Parthenon restoration: Two centuries of funding and preservation

The historical preservation of the Parthenon has been a continuous financial and structural endeavor for centuries, following the damage caused by a Venetian shell from Francesco Morosini’s army on September 26, 1687. At the time, the temple was being used as an Ottoman gunpowder magazine.

Since the establishment of the Greek state, the Acropolis has been under public responsibility. Early systematic excavations occurred between 1835 and 1837, with major restoration efforts beginning in the early 20th century. During the Bavarian period, 70,000 drachmas were planned for the Parthenon over four years, though much of the early work relied on a mixed funding mechanism involving the state, the Archaeological Society of Athens, and private donations.

In the late 19th century, significant excavation periods led by Panagiotis Kavvadias and subsequent restoration works by Nikolaos Balanos, which began in 1898, transitioned the Acropolis into an era of systematic restoration.