Museum of Apollonia
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Apollonia or Fier Archaeological Museum is an archaeological museum approximately 8 km (5 mi) west of Fier
, Albania
. It was established in 1958. The museum contains artifacts unearthed nearby from the ancient Greek town of Apollonia
and is close to the Ardenica Monastery
.
by Austrian archaeologists who unearthed and explored mainly the walls that encircled the city. Systematic excavations began in 1924 by a French archaeological mission directed by Leon Rey, who brought to light a complex of monuments at the center of the city. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Rey pressed for an archaeological museum to house the artifacts his team uncovered but lack of finance prolonged it. Finally on October 8, 1936 the collection of archaeological finds at Apollonia were exhibited in the government building in Vlorë
, which suffered bombardment and looting during World War II
. After the war, further archeological finds saw another campaign for a public museum, but in the Apollonia area. The archaeologists S. Anamali and H. Ceka successfully raised the finances needed to open a museum and finally it opened in 1958, in the village of Pojan, within the ancient site. During the communist period was a considerable success. A lot of excavations made by Albanian archaeologists during a 40 year period were exhibited in the museum. However, in 1991 it was looted and closed.
Today the museum remains closed and is managed by the National Archaeological Park of Apollonia, the Albanian Institute of Archaeology and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. These bodies have proposed to reopen the museum, although as of 2010 ongoing financial problems are preventing it from reopening to the public.
Fier
Fieri is a city in southwest Albania, in the district and county of the same name. It is located at , and has a population of 82,297 . Fier is from the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia.-History :...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. It was established in 1958. The museum contains artifacts unearthed nearby from the ancient Greek town of Apollonia
Apollonia (Illyria)
Apollonia was an ancient Greek city in Illyria, located on the right bank of the Aous river . Its ruins are situated in the Fier region, near the village of Pojani, in modern-day Albania...
and is close to the Ardenica Monastery
Ardenica Monastery
The Ardenica Monastery of Theotokos Mary is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, distant ten kilometers north of Fier, Albania, along the national road that links Fier to Lushnjë....
.
History
The first attempts to conduct excavations in Apollonia were made during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
by Austrian archaeologists who unearthed and explored mainly the walls that encircled the city. Systematic excavations began in 1924 by a French archaeological mission directed by Leon Rey, who brought to light a complex of monuments at the center of the city. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Rey pressed for an archaeological museum to house the artifacts his team uncovered but lack of finance prolonged it. Finally on October 8, 1936 the collection of archaeological finds at Apollonia were exhibited in the government building in Vlorë
Vlorë
Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
, which suffered bombardment and looting during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, further archeological finds saw another campaign for a public museum, but in the Apollonia area. The archaeologists S. Anamali and H. Ceka successfully raised the finances needed to open a museum and finally it opened in 1958, in the village of Pojan, within the ancient site. During the communist period was a considerable success. A lot of excavations made by Albanian archaeologists during a 40 year period were exhibited in the museum. However, in 1991 it was looted and closed.
Today the museum remains closed and is managed by the National Archaeological Park of Apollonia, the Albanian Institute of Archaeology and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. These bodies have proposed to reopen the museum, although as of 2010 ongoing financial problems are preventing it from reopening to the public.