The Acropolis of Athens, Greece’s most visited tourist site, was closed to the public on Wednesday due to the heat wave that hit the country.
The Ministry of Culture announced that the archaeological site declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO will close from noon to five in the afternoon. (9:00 a. m. to 2:00 p. m. GMT), with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday and Thursday.
The first heat wave of the year in Greece, hit by sweltering summer temperatures, is expected to peak in the next two days, and the ministry said the measure could be extended.
The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has warned of a major threat of fires in the Attica region, around Athens.
Schools will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday in several areas of the country, including the capital, while the Ministry of Labour has invited public sector painters to paint from home.
An air-conditioned room has been opened at the Syntagma metro station in central Athens to provide the public with a place to protect themselves from the heat, the public transport authority said.
The Acropolis was forced to close its doors in July last year, an unprecedented two-week heatwave.
A record number of about 4 million visitors flocked last year, and popularity surged in part because of tourists arriving on cruise ships that called at the nearby port of Piraeus.