# The Parthenon, unscaffolded **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240 "2006-09-02T21:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/21 "2006-09-07T15:22:19Z")
A friend of mine was in Athens just last month. She said the Parthenon is still extensively covered in scaffolding (more than 50%) and there are several cranes, too. She admired it from her hotel room balcony, but didn’t bother going to see it up close. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/22 "2006-09-07T16:43:20Z")
There’s also degrees of scaffolding. If at least one end is unobstructed, and the rest is just close scaffolding, you still get the effect. Cranes are bad news though. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/23 "2006-09-07T18:28:24Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] This reminds me of my cousin’s son. He came back from his first visit to Paris, and told everyone they have an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas. [/QUOTE] :eek: ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/24 "2006-09-07T19:53:25Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] This reminds me of my cousin’s son. He came back from his first visit to Paris, and told everyone they have an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas. [/QUOTE] I don’t see why it would remind you of that. I’m not claiming that the one in Nashville is the greatest thing since sliced bread, I’m just pointing out that if you don’t get to see the Greek one, you can see a duplicate in better condition without leaving the country. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/25 "2006-09-07T20:15:39Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] Every time I visit a European city, there’s at least one major building that I can’t see because it’s being restored. [/QUOTE] Which explains [this](http://www.muppetlabs.com/~eric/enhanced/arch_3.jpg) picture. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2006, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/26 "2006-09-08T08:29:59Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] Every time I visit a European city, there’s at least one major building that I can’t see because it’s being restored. Obviously this is important, but I wish I could schedule my visits to immediately \*\*after \*\*the restoration is completed. [/QUOTE] Well, the dome of Cologne ([Kölner Dom](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6lner_Dom)) is famous for being constantly renovated - there is no time when it’s not scaffolded. (Reason: it’s a big structure made from soft sandstone, in an area with high air pollution =\> acid rain.). ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/27 "2006-09-27T16:47:09Z")
OK, field report. I just got back from Athens and can give the current state of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The Beulé Gate, which you pass through entering the Acropolis, is completely covered in scaffolding. (See the far right of [this photo](http://target.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dennis.matheson/detail?.dir=/6d0fscd&.dnm=e4bdscd.jpg&.src=ph).) It was bad enough that none of my pictures of it were worth it. The Parthenon itself has scaffolding along one side (look at the left side [here](http://target.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dennis.matheson/detail?.dir=/6d0fscd&.dnm=c2fescd.jpg&.src=ph)) and on its inside but [it is otherwise clear](http://target.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dennis.matheson/detail?.dir=/6d0fscd&.dnm=1610scd.jpg&.src=ph). There are also a pair of cranes on that left side of the Parthenon (you can’t see them in the second and third image above but they are visible in the first). Nothing else on the Acropolis proper is obscured by scaffolding. There is what looks like some archaeological working going on along one side of the Acropolis itself, near the Theatre of Dionysos, but it isn’t blocking anything. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/28 "2006-09-27T16:51:38Z")
Thanks so much, **tanstaafl** ; this really helps. Hope you had a great trip. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/29 "2006-09-27T17:53:50Z")
When I went to Paris, the Eiffel Tower was covered with so much scaffolding, you couldn’t even see the tower. What? sorry… ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/30 "2006-09-27T19:49:15Z")
[QUOTE=Don’t Call Me Shirley] When I went to Paris, the Eiffel Tower was covered with so much scaffolding, you couldn’t even see the tower. [/QUOTE] Wow, just like the one in Vegas. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240/31 "2006-09-28T01:19:48Z")
I was in Athens a year and a half ago, and they are doing some pretty major restorations to many of the buildings on the acropolis. It’s still darned impressive though, and it didn’t make it any less impressive than Rome, which has very little scaffolding (or did when I was there in '03) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-parthenon-unscaffolded/371240.md?page=1)