Destinations in Greece - Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is often referred to as the “northern capital of Greece”. And perhaps it is not a coincidence. It is not only the second largest and significant city in Greece, but also an important cultural and political centre of the country with its own charm and attractiveness.

Description of Thessaloniki

Resorts

The historic center of Thessaloniki

The historic center of Thessaloniki is divided into quarters, each of which can boast with its special historic place: Ladadika, Ano (Upper) Ladadika, Frangomahalas, Kapani, Navarinon, Rotonda, Agia Sophia, Lefkos Pirgos (the White Tower). The center of the city is considered to be a triangle involving the Aristotelous Square, the Square of Ancient Agora, as well as the pedestrian street of Aristotlous.

Thessaloniki is very convenient for walking and exploring the city, you just need to find on the map the central road arteries that pass through the city center, that include those of Tsimiski, Egnatia, Nikis, Mitropoleos, Venizelou and Agio Dimitriu (St Demetrius) avenues.

Ano Poli

Ano Poli is the heritage listed district north of Thessaloniki's city center that was not engulfed by the great fire of 1917 and was declared a UNESCO heritage site by ministerial actions of Melina Merkouri, during the 1980s. It consists of Thessaloniki's most traditional part of the city, still featuring small stone paved streets, old squares and homes featuring old Greek and Ottoman architecture.

In the district of Ano Poli there are such significant historical and cultural sites, as Heptapyrgion (Seven Towers), Church of Osiou David (St David), the Church of Agios Nikolaos Orfanos (St Nicholas Orphanos), the Church of Taxiarhon (St Archangels), Vlatadon Monastery, Church of Profitis Ilias (St Prophet Elias), and other monuments.

Southeastern Thessaloniki

The quarter stretches from Vasileos Georgiou (king George) Avenue till Kalamaria area. There are mansions of rich residents of the city of the 19th century, which in the early 20th century were suburban villas. Kalamaria area, once populated by refugees from Asia Minor (1922), now is considered to be one of the affluent areas of the city.

North-West of Thessaloniki

The areas of Evozmos, Neapoli, Sikies, Stavroupoli, Ampelokipi, Ano Iliupoli are the gateway to the city center. Here are the old and new railway stations of Thessaloniki and the Intercity bus station (KTEL Macedonia).

The famous Moni Lazariston (Lazarists Monastery) is located in the North-West of the city in Stavroupoli, built in 1886 by the monks of the Order of St Paul Vincent (their headquarters are located in Paris in the church of Saint-Lazare). Today the monastery is acting as cultural center of Western Thessaloniki and it is famous for its art exhibitions, concerts, the theatre performances.

In Ano (gr. upper) Iliupoli there is an area of 0.5 hectares with the botanical garden with 1000 species of plants.

Geography

Thessaloniki is often referred to as "The Bride of The Thermaikos Gulf". It is the Northern capital of Greece, the second largest city of the country, the capital of the periphery of Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki embraces the Thermaikos Gulf, which is the part of the Aegean Sea, with a long waterfront. The "lungs" of the city in the North are a forest Seih-Su, in the East - the most beautiful areas of Pefka, Thermoi, and Panorama.

The mountain Hortiatis rises in the North-East of the city, Thessaloniki plain stretches from the North-West to the West, two rivers Aksos and Ludyas flow into the Thermaikos Gulf of Thessaloniki, and in the South there is a river Alyakmonas.

The area of Thessaloniki covers 3 683 sq km. The population of the city and its suburbs, according to the latest census in 2011 is 1 104 460 people.

Transport

Thessaloniki has air connection with many communities throughout the country and many cities of the world. Thessaloniki International Airport "Macedonia" is located 15 km South of the city.

The city has important railway connection in the country, through which the main railway links the Peloponnese - Athens - Thessaloniki - Promahon (the Eastern border) and connects Greece with the rest of Europe and Turkey. The central railway station is located in the heart of the city: daily trains depart from Thessaloniki to Athens, to Larissa, to Alexandroupolis, to Edessa and Kalambaka.

Ferries link the city with the islands of the Northern and Eastern part of the Aegean Sea, with the Northern Sporades islands and Dodecanese islands.

Climate

Thessaloniki displays characteristics of both a Mediterranean and continental climate. Five years ago, in July 2007 the highest temperature 44 Celsius degrees was recorded and the lowest one was recorded almost 50 years ago, in January 1963 at -14 Celsius degrees. The winters in Thessaloniki are often snowy, but the snow on the ground melts almost immediately.

Population and traditions

Thessaloniki is the capital of Macedonia, the country where honest, hardworking, brave and hospitable people live, and has its own set of Macedonian customs that can make a volume, as well as any other place in Greece.

Capital

In Thessaloniki itself there are about 720 000 people. This is a true metropolis, a giant according to the Greek standards; however, thanks to the excellent plan of the city, there is no feeling of crowdness, but rather a feeling of space, what you can experience in Athens only in remote areas from the city center.

What to see

The White Tower - the symbol of the city of Thessaloniki

The White Tower, which acquired its present appearance and was named "White" one and a half centuries ago, decorates the coat of arms of Thessaloniki. Before that it was not white, but ... Red, Bloody! The tower, which once guarded the Eastern end of the city's sea walls, was for many years attributed to Venice, to which the Byzantines ceded Thessaloniki in 1423. It is now known definitely that the tower was constructed by the Ottomans on the site of more old Byzantine fortification some time after the army of Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. It is the only tower with a cylindrical structure, while the other 40 defensive towers are rectangular buildings. There was a massacre of the prisoners in the Tower. Owing to the countless victims of Ottoman torturers and executioners, the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or "Red Tower". It is said that later on the tower was painted white symbolizing the act of purification.

