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Walking along the wide pedestrian street that runs along the base of Athens’ famous Acropolis Hill, visitors can now enjoy something not seen in decades: an unobstructed, scaffold-free view parthenon Temple.
Scaffolding installed on the western side of the 5th century BC temple for conservation work about 20 years ago has been removed, revealing a well-maintained view of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The western side of the Parthenon offers the best street-level view, so the removal from that side, which was completed in late September, has been most noticeable to visitors. But Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said it is the first time in almost 200 years that the Parthenon’s exterior is completely free of any type of scaffolding on either side.
“It’s as if for visitors they are seeing a different, a completely different monument,” Mendoni said during an interview on Sky Radio on Friday.
However, conservation work must continue, and the relief will be temporary. New scaffolding is to be built on the western side of the Parthenon in about a month’s time, but it will be “lighter and aesthetically much closer to the logic of the monument”, Mendoni said.
The renewed conservation work is expected to last until the beginning of summer 2026. Then, the minister said, “The Parthenon will be completely freed from this scaffolding as well, and people will be able to see it really freely.”
The Acropolis is by far Greece’s most popular tourist destination, with 4.5 million visitors in 2024, according to the country’s statistical authority. The marble temple was built in the middle of the 5th century BC in honor of the city’s patron goddess, Athena.