The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum in Greece and one of the world's great museums. Although its original purpose was to secure all the finds from the nineteenth century excavations in and around Athens, it gradually became the central National Archaeological Museum and was enriched with finds from all over Greece. Its abundant collections, with more than 11,000 exhibits, provide a panorama of Greek civilization from the beginnings of Prehistory to Late Antiquity. The museum is housed in an imposing neoclassical building of the end of the nineteenth century, which was designed by L. Lange and remodelled by Ernst Ziller. The vast exhibition space - numerous galleries on each floor accounting for a total of 8,000 square metres - house five large permanent collections: The Prehistoric Collection, which includes works of the great civilizations that developped in the Aegean from the sixth millennium BC to 1050 BC (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean), and finds from the prehistoric settlement at Thera. The Sculptures Collection, which shows the development of ancient Greek sculpture from the seventh to the fifth centuries BC with unique masterpieces. The Vase and Minor Objects Collection, which contains representative works of ancient Greek pottery from the eleventh century BC to the Roman period and includes the Stathatos Collection, a corpus of minor objects of all periods. The Metallurgy Collection, with many fundamental statues, figurines and minor objects. And, finally, the only Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities Collection in Greece, with works dating from the pre-dynastic period (5000 BC) to the Roman conquest. Opening hours: Monday: 13.00 - 20.00,Tuesday to Sunday: 09:00 - 16:00 The National Archaeological Museum is closed on 25 - 26 December, 1 January, 25 March, Orthodox Easter Sunday and 1 May. Admission fee 12€ (From April 1st until October 31st) 6€ (From November 1st until March 31st) Three day Special ticket package: 15€ Valid for National Archaeological Museum, Epigraphic Museum, Numismatic Museum and Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens. Free entrance: visitors under 18 years old (by showing their I.D. or Passport) students from E.U. countries (by showing their University Card) admission card holders (Free Entrance Card, ICOM, ICOMOS) guides (by showing their professional card) members of Societies of Friends of Museums and Archaeological Sites of Greece, by showing their membership card escort of blind people and escort of persons with mobility difficulties Entrance is free to all visitors on the following days: . 6 March (Memory of Melina Mercouri) . 18 April (International Monument Day) . 18 May (International Museum Day) . the last weekend of September (European Days of Cultural Heritage) . 28 October (National Holiday) . the first Sunday of the month for the period between 1 November and 31 March Clearance of the galleries begins 20 minutes before closing time. Essential work may necessitate closing galleries without previous notice.