Palace where Alexander the Great wore royal crown reopens for visitors

The palace where Alexander the Great was crowned is open to visitors after 16 years of restoration

Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Palace, where Alexander the Great wore the royal crown, was opened to visitors on Jan. 7 after a 20 million euro restoration project.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the 15,000-square-meter building – built 2400 years ago – as a “monument of global importance” at the opening ceremony on Friday.

The palace was built by Philippos II, the father of Alexander the Great. Near the palace are the tombs of Philippos and other Macedonian kings.

Following the assassination of his father, Alexander the Great was crowned king in 336 B.C. in the palace’s 8,000-seat courtyard. The Romans destroyed the palace in 148 B.C., some 200 years after Alexander the Great’s unexpected death.

Excavations to uncover the site began in 1865 and continued until the 20th century.

Restoration work began in 2007 with the support of the European Union and has continued to the present day.

However, the Greek government continues to demand the return of the archaeological artifacts in the British Museum that were taken from Greek territory.

Source: Newsroom