The restoration project of the building-monument of Stratonism A3, at the former Pavlos Melas camp in Thessaloniki, is in full swing, which is going to host the Museum of the findings from the excavations of the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki. Building A3 – with a total useful area of about 3,000 square metres – is located at the core of the original camp, in the last years of the Turkish occupation, around 1895, which is one of the first examples of an organised camp on Greek territory. At the same time, a permanent exhibition of antiquities, which were excavated during the archaeological excavations of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City for the construction of the Metro, is organized in the courtyard and the surrounding area of the building. The design ensures the operation of the area of the southern forecourt as an open-air museum with exhibits such as the villa of late antiquity, which was excavated at the “Agia Sophia” Station, and two sarcophagi from the western necropolis of Thessaloniki, which were uncovered during the excavations for the construction of the “Demokratia” Station.

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said: “The establishment of the Museum is part of the broader Strategic Plan for the redevelopment of the former Army Camp and its promotion as a supra-local green space, with uses of metropolitan scope and as a place for the promotion and enhancement of Thessaloniki’s cultural heritage. By transforming the courtyard and the surrounding area of building A3 into an open-air archaeological exhibition, where the detached mosaic floors, the undercuts and the walls of the mansion from the “Agia Sophia” station will be displayed and highlighted, the visitor will acquire an experiential approach to the building complex, which will complement the museum exhibition developed within A3. The visitor can perceive the size and layout of the villa, its organisation in space, the construction structure of its individual elements and the high artistic value of the mosaics that adorned it“.