum authorities move them to a controversial new home in a daring new way. In an unprecedented operation involving three large cranes perched over the Acropolis hill, officials will transfer some 4,446 artefacts to a new museum. The metal crates will weigh about 308 tonnes. On Thursday (October 11) one crate with a marble slab -- not an artefact -- weighing 2.5 tonnes was transferred in just over two hours as part of a dry run. Officials said each crate will take about 2.5 hours, with only four crates being transferred a day to ensure a slow pace for safety. The artefacts have been wrapped in shock resistant foam and measures against natural disasters, such as earthquakes, have been taken. The artefacts have been insured for 400 million euros, the culture ministry said on Thursday. It is estimated the transfer will take from six weeks to three months, depending on the weather, but the new museum is not expected to open to visitors until the end of 2008 to allow for the placement of the artefacts. The new modern glass and cement Acropolis museum will house artefacts from the smaller, old museum on the hill and other artefacts not previously displayed, as well as scores of antiquities found during the building of the new museum. The main floor of the museum has been topped with glass leaving the archaeological excavations below visible to visitors. The museum has a glass terrace facing the Parthenon, where sculptures from the monument will be displayed. Replicas covered in symbolic veils will replace the position where the Parthenon marbles currently in the British Museum in London should be, also known as the Elgin marbles, which Greece has been fighting for decades to bring back. The new museum has been at the centre of an incentive to return the long disputed marbles. "The new Acropolis museum will house all the artefacts of the monument, all the masterpieces of the Acropolis. The artefacts will be moved from their original position for the first time after 2,500 years, at least legally for the first time, " said Culture Minister Michalis Liapis, referring to the removal of the Parthenon marbles by British Ambassador Lord Elgin to Britain in the 1800's. The new museum had suffered several years of delays due to legal wrangles and concerns over buried antiquities. A recent controversy has erupted over two neo-classical buildings, one hailed as a historical and architectural treasure, standing between the new museum and the Acropolis. Greece's Culture Ministry has signed a decree allowing the demolition of two buildings, to improve the view and unity of the new museum with the ancient monument. The demolition of the buildings, a 1930's art deco building with sculptures and mosaics on its facade, and a neo-classical property owned by the Oscar-award winning composer Vangelis, has sparked angry protests among various groups besides their owners, including architects, conservationists and citizens. The owners of the buildings have have started an online campaign and petition against the demolition. Marina Kouremenou, a relative of the architect of the art deco property whose family has owned two floors in the building since it was constructed, said the owners are preparing their own architectural study on alternatives to the demolition of the buildings. "It's of course one of the very few buildings that we have from the period from in between the two wars, It is a marvellous example of art deco, and many people are trying to save it. It's not just us, we are just a small family we cannot do much except doing what is legal," said Kouremenou. But Liapis said on Thursday the legislation had been signed and the ministry would adhere to it. "The state has taken a decision, and we adhere to this decision," he said. Many tourists and locals have passed by the buildings to sign a petition at the entrance against their demolition.
ITN Source | October 12, 2007
