New Tours in Ancient Agora Athens and Kerameikos: The Ministry of Culture announced the new routes and renewed spaces

The image of Athens “changes”, since the (SYPO) announced today (10.01.2025) the upgrading of the routes and spaces in the ancient market and in the , where many visitors will now have easy and free access. According to the Ministry’s announcement: In the context of the project of the overall aesthetic and functional upgrading of the archaeological sites of the Ancient Agora of Athens and Kerameikos, the project through the relevant Antiquities Institute of Athens proceeds to improve accessibility by restoring the ancient routes of traffic of visitors, adding new ones with provision for and preventable persons, as well as the formation of new places of attitude, rest and view. CORVERSE The total work, in these two extremely important archaeological sites in the historical center of Athens, according to the Ministry of Culture, includes-outside interventions to protect monuments, upgrade entrances, settle rainwaters, fire protection and upgrade the necessary facilities for the service of the visitors of disabled persons. The project, a total budget of 5,800,000 €, is funded by the resources of the Recovery Fund and has a deadline for completion at the end of this year. Culture Minister Lena Mendoni said: “The improvement and restoration of the public traffic network within the archaeological sites of the Ancient Agora of Athens and Kerameikos, with particular care for the unobstructed access of the disabled and in general persons with difficulties moving to difficult points of space, is a priority for the proper functioning of the spaces and agrees with the requirements of inclusion and non-exclusion. The redesign of the routes with the engraving and new ones combined with the infrastructure upgrading interventions in these areas, is designed to facilitate the tour of visitors to the archaeological site by ensuring universal accessibility. Through the new, suitable for people with mobility difficulties, visitors will be able to browse freely the archaeological and monumental environment and have a better understanding and view of the site, in which the new stop-view points are also contributing. CORVERSE In the case of the Keramean goal is through the new entrance, the functional interconnection of this section of the city through Asomas Street and the archaeological site, while the archaeological site is required to be understood as an important political public space and as a prominent site of the long and uninterrupted history of Athens through and through the improvement of sign language connection and unification with the Acropolis. Upon completion of the project visitors, Greeks and foreigners, will be able to enjoy an upgraded visit experience.” The work on the traffic routes of the visitors and the viewing areas in the archaeological site of Kerameikos includes the interventions needed for the easy movement of the public in the archaeological site, with emphasis on the blocked persons. It aims at the aesthetic and functional upgrading of the visitor routes, highlighting the archaeological and historical content of the site. The existing routes are followed, while the network extends to parts of the archaeological site that to date are not visited by the public. In this way the new route covers the multidimensional content of the site more closely. At the same time, new viewing positions are created and plumbing issues are settled. Special emphasis is placed on the specifications for disabled persons, with the construction of ramps and new routes connected with existing ones. The route network covers all the monumental units of the site, connect the viewing stops to important sites of the archaeological site. Ancient Market The routes and routes, which are followed today by visitors to the Ancient Market, do not have a single design. With the exception of the clean engraving of Panathinaios Street, the rest of the routes grow dynamically through the archaeological units, with the dominant one leading to the Stoa of Attalos and indirectly connected to Panathinaios Street, as well as the one leading to the west towards the hill of the Temple of Hephaestos. The project under construction separates the routes into three sections: The path of Panathinaeans, the main ancient networks – West Street, road ahead of the Middle Lodge and Piraeus Street – where issues of state of conservation, accessibility and correlation are recorded with adjacent antiquities, and modern paths. Interventions aim to identify the values and characteristics of the site and monuments, which must be rescued and shown, in the context of the management of the archaeological site. Through the routes, individual monumental ensembles are displayed and the connection is ensured, in order for the visitor to understand the scale of the site, its urban planning and its correlation with the surrounding archaeological sites. The ancient road network of the traffic routes of visitors is restored, while provision is made for disabled and blocked persons, while new stop-view areas are being formed. The interventions concern the part of the organized and visited archaeological site extending from Adrianos Street to the dirt road of Observatory Street and include the Central Square, the Biotechnical Area, the hill of Agoraios Kolonos, the area of the Pantainou Library and the area of the Royal Lodge, south of the lines of the HSAP. The main idea of the design is the restoration of ancient routes – Panathinaean Street, West Street, South Street, Piraeus Street, Areopagos Street, Marmarosculpture Street, Upper South Street and the Anderos of the Middle Lodge – and the limitation of modern trails. Thus, the structure of the space, the ancient road network and the monuments can be more understood, while, at the same time, a clear course is created and the circular tour can be achieved, so that the spatial narrative is direct and teaching. The paths crossing monuments are abolished, with the exception of cases deemed necessary for the perception of space. For the purpose of shaping access and traffic for blocked persons, individual routes to important monuments are planned, with appropriate flooring and ramps. A circular route is created at important points of view and a route of access to the Temple of Hephaestos. New stop areas are created at selected sites, both in the archaeological site and on the Observatory Street, while some existing elements of urban equipment are planned.