On Saturday, a palace of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia, where Alexander the Great was declared king, will reopen in Greece.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis inaugurated the restored palace in the northern Greek city of Vergina on Friday after 16 years of restoration work. The palace, named after Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, is the centerpiece at the archaeological site of Aigai.
Mitsotakis expressed hope that the restored palace will attract more visitors to Aigai, which was the capital of ancient Macedonia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The archaeological site of Aigai was the largest building in classical Greece, covering nearly 15,000 square meters.
The palace was destroyed in the 2nd century B.C., after the definitive destruction of the kingdom by the Romans. Over the centuries, most of its building materials have been looted, and the remains of the stones were revealed through excavations that began in the 19th century.
The 20.3-million-euro restoration project was funded by the European Union, according to Greek national news agency AMNA.
