Acropolis: The rescue plan for the walls on the Sacred Rock

The new strategic plan of the Ministry of Culture and Sports constitutes a road map that must be carried out on the walls of the Acropolis in order to ensure their stability, but also to highlight their inestimable historical value.

The project is part of the comprehensive restoration program of the monuments on the site, with a total budget of 10,000,000 euros, and will be financed by the Recovery Fund.

The issue of the maintenance of the walls of the Acropolis has concerned authorities for years as, in some places, especially on the south wall in the Southwest corner of the Parthenon, there are damages, static problems and deformations that require immediate restoration.

Intervention, however, in an archaeological site of global scope requires very careful and organised planning.

Under these difficult conditions, the Strategic Intervention Plan for the overall management of the walls was drawn up, which also received the necessary positive opinion from the Central Archaeological Council

It clearly defines the interventions to be made on the walls taking into account and co-evaluating the preserved historical phases, the risk in terms of structural stability of each area of ​​the walls and the state of conservation of the stones.

At the same time, an investigate into the existence of ancient sculptures and notable structural members is planned.

The Strategic Plan includes a general outline of the historical phases of the walls and more recent interventions. The historical context and construction history of the monument is presented, per side and historical period.

The phases are evaluated from a historical archaeological, artistic, aesthetic and symbolic point of view.

Regarding the structural problems, inherent problems of the construction are mentioned, the pathology of the body is analysed and evaluated in general. As for the issues of archaeological highlighting, the creation of archaeological routes with the walls as a reference point is included.

For the area of ​​the slopes, the complete reconstruction of the promenade is planned, in phases.

According to the geotechnical-static study, priority will be given to seven areas of the walls where interventions will be carried out in parallel with the work of fixing the rocky slopes, as well as the other work of highlighting and shaping the archaeological site.

“The wall of the Acropolis is a unique monument, which, due to its fortification function in different periods, becomes a carrier of memory over time, while shaping the environment of the monuments on the Acropolis,” said the Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni.

“All phases of the monument’s history are treated with respect. The main objective of the Strategic Plan is to create a road map of the necessary interventions to ensure the stability of the wall and highlight its archaeological and historical value,” she added.