Admire the Propylaea after Restoration

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The Propylaea, the 5th-century BC gateway to the Athens Acropolis has its own architectural significance and a long, stormy history that easily match that of the famous Parthenon. More than 16 years ago, a restoration project of the West Hall of the Propylaea began, and now visitors to the Acropolis can admire the structure, as the work is finally finished. Built by the architect Mnesicles beginning in 437 BC, the Propylaea’s construction was stopped five years later by the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Mnesicles is remembered as an innovative designer, whose construction, although never completed, continues to impress with its combined Doric-Ionic style, multi-level arrangement and unique symmetry. The function of the Propylaea changed later on, and underwent several changes, structurally. Now, after the intervention by state-of-the-art techniques, more than 1,200 fragments have undergone meticulous examination and repair, the scaffolding has been removed, visitors may admire the fine Ionic ornament. Athens Plus: Propylaea begins to emerge from restoration  (p. 12)

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