History of Excavations Museum

The Museum of the History of the Excavations of Olympia consists of a single exhibition area containing surveillance and photographic material, through which the history of the excavations of Olympia is presented. The first attempts to locate and identify the site and the first excavations are mentioned, while the systematic excavation of the sanctuary from 1875 until today is presented. At the rear of the building there are hygienic spaces to serve the visitors. The purpose of the exhibition is to present the huge and costly excavation of Olympia, one of the largest excavations that took place in Greece by the German Archaeological Institute of Athens. As the archaeologist, Olympia Vikatou says, the building of the Museum of the History of the excavations in Olympia is called the Old Empire and was built in the early 20th century. Initially it served as an auxiliary area of the Old Museum. Later, as the office space of the Ephorate of Antiquities, and finally as a place of residence for the people and archaeologists who came to work in Olympia. During the 1990s it served as a storage site for the relevant Ephorate of Antiquities. In 2003 it was decided by the Ministry of Culture to make the building a fairground and present the history of the great excavation of the Sanctuary of Zeus of Olympia.

*Ticket Includes (Archaeological Site of Olympia, Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Museum of the History of the Olympic Games of Antiquity, History of Excavations Museum)