Acropolis closes at hottest hours amid Greece heatwave

The Athens Acropolis, Greece’s prime vacationer attraction, closed in the course of the hottest hours on Friday and will nicely shut once more Saturday because the nation wilts underneath a heatwave.

Entry to the UNESCO-listed archaeological website relationship to antiquity is being suspended between noon and 5:00 pm (0900 GMT and 1400 GMT) earlier than reopening “to guard employees and guests”, Tradition Minister Lina Mendoni advised public broadcaster ERT.

“It is extremely doubtless that we’ll take the identical measure tomorrow (Saturday),” she stated.

Temperatures reached 39 levels Celsius (102 levels Fahrenheit) in Athens on Friday, and components of the nation may see highs as a lot as 44 C on Saturday, based on the nationwide climate service EMY.

Different common vacationer websites surrounding the Sacred Rock on which the Acropolis stands, such because the Historical Agora, have remained open.

The Acropolis, which has seen a serious rise in customer numbers in latest months, is generally open from 8:00 am to eight:00 pm on daily basis.

Some vacationers have been left disenchanted in entrance of the location’s closed entrance, saying the official web site had not offered sufficient info.

“I’m not feeling actually comfy about it, however what can we do?” stated Serbian human assets director Sonya Ivkovic, who deliberate to return for the reopening at 5:00 pm.

“We weren’t anticipating it, we simply got here and thought it might be open,” Emelie Den, a physician from Australia, advised AFP. “Form of caught us off guard however is smart, it’s actually, actually sizzling at the moment… we have been consuming heaps.”

Fireplace threat

A summer season heatwave is hitting a number of Mediterranean nations, with the mercury hitting 42C in components of northern and western Greece on Friday.

The authorities have in latest days taken measures to assist folks cope. The Pink Cross deployed on the Acropolis on Thursday handy out water bottles and assist guests affected by the warmth.

“We will hand out not less than 30,000 50-cl bottles of water a day,” the president of the Greek Pink Cross, Antonios Avgerinos, advised AFP.

Shelters have been arrange close to the doorway at the beginning of the week to guard the hundreds of sightseers who come to admire the Parthenon from the Acropolis.

The authorities have warned a couple of better threat of fires, significantly in areas the place sturdy winds are anticipated.

Greece suffered main wildfires in 2021 as an exceptionally intense heatwave gripped the nation.

© 2023 AFP