The museum has an area of 6,000 square meters and is located in the northeastern part of the archaeological site, in the immediate vicinity of the modern settlement.
The building is adapted to the morphology of the terrain and has been created with simple lines. "We wanted the presence of the museum in the archaeological site to be discreet. For this reason, the building is sunk into the ground and seems to emerge from it as another find", stressed Mrs. Lilibaki-Akamati.
A "prominent" role in the building is played by the rectangular atrium, which refers to the central peristyle courtyard of the houses of Pella. The atrium serves another purpose: the introduction and full utilization of natural light, which highlights the exhibits in the best way. In the atrium the museum's voluminous exhibits are presented: architectural members, sculptures, tombstones and votive columns.
The same color scale (white-black combination) has been adopted for the exterior and interior of the building, as well as for the organization of the exhibition, in order not to break the harmony and to achieve the viewer's attention to the exhibits.
The exhibition is spread over an area of 2,500 square meters and is structured in five thematic sections, which are not separated from each other in closed rooms. To move from one section to another, the visitor follows an upward path, which refers to his tour of the archaeological site and helps to have a complete overview of the exhibition space.
The visitor is welcomed in the exhibition space by the marble head of Alexander the Great (found in the area of Giannitsa), who was born and raised in Pella.
The first thematic section refers to the daily life of the residents. Here, the mosaic floors of the houses of Dionysos and Helen stand out, as well as the restored wall decoration of the banquet hall of the house of Koniamata.
In the second thematic section, public life in Pella is presented and emphasis is given to the areas of trade and administration. Here, the finds are mainly from the Market. A clear picture of the production process is given by the restored pottery workshop with the findings, as found in the excavation.
Religion dominates the third thematic section, where findings from the sanctuaries of Pella are presented. This section is dominated by two mosaics, which decorated the floors of buildings in the area of the sanctuary of Darron.
The fourth thematic section is that of the cemeteries, where offerings from the cemeteries of Pella are exhibited. This section is the only one excluded from the others, due to its special subject matter.
Through an uphill corridor the visitor ends up in the last section, the palace hall. From here it has visual contact both with the previous exhibition units and with the archaeological site. In this section, information is provided on the form and function of the palace complex, as well as on the personality of Alexander the Great.
Finally, above the ground floor exhibition, there is an exterior, from where the viewer has the possibility of panoramic contact with the exhibits. The exterior will be configured as a space for periodical exhibitions in the future.
The exhibition space is complemented by video and multi-purpose rooms, a shop, a refreshment room, offices, workshops and warehouses.
The museum, with a budget of 14 million euros, was financed by the operational program "Culture" of the 3rd KPS. The construction of the museum was complemented by the installation of roofs on the archaeological site, the construction of visitor roads and the consolidation of the archaeological site through the creation of a bypass road for vehicles.
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
