The story of the Archaeological Museum of
Thessaloniki is similar to the city's recent history. The Ephorate of
Antiquities "by the General Directorate of Macedonia" was the first
service to be founded, on November 1912, only a fortnight after the city was
incorporated into the Greek State.
Until 1925, all antiquities found in Macedonia
were gathered at the Residency (Dioikitirion- the modern-day building of the
Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace) as well as the Ottoman Idadie School, which
housed the Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University. During World War
I, the French Army (Armee Francaise d’ Orient) was gathering antiquities
initially at Karabournaki and later on at Rotonda, while the British Army would
gather the antiquities they uncovered at the White Tower.
In 1925, the Yeni Cami, the new mosque, the
centre of worship for the Donmeh population of the Ottoman-occupied
Thessaloniki, was given to the Archaeological Service. The Yeni Cami would
become the city's first Museum, as the inscription still in place on its facade
indicates. In 1940 many antiquities, mainly sculptures, were buried in trenches
in order to be protected from war raids. They were unearthed in 1951 and
displayed for the first time in the main hall of the Archaeological Museum
(Yeni Cami) in 1953.
In 1950 a large plot was designated for the
erection of a new Museum, in the heart of the city, on Y.M.C.A. Square, next to
the grounds of the International Fair. The project was assigned to Patroklos
Karantinos, an notable Greek modernist architect.
The new Museum was inaugurated in 1962 in a
grand ceremony, as part of the celebrations for the completion of 50 years
since Thessaloniki's liberation, exhibiting the impressive finds from the
Derveni tombs, which had been found in the same year. An exhibition of
sculptures from the Archaic to the Roman era followed, designed by Giorgos
Despinis, professor of Archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The impressive finds of the Royal Tombs at
Vergina revealed by professor Manolis Andronikos, which were transferred to the
Museum for storage and conservation as soon as they were found, necessitated a
new display pattern and required the construction of a building extension. In
1982 a new exhibition was designed to display the finds from the cemetery of
Sindos. The ephor of antiquities, Aikaterini Despini was responsible for both
the excavation and the exhibition. In 1985, with the completion of 2300 years
since the foundation of Thessaloniki by Cassander in 315 BC, the then director
of the Museum, Julia Vokotopoulou organised the first major exhibition
dedicated to the city's history and archaeology.
In 1996 the first large-scale exhibition on
Prehistoric Macedonia took place at the Museum, below the Vergina Hall, at the
new building extension (by Vogiatzis) completed in 1980. This exhibition was
organised by the then director Dimitrios Grammenos and the archaeologist Maria
Pappa. In 1998, when the Vergina finds were transferred back to their place of
discovery to be displayed in a new museum that simulated the large burial mound
of the Royal Tombs, a new exhibition was organised at the Museum of
Thessaloniki, entitled "The Gold of Macedon" by Dimitrios Grammenos
and the archaeologists Betina Tsigarida and Despina Ignatiadou, in order to
fill the gap of the remarkable royal burial assemblages.
In 2002, through a Presidential Decree
(401/2001), the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki became a separate Special
Regional Service of the Ministry of Culture. At the dawn of the 21st century,
modern museological needs led to an extensive renovation of the building. The
Museum became accessible to the public again in 2004 with new permanent
exhibitions. On September, 2006, the renovated Archaeological Museum was
officially reopened with five new thematic exhibitions, under D.Grammenos and a
large team of specialists. The new exhibitions, completely anthropocentric,
bypassing the thread of time, has acquired a strong didactic character.
After a long period of work for the renovation
of the exhibition, storage, preservation and management spaces, the
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki opened for the public on September 2006.
In the time before the opening, apart from the expansion of the building, the most
important and vital part of our efforts was completed: the exhibitions of the
museum were redesigned in a way that responds to the needs of the modern
visitor.
Our intention was to shed light on the
different sides of the culture that was created in Macedonia, mainly in
Thessaloniki and the adjacent municipalities: from the beginning of prehistoric
times up until the late antiquity, meaning the beginning of the Christian era.
We welcome you to visit the Museum. Immense
yourself in the stories that it has to tell you, see and listen to how an
object can “make” history. In addition, come to experience and enjoy all that a
modern museum can offer: educational programs, exhibitions of ancient and
modern culture, workshops, academic talks, seminars and recreational
activities.
The
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is a space of culture and learning, open
for everyone.
Permanent
Exhibitions
💥Prehistoric Macedonia
💥Towards the birth of cities
💥In Macedonia from the 7th century BC until the late antiquity
💥Thessaloniki,the Metropolis of Macedonia
💥The Gold of Macedon
💥Field,House,Garden,Grave
💥Memory in Stone
💥Macedonia.From fragments to pixels
