Work on the construction of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki began in February 1961, to designs by the architect Patroklos Karantinos. The building was inaugurated on 27th October 1962, during the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the liberation of Thessaloniki. In 1971, the displays were brought to completion in all the rooms. They included sculpture, a prehistoric collection, miniature art of the Archaic and Classical periods, and the brilliant group of finds from the tombs at Derveni, which was first presented to the public on the day of the inauguration ceremony.