Museum of Apollonia

About

The Archaeological Museum of Apolonia (Albanian: Muzeu Arkeologjik Apoloni) is an archaeological museum approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Fier, Albania. It was established in 1958. The museum contains artifacts unearthed nearby from the archaeological site of Apollonia and is close to the Ardenica Monastery.

History: The first attempts to conduct excavations in Apollonia were made during World War I by Austrian archaeologists who mainly unearthed and explored the walls that encircled the city. Systematic excavations began in 1924 by a French archaeological mission directed by Leon Rey, who brought to light a complex of monuments at the center of the city. During the late 1920s and 1930s, Rey pressed for an archaeological museum to house the artifacts his team uncovered but lack of finance prolonged it. Finally on October 8, 1936 the collection of archaeological finds at Apollonia were exhibited in the government building in Vlorë, which suffered bombardment and looting during World War II. After the war, further archeological finds saw another campaign for a public museum, but in the Apollonia area. The archaeologists S. Anamali and H. Ceka successfully raised the finances needed...