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Acropolis Museum to Open in Greece

About 1,500 years after Christian zealots vandalized the Parthenon's pagan sculptures, Greece's Orthodox Church has formally blessed the new Acropolis Museum, set to open the weekend of June 20, 2009 after years of delays.

June 18: Photos of the Kritios Boy statue are projected onto the walls of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. The ancient Parthenon temple is seen in the background during a rehearsal for the museum opening ceremony. Greek officials hope one day to display the British Museum's Elgin Marbles from the Acropolis in the glass and concrete museum.

June 18: Photos of the Kritios Boy statue are projected onto the walls of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece. The ancient Parthenon temple is seen in the background during a rehearsal for the museum opening ceremony. Greek officials hope one day to display the British Museum's Elgin Marbles from the Acropolis in the glass and concrete museum.

Louisa Gouliamaki-AFP/Getty Images

June 17: Press tour the interior of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens.

June 17: Press tour the interior of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens.

Milos Bicanski-Getty Images

June 17: 2,300-year-old terracotta sculptures of the ancient goddess of victory, Nike, are displayed in the new Acropolis Museum in Athens. Greece's Orthodox Church formally blessed the new museum.

June 17: 2,300-year-old terracotta sculptures of the ancient goddess of victory, Nike, are displayed in the new Acropolis Museum in Athens. Greece's Orthodox Church formally blessed the new museum.

Aris Messinis-AFP/Getty Images

June 17: The new Acropolis Museum holds more than 4,000 ancient works in 150,000 square feet of display space.

June 17: The new Acropolis Museum holds more than 4,000 ancient works in 150,000 square feet of display space.

Milos Bicanski-Getty Images

June 17: Spreading across five levels, the museum provides an airy setting for some of the best surviving works of classical sculpture that once adorned the marble Acropolis temples. The basement contains remains of an ancient Athenian neighborhood, which will open to visitors next year.

June 17: Spreading across five levels, the museum provides an airy setting for some of the best surviving works of classical sculpture that once adorned the marble Acropolis temples. The basement contains remains of an ancient Athenian neighborhood, which will open to visitors next year.

Milos Bicanski-Getty Images

June 17: An person wanders through the statues in the new museum.

June 17: An person wanders through the statues in the new museum.

Milos Bicanski-Getty Images

June 17: A 1st century AD. mask of the God Dionysos on a wall inside the new Acropolis Museum.

June 17: A 1st century AD. mask of the God Dionysos on a wall inside the new Acropolis Museum.

Yiorgos Karahalis-Reuters

June 18: Officials say the glass and concrete museum, about 400 yards from the Acropolis, will boost Greece's old but fruitless bid for the return of the 2,500-year-old sculptures, displayed in the British Museum for nearly two centuries since their removal from the site.

June 18: Officials say the glass and concrete museum, about 400 yards from the Acropolis, will boost Greece's old but fruitless bid for the return of the 2,500-year-old sculptures, displayed in the British Museum for nearly two centuries since their removal from the site.

Petros Giannakouris-AP

June 17: The $180 million museum will be officially inaugurated Saturday June 20. Foreign heads of state and government are expected to attend, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It will open to visitors Sunday, at a nominal $1.40 charge.

June 17: The $180 million museum will be officially inaugurated Saturday June 20. Foreign heads of state and government are expected to attend, including Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It will open to visitors Sunday, at a nominal $1.40 charge.

Aris Messinis-AFP/Getty Images

Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor Kate Napier, Steve Cook Text Editor Channing Turner Producer Kate Napier

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