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Managing University Heritage: The Expansion of Athens University’s History Museum, Permanent Collection

Athens University History Museum (AUHM) was inaugurated in 1987 in the context of the 150th anniversary of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) Institution since its establishment. Its integration in the cultural center of Athens makes it special on a global level because very few universities have managed to create a museum which highlights the cultural heritage of the university and one that addresses not only the academic community but also the broader public. In 1998, with the decision of the Greek Ministry of Culture, NKUA was granted the right to utilize the property at 16 Tholou Street, Plaka, in Athens for an expansion of its history museum. The reconstruction and expansion of the building was completed in 2019. What was the main aspect of a new narrative of the permanent collection for the new building? Specifically, NKUA’s portrait collection includes 347 works of 90 different artists, remarkable examples of modern Greek art narrating the history of NKUA, as well as the important role of those great figures in higher education. The NKUA administration decided to present to the new building the NKUA’s growth in its historical space–time. The paper examines the new approaches and perspectives for museologists and cultural managers to create a new storytelling in order to promote and enhance university heritage to public.

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