Great exhibition in Berlin on the religious, political and social person of the city

A bridge of culture, of trust and cooperation between Greece and Germany is being built these days in Berlin, a few steps away from the old cold war wall: The Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum in Niederkirchnerstrasse - opposite the German Ministry of Economy- is preparing to welcome the exhibition "Olympia: Myth, worship, matches", which will give German visitors the opportunity to get to know the place, the people, the everyday life and history of the holy city-symbol of the Olympic Games and to witness the birth of the sports ideal.

On the occasion of the Olympic Games starting in London in a few days, the exhibition will present to 3.500 sq.m. through 1.000 exhibits the sacred site of ancient Olympia and many aspects of ancient Greek worship and daily life "known to you Greeks, but unknown to the general public of Europe, which we must demonstrate and explain", pointed out Gereon Zyvernich, director of the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum, during a press conference in Athens, at noon on Tuesday 24 July, which was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Education, of religion, Culture and Sports (Ministry of Health) Kostas Tzavaras, the director of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation Eleftherios Economou, the general secretary of Culture of the Ministry of Culture Lina Mendoni and the general director of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Maria Andreadaki-Vlazaki.

"Through the exhibition it becomes clear what Greece has offered to Europe", the German director commented and the Greek deputy minister remarked that in our troubled times, and on the day of the celebration of 38 years since the restoration of democracy in Greece, "Olympia marks the course of human civilization, opposes the eternal to the perishable and sends a powerful message that reminds us that “Greek way” continues to inspire and move the peoples of the world".

The report is structured in three main thematic sections. The first presents the history of the ancient sanctuary of Olympia from the beginning of the 1st BC. millennium to the end of the Roman times, the political dimension of Olympia and its contribution to the formation of Hellenism are demonstrated and presented, through vows, representations on vases and other findings, the religious function of the sanctuary, the deities and heroes that were worshiped and the cult ceremonies that took place there.

The second section traces the history of excavations and research in ancient Olympia, by French archaeologists’ first it 1829 and by German archaeologists the 1875, following the thread of archaeological excavations in the area up to the present day.

The third section focuses on sport in Olympia and its social significance. In the rooms that will host this module, visitors to the exhibition will see records, dumbbells and other sports instruments and through angiography and digital representations will be informed about the types of ancient sports. They will also have the opportunity to admire portraits of distinguished spectators of the Games as well as coins and medals that confirm the pan-Hellenic importance of the Games.

1.000 exhibits – 150 are exhibited in a world premiere

Most of the exhibits in the exhibition come from Greek museums, mainly from the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, the National Archaeological Museum and the Numismatic Museum. Overall 564 ancient works will depart for Berlin, together with three modern copies, two models and eight modern commemorative medals. In the exhibition they lend exhibits in total 21 major European museums and institutions, including the Louvre Museum, the Vatican Museum, the Archaeological Museum and Sculpture Gallery of Munich and the National Museum of Rome.

150 Greek findings from excavations of the last decade in Mycenae and elsewhere will be presented for the first time to the general and scientific public and will be published in the catalog accompanying the exhibition.

Exactly 40 years after the last exhibition on the subject of the Olympic Games in Germany, the 1972, at the Munich Olympiad, for the first time such a large number of Greek exhibits cross the borders and are loaned outside of Greece, "an event that expresses trust and is a manifestation of the close bond between the two countries", underlined the director of the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum.

The exhibition, which is prepared by 2010, organized by the initiative of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation in Berlin and co-organizers the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum, the Ministry of Education, of religion, Culture and Sports, the German Archaeological Institute and the Berlin State Museums Antiquities Collection and is under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic and. Karolos Papoulias and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Joachim Gauck.

Catalogs in German, in English and Greek accompany the exhibition, with essays and descriptions of the exhibits, fruit of cooperation 60 distinguished Greek and foreign scientists.

However, the ambitious exhibition seems like an expensive luxury for the poor economy of the Greek state, the director of the Hellenic Cultural Foundation Eleftherios Economou, answering a question, clarified that "the Greek government was not burdened at all with the costs of the organization". German and Greek private individuals support the exhibition with sponsorships, including the German Savings Banks and the Greek institutions Latsis and Leventis, while Qatar will finance the publication of the English and Greek catalogs.

The exhibition will be hosted by 30 August 2012 until 7 January 2013 at the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum in Berlin and will then be transferred to Doha, Qatar, where it will be presented at the Sports and Olympic Museum from 28 Of March 2013 until the end of October 2013, supplemented by an appendix on the history of the modern Olympic Games, where evidence from the Athens Games will be presented 1896 and 2004. The final destination of the exhibition will be the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where we will see her in the winter 2014.

Source : tovima.gr