Mycenae to reopen on Tuesday following wildfire

Greece’s Culture Minister Lina Mendoni announced that the archaeological museum and site of Mycenae will reopen on Tuesday, following the wildfire that swept through the area.

Mycenae (Μυκήνες) is one of the most evocative archaeological sites in the world. It is located in the Argolis, Peloponnese.

Mendoni made the announcement after visiting Mycenae to inspect the damages of the fire which started from a nearby grassland.

She elaborated that due to the strong wind, the fire went into the archaeological site, "where the Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolida had done a very systematic deforestation, so there was no grass or bushes there to feed the fire."

A force of 4 water-dropping planes, 2 helicopters, 56 firefighters, two ground teams and 17 fire engines, contained the blaze.

However, flames blackened the 3,250-year-old stone-built Lion Gate, the entrance to the ancient city.

"A fire at any archaeological site, especially at an emblematic archaeological site, is in-and-of-itself a sad event. But it is extremely important that the state mechanism was mobilized effectively and had provided so much so as not to prevent damage on the antiquities of Mycenae," she explained and reiterated that "although the fire was unfortunate, we are happy that we do not have the slightest damage to the monuments of this archaeological site."

Meanwhile, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras slammed the government for the fire at Mycenae and the "images of the unprecedented catastrophe that make the rounds across the globe causing sadness to every Greek person."

The main opposition party leader said that the "government's attitude causes anger," as "it refuses to take any responsibility and resorts, again, to the falsification of reality."

Mendoni issued a response to the comments made by Tsipras: "I am sincerely sorry that the leader of the main opposition, Alexis Tsipras, fell victim to misinformation. I do not think that he consciously intended to discredit the archaeological site of Mycenae and, by consequence, the entire country. As of tomorrow morning, the archaeological site and the museum of Mycenae will open at their regular hours. I am at the disposal of the former Prime Minister, to personally tour him at the site, whenever he wishes. So that he can see for himself that Mycenae is still the ‘golden one’, as Homer wrote in the Iliad."