A new building will be added to the courtyard of the Athanasakio Archaeological Museum of Volos to house the museum's support and auxiliary services, as part of improvements following  the storm 'Daniel' and a gift by the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), the Ministry of Culture announced on Tuesday.

The main facility of the museum is a one-story, stone-built neoclassical building of 870 sqm in total and seven exhibition halls. It was built in 1909 near the beach and in the park of Anavros with funds by Alexios Athanassakis from Portaria on Mt Pilio. It is one of the oldest museums in Greece and a protected cultural monument. Its collection includes the outstanding finds and reconstructions from the nearby Neolithic sites of Sesklo and Dimini.

"The museum building faced problems from Daniel, which have been fully restored," said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni. "In the on-site inspection we did immediately after the end of the weather phenomenon, I asked the relevant Culture Ministry services to accelerate the processes for the construction of a new building," she added.
Mendoni said that with the new addition, the museum will acquire a new wing with bioclimatic systems and an energy upgrade, fulfilling modern museum needs.

The ministry and the UGS have signed a memorandum of understanding for the restoration of the cultural infrastructure of Thessaly from the destructive flooding from the storm. The project includes removing temporary working huts and containers, as well as landscape works that will allow an outdoor exhibition of sculpture

The new building will include two levels - a ground floor, a semi-basement, and an underground section. They will house a ticket office, the museum shop, and a cafe next to a multiple-use space, as well as a semi-basement for spaces for the guards. The underground section will be used as storage and house an engine room.