[Alexandros Avramidis/Intime News]
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday inaugurated a new museum in Thessaloniki, dedicated to archaeological remains uncovered during the long excavations for the city’s metro project.
Housed in the former army building inside the Pavlos Melas Metropolitan Park, the “Thessalonikeon Mitropolis” museum displays sectors of the ancient city, architectural remains, pottery and objects spanning several historical periods. The exhibition traces how construction of the modern metro line passed through layers of the northern port city’s Roman and Byzantine urban fabric.
Mitsotakis said the government was “creating a unique center of culture and recreation” in western Thessaloniki and “showcasing areas that for decades remained outside the field of vision of the central government.”
The museum opens to the public on Sunday. Visiting hours are typically 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays. The museum’s stated mission is conservation and public education through artifacts recovered during the metro excavations.