THESSALONIKI

Thessaloniki is the secondlargest city of Greece andthe capital of the Prefectureof Thessaloniki. It is a citywith rich history thatattracts the interest ofhistorians and archaeologists.

Founded in 315 BC bythe King Kassandros ofMacedonia, the city tookits name from the halfsister of Alexander theGreat, Thessaloniki, whowas the founder’s wife,as well. The name wasgiven after thesignificant victory thatMacedonians achievedagainst the Thessalians.

(I’m not afraid of an army oflions led by a sheep. I’m afraidof an army of sheep led by alion.)

The White Tower ofThessaloniki is an Ottomanfortification construction ofthe 15th century (probablybuilt between 1450-1470).Today it is considered thelandmark of Thessaloniki andit is what has remained fromdemolished Ottomanfortifications.

The Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda are neighboring early 4th-centurymonuments in the city of Thessaloniki. The Rotunda is also known asthe Church of Agios Georgios or St. George (in English) .

Arch of Galerius

Rotunda

The Church of Saint Demetrius,or Hagios Demetrios , is the mainsanctuary dedicated to SaintDemetrius, the patron saint ofThessaloniki , dating at the timethat Thessaloniki was the secondlargest city of the ByzantineEmpire. In honor of the patronsaint, a series of cultural events,called “Demetria”, take place inOctober and November everyyear.

The history of the "Demetria"takes us back in the Byzantineperiod, in the 12th centuryAD. The love of theThessalonians for the patronSaint Demetrios, led to theestablishment of a feast tohonor him. In early years, thefestival has had mainlyreligious and commercialpurposes. The events hadbeen hosted in various culturalsites such as City Hall, theBensousan Khan, the MunicipalTheatre and in a lot ofmuseums and galleries in thecity.

The International Thessaloniki Film Festival is the premier SouthEast Europe Film Festival, that presents themes of the annual Greekfilm production. It is the main and oldest festival in the Balkans forthe creations of emerging filmmakers all over the world.

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The city has a lot of other festivals and events like: Thessaloniki Food Festival, the Night Half Marathon, the world rowing, Reworks, e.t.c.

The International Fairof Thessaloniki, isbeyond any doubt thelargest exhibitionevent of the country.Since 1926 the mainpurpose has been tosupport and promoteGreek manufacturingand entrepreneurshipalways in conjunctionwith the developmentof the nationaleconomy.

The Concert Hall is a modern, international cultural and conferencecenter, which can accommodate a wide range of events such as concerts,theatrical plays and opera, ballet, art, cultural exhibitions andconference events.

The construction of the new CityHall started in 2005 . Theadvantage of the new City Hall isthat almost all municipal servicesare in a building with a parking placenearby and thus reducingunnecessary travel within the city.

Thessaloniki is well-known not onlyfor its festival, but also for itsmuseums such as: theMuseum of Byzantine Culture, theSports Museum, the Children'sMuseum, the Folk-EthnologicalMuseum of Macedonia-Thrace,Goulandris Natural HistoryMuseum, the ArchaeologicalMuseum, etc.

In Thessaloniki you canvisit a lot of neoclassicalhouses like: the CasaBianca, the “Olympian”Theatre Villa Aladdin,Villa Mordoch, the AhmetKapantzis mansion etc.

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George L.George M.Lazaros P.

Nick M.Maria P.

Sofia-Maria L.