The Archaeological Museum of Vathy on Samos island will be upgraded and its visitor services improved, the Ministry of Culture said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said that the infrastructure would be upgraded, the museum - which serves both Samos and Ikaria archaeological regions - would be brought into alignment with modern museum models, and a friendly, functional, and accessible museum for all created.
"The Archaeological Museum of Vathy on Samos holds a uniquely variable collection with outstandingly important findings that come from the excavations of the Heraion, an outstandingly important sanctuary of Hera in the place of her birth and marriage to Zeus," Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said. The massive 6th century BC sanctuary is a UNESCO world Heritage Site and was well known in the ancient world, she added, reflected in the findings of the excavations by the German Archaeological Institute that found offerings from the entire known world of the time.
Currently the museum is housed in a complex of two buildings next to each other, the Paschalion and the new building. Together they have a mixed surface area of about 1,250 square meters in a parcel of land measuring 1,170 sq m. The space between them will acquire flagstone courtyards and plants, while the complex is next to the Town Hall square and a small park.
The old building (Paschalio) will house the collections, laboratories, and administration and storage areas, while the new building will house exhibition spaces, visitor services, some administration and laboratory spaces as well, and mechanical and electrical equipment facilities.
Besides the upgrade of the museum at Vathy, the ministry plans other works at archaeological sites on the island and at other museums that will restore and upgrade them.