The Ministry of Culture, on the occasion of the damage caused by Daniel to the building of the Athanassakion Museum of Volos, proceeds, with the valuable donation of the Union of Greek Shipowners, to the construction of a new building in the surrounding area of the Museum, in which all the supporting and auxiliary uses are now concentrated, in the context of upgrading its functions and adapting it to modern museum needs and requirements.

The Athanasakion Archaeological Museum of Volos – a ground floor, stone-built neoclassical building with a total area of 870 m² and seven exhibition areas – is located on the beach, in the park of Anavros. It is one of the oldest museums in the country and until recently the central Archaeological Museum of Thessaly. The reason and purpose of its foundation was the housing and exhibition of the written funerary columns of Hellenistic times from the cemetery of ancient Demetriada, which had come to light at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, said: “The Athanasakion Archaeological Museum of Volos, which was built in 1909, with money provided by Alexios Athanasakis, from Portaria Pelion, was characterized as a work of art and a historical monument with its surroundings, as it is perhaps the only public building of the period of neoclassicism, of the early 20th century that survives in Volos. At the same time, it is a point of reference for the city as it is linked to the historical memories of its inhabitants. The building of the Museum faced problems from Daniel, which have been fully restored. In the autopsy, which we carried out immediately after the cessation of the phenomenon, I asked the competent services of the Ministry of Culture to accelerate the procedures for the construction of a new building, which will house the supporting functions of the museum, as well as the landscaping of its surroundings, with the removal of the temporary construction site settlements that create precariousness in the Museum building. Today, the Athanasakion Archaeological Museum, with the addition of the new wing, based on the principles of bioclimatic approach and energy upgrading, with the landscaping of the surrounding area, meets not only functionally but also aesthetically, the modern museum needs.”