“We are launching the restoration and promotion projects in the area with a holistic approach, as the ancient ruins are an inseparable part of the natural environment of the island”.

The Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni and the President of the International Foundation for Greece (IFG) Aspasia Leventi visited and inspected the archaeological site of Delos, accompanied by the Director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades Dimitris Athanasoulis.

The purpose of this visit was to discuss on-site the procedures that will lead to the acceleration and implementation of the project “Delos: Open Museum“, as designed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades with the cooperation and support of IFG, which had expressed the intention to finance the construction of a new museum in Delos since 2014. The inspection was also attended by the Deputy Regional Governor of the Cyclades, George Leontaritis, the Mayor of Mykonos, Konstantinos Koukas, and officials of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

As the Minister, Lina Mendoni, stated, “We are launching the restoration and promotion projects in the area with a holistic approach, as the ancient ruins are an inseparable part of the natural environment of the island. The movable monuments, and the place and the way they will be exhibited, preserved, and stored, are part of this whole as well. Any necessary modern constructions must be assimilated, and will be designed with due respect for the environment”.

In recent years, the Ministry of Culture is implementing a management plan in the archaeological site of Delos which includes the maintenance and upgrade of all modern infrastructures (museum, warehouses, networks, staff houses, facilities for the public), the preservation of ancient remains and the restoration of monuments, with the aim of upgrading the overall image of the archaeological site.

These projects are funded by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Municipality of Mykonos, through programme contracts, private sponsorships -such as the restoration project of the Stoa of Philip, which is sponsored by the Paul & Alexandra Canellopoulos Foundation-, and collaborations with the French School at Athens.