The

Privatization of
Cultural Heritage
in Greece
Adhitya M. Maheswara
Lita Sari Barus
University of Indonesia
School of Strategic and
Global Studies
 Introduction
The privatization trend was growing in Europe in
the 1990s, especially in Western Europe.

Privatization -> Reduce government's

monopolistic role.

Private sector (as manager) were freely to take

responsibility against national cultural heritage.

The government provides subsidized funds and

frees building managers to seek additional
funding, such as by a paid admission system,
seeking sponsorships, or operating a souvenir
shop.
Research Method
The study approach in this research uses
qualitative method.
Comparative study.
The scope of this research will focus on the
system of privatization of cultural heritage in
Greece and UK in the 90's to the last few
years.
1. Archaeolohical Site of Mycenae, Acropolis THREE CATEGORIES OF GREEK
CULTURAL HERITAGE

1. .Archaeological sites and

monuments, such as the
archaeological site of Mycenae,
Acropolis.
2. Vernacular settlements or original
buildings made by local residents,
2. Vernacular Settlemnets 3. Old Parliament of Greece such as settlements on Mount
in Mt. Pelion in Stadiou Street, Athens Pelion, Chios Island.
3. Historical buildings, such as urban
settlements, Neo-Classical
buildings and industrial buildings.
Aigion Archaeological
Museum
The city of Aigion is one of the cities in
Greece which is rich in history and cultural
heritage.

The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation

has revitalized several buildings in Aigion.

The revitalization of historical buildings in

the Aigion region has the aim of turning
this city into an attractive functional area,
while still protecting its cultural and
environmental elements.
Athens School of Fine
Arts (ASFA)
ASFA was originally an old
textile factory owned by the
Sikiaridis family in 1992.

The place turned into an

university with several facilities
such as a library, exhibition hall,
auditorium, theater and cinema.
 The University of
Thessaly
The University of Thessaly was an
abandoned water pump factory.

The University of Thessaly was

granted privatization rights and
turned this factory into an academic
environment, one example is the
Faculty of Engineering, which is part
of an abandoned building.
 Comparison The privatization system still
has a problem in Europe.
between
The privatization of cultural
Privatization in heritage in several countries
Greece and UK in Europe is still less
coordinated.

The Government's role is very

important to improve this
system.
Privatization system in UK
became popular in the 1980's .

UK government has handed

over state museums to the
private sector.

Privatized museums in UK are

controlled by a manager and
funds are raised through state
subsidies and the sale of
souvenirs.
Several museums in UK are trying
to find alternative funding by
selling part of the museum
collections to collectors to avoid
bankruptcy.

According to Janet Ulph,

museums are only allowed to
move their collections to the other
museums, whereas if the museum
move the collection to individuals
(the collector), then there is a law
that prohibits this as attributed by
the British museum act of 1963
The British Museum
Act of 1963
Museum may only sell or move
museum’s collection which are
duplicates or imitations.

The collection that are imitated must

be from the collection that have been
made not earlier than the year 1850.

If the museum manager finds out that

a museum collection is damaged, it is
permissible to dispose of it without
harming any party.
 The Greece Cultural
Laws in 1834
The entire cultural heritage of Greece is
considered the property of the state and
Greek society in general.

All the remains that are under the land

belonging to the state, on the seabed,
rivers, lakes, and even marshes are the
property of the state.

For anyone who owns private land and

there are ancient ruins in it or around it,
half the land is owned by the state.
Collectors are under a special permit granted
by the government.

The transfer of ancient objects to collectors

also occurred in Greece, but the government
still supervised collectors to prevent
exploitation of ancient objects that were
privately owned.

The museum which makes agreements with

collectors are also supervised by the
government.

The museum is managed by archaeologists

and experts.

Some archaeologists are still worried Sbout

this system.
 Greece is still has a better
management in Privatization than
UK.

Archaeologists are still worried that

Conclusion
the impact of privatization in Greece
will lead to the exploitation of
National cultural heritage.

The implementation of privatization

in Greece can provide an example
for other countries that still have
problems with the private sector
that are not successful in carrying
out the privatization of cultural
heritage.
Thank you!