The Ministry of Culture in Greece announced recently a transformative project to improve accessibility and overall visitor experience at two of the most iconic archaeological sites of Athens: the Ancient Agora and Kerameikos.
With a total budget of €5.8 million funded by the Recovery Fund of the European Union (EU), the initiative aims to be completed by the end of 2025. The main goal of this initiative is to preserve the sites and help visitors have a much better experience.
The project focuses on restoring ancient pathways, creating new routes designed for people with disabilities and introducing modern resting and viewing areas so that the millions of visitors who go to these sites every year can enjoy the sites and have a better overall experience.
These changes follow broader efforts Greece has been making in the last few years to ensure universal accessibility to its unique archaeological sites while respecting the historical integrity of these spaces.
How Greece aims to change Athens’ archaeological sites
Kerameikos is known as Athens’ ancient cemetery and pottery district. This site will see its visitor pathways extended into previously inaccessible areas. This expansion will show the multidimensional historical significance of the site, from its funerary monuments to its role in pottery production during ancient times.
New ramps and tactile pathways will connect key points within Kerameikos, ensuring mobility-impaired visitors can explore the site with ease, without being left out like today. hydraulic issues will also be addressed to protect the area from flooding, a challenge that is deeply rooted in its ancient topography that makes the area prone to flooding.
The Ancient Agora was once the heart of the public life in Athens. The site will undergo a comprehensive redesign of its visitor routes. The project aims to restore ancient roads like the Panathenaic Way and introduce circular paths that enhance spatial understanding. All these, of course, will have to be done in a way that minimize modern interventions to such an iconic archaeological site.
Key areas such as the Temple of Hephaestus and the Attalos Stoa will become more accessible through new ramps and pathways for their visitors. Viewing points will also offer visitors panoramic insights into the historical layout of the broader site.
Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni emphasized that these upgrades align with Greece’s efforts to promote inclusivity, ensuring that people with mobility issues can fully experience Greece’s unique heritage sites.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen connections between the Ancient Agora, Kerameikos, and the Acropolis, offering visitors a broader and more holistic view of Athens as an interconnected historical landscape, rather than a city dotted with sites that don’t ”speak” to each other.