Other monuments:

Roman Agora, the Forum, built in 2-3 centuries. BC Acropolis (Eptapirgio - Seven Towers)

The ensemble of the Emperor Galerius:

The Arch of Galerius (Kamara) - the symbol of Thessaloniki as the White Tower, built in the 3rd century AD during the rule of the Emperor Galerius and the reliefs on the Arch can tell us of the victory over the Persians.

Rotunda, the Church of Agios Georgios (St George) is the mausoleum of the Emperor Galerius which was converted into a Christian church by the Emperor Theodosius. The Rotunda is one of the oldest of Thessaloniki's constructions. It is now a museum.

The Palace of Galerius, in the center of the Roman Agora of Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki Hippodrome, the place where the Thessaloniki massacre took place. The Massacre of Thessaloniki was a retaliatory action by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 390 against the inhabitants of Thessaloniki; 7000 of them were slaughtered here.

The Byzantine monuments:

The Church of Agiou Dimitriou (St. Demetrius), the Saint Patron of the city of Thessaloniki, built in the 5th century (413 AD), on the site of the martyrdom of the saint. It was destroyed by fire, rebuilt and began to function again after the Second World War.

The Church of Agias Ekaterinis (St Catherine) of 14 century.

The Church of Agias Sophias, the construction of 7th century.

The Church of Agion Apostolon (the Holy Apostles), 14th century.

The Church of Agios Nikolaos Orfanos (St Nicholas Orphanos), 14th century.

The Church of Agios Panteleimonas, 14th century.

The Church of the Acheiropoietos (gr. not made by hands) built in the 5th century, with amazing frescoes dating back to the 13th century.

Vlatadon Monastery, 14th century.

The Church of Osiou David (St David of Thessaloniki).

The Church of Panagia Chalkeon of 1028. In 1988 included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, along with other early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki.

The Church of Profitis Ilias (Elijah the Prophet), 14th century.

The Byzantine Baths of the Ano Poli (Upper Town) 13 в.

Mosques:

Geni Tzami (The New Mosque) is a former mosque built by the Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli in 1902. Since 1924 there have been hosted an old Archaeological Museum of Thessalonikh.

Alatza Imaret Tzami (“alatza” - tur. many-coloured), 1484.

Hamza-Bey Tzami, 1467; rebuilt in 1620.

Museums:

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, where one of the largest collections of antiquities of Macedonia are displayed.

The Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, awarded by the Council of Europe with Museum Prize 2005.

The White Tower Museum.

The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle.

The Εethnographic Museum of Thessaloniki.

Atatürk’s House Museum.

The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki.

The Museum of Ancient Greek, Byzantine and post-Byzantine Musical Instruments.

The State Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses a collection of Russian avant-garde of George Costakis purchased by the museum in 1997.

The Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art.

Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum (NOESIS).

The Railway Museum

The Military Museum.

Telloglio Foundation of Arts.

The Cinema Museum.

The Museum of Photography.

The Olympic (Sports) Museum of Thessaloniki.

Mythology and history

The city was founded around 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon, on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and twenty-six other local villages. King Cassander of Macedon named the new city after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great.

At the dawn of the new millennium, in 50 AD Apostle Paul converted Thessaloniki to Christianity. The Emperor Galerius made Thessaloniki the capital of the Roman province in 300. His holy blood shed here during his reign Demetrius, an officer of the Roman army. The city was ruled by the Avars, the Saracens, the Normans, the Catalans, the Turks. When the glory of Athens faded, and the once brilliant capital of ancient Greece turned into a town of shepherds a new star would gradually appear – Thessaloniki a rich port, where the East and the West met giving rise to a new culture.

In 1432 the Ottomans conquered Thessaloniki. For five centuries, the city was under the Turkish rule. Thessaloniki became the jewel of the empire, many high rank officials were born in Thessaloniki. In 1881 Kemal Ataturk, "father" of the Turkish people was born in Thessaloniki.

After the exile of the Jews from Spain by the royal couple Ferdinand and Isabella Thessaloniki acquires its Jewish community, one of the world's largest Jewish communities until the World War II, when the Jews were transported to Nazi concentration camps, and few of them came back.

Thessaloniki became the Greek city only in 1912. The population of the city changed significantly: the Muslim population was gradually replaced by the Greek, especially when the city was flooded with the refugees from Asia Minor after the massacre of the Greek population in the Turkish coast in 1922 by Kemal.

Cuisine

Thessaloniki is a city of gourmet cuisine lovers and the city of unique confectionery. It is famous for its bougatsa, a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. Thessaloniki bagels are considered to be the number one product for a healthy breakfast, as well as patsas a traditional soup made from tripe, intestines, and sometimes feet or head-cheek meat. In Greece it’s used as a hang-over food too, consumed in the early morning after spending all night… drinking!

Entertainment

Thessaloniki is a city of youth, a city of students. It is a capital of all kinds of music from rock to pop, the hometown of many favorite Greek bards. It is a city of cozy bars and restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, and taverns.

Thessaloniki is a city of the International Fair, which is held annually in September, and is accompanied by festivals, concerts as Panhellenic competition of young singers - Greek Song Festival.

There are also themed exhibitions INTERKID, FURNITEC, INFACOMA, EXPLORIA, PHILOXENIA, DETROP, exhibition of jewelry, etc.

International Book Exhibition is held annually in May. And in October the cultural events dedicated to the Holy defender of the city, St Demetrius, celebrate the day which falls on October 26.

Every year in November, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival is held.

Therefore, if you decide to visit the city in the "tension" and overloaded by activities autumn months you should take care of the hotel room in advance.

What to buy

The famous sweets and Thessaloniki tsoureks.

Photos of Thessaloniki