On Wednesday night, the Parthenon and five more monuments on the Sacred Rock shined like never before, during the inauguration of the new lighting system installed on the Acropolis, which included a 5-minute-long light show. Athenians whose homes overlook the hill stood on rooftops, balconies or at their windows to watch the show and the new lights illuminate the city. 

Watch the ceremony as the new lights of the Acropolis are turned on below.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and the President of the Onassis Foundation Antonis S. Papadimitriou.

“This celebration supersedes borders and languages. The values that were born on this land are universal,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during his speech,adding that the new lighting system on the Acropolis gave symbolic strength to Democracy and the values of classical Athens. He thanked Eleftheria Deko and her associates for the design of the new system and for carrying out the heavy task of illuminating the work of their ancestors.

Deko herself posted on her Facebook page a few hours before the inauguration, thanking all those who helped and supported the project. She mentioned the hard work put into the lighting system, “that would make the Parthenon and the other monuments on the Sacred Rock shine like they deserve to at the heart of our city, allowing them to spread the light of our country’s civilization all around.”

Prime Minister highlighted the importance of democratic values such as solidarity and equality in the context of the pandemic. “Problems faced cannot be answered individually, but rather with the cooperation of all countries and peoples of [Europe], which is our common home. It is in our hands to win the critical bets of the times we live in by confronting them together,” he insisted, adding that contemporary European values should be fought for with light, and that this light “will eternally emanate from the Acropolis.”

The inauguration ceremony was live-streamed by the Greek Culture Ministry and the Onassis Foundation. It can be found on the Greek PM’s YouTube channel as well as on that of the Onassis Foundation.