eTwinning Sea and City: Sharing our common identity

Alexandroupolis, 2nd High School, Dublin, Loreto College Foxrock, Ireland Lavrion, 1st High School, Greece Plumouth, Devonport High School for Girls, UK , 3rd High School of Thermi, Greece

Contents

Page Introduction 2 Alexandroupolis 3 Dublin 20 Lavrion 35 Plymouth 68 Thessaloniki 81

The sketch at the book cover is made by the student of the 1st High School of Lavrion, Christina Karagianni

Introduction The project “Sea and City: sharing our common identity” is a “product” of the eTwinning Multilateral Contact Seminar, attended in Belfast, UK, on November 2012. In this project, are participating 5 schools, from Ireland, Greece and United Kingdom: Loreto College from Dublin, Ireland, the 2nd High School of Alexandroupolis, the 1st High School of Lavrion, from Greece, the Devonport High School for Girls, Plumouth, from UK and the 3rd High School of Thermi, Thessaloniki, from Greece too. The participating students are 12 – 16 years old and the project is made in English language, as you can see.

The projects title and purpose: to understand and to share our cities’ common maritime identity, by studying our cities' past, present and future, sharing information, activities, discussion, or even vision. More specifically we intended to Know and understand our partners's cultural & historical background by studying the history of each city through its port. We would like to practice foreign language through using English in students’ and teachers’ communication. We wanted to use ICT for research. And above all, we were eager to collaborate with teachers and students from other countries, playing games, answering questions, getting to know each others' identity and all that in the Twinspace platform. Studying our history, researching our present and planning our future, we used material, form questionnaires, quiz, playing electronic games, building our cities' famous "symbols". One of the projects’ “products” is this electronic book, that we hope you will enjoy.

Sofia Chatzikonstantinou Maria Kallithraka-Kontou Alexios Agiannitopoulos Michael O’ Flaherty Papamanoli Eleftheria Athanasiou Panagiotis Chasiotis Kostas Koutelieri Ekaterini Jose Hernandez Garcia Stavroula Yiangou Evi Kousidou

ALEXANDROUPOLIS

The emblem of Alexandroupolis

GREECE-Alexandroupolis

Alexandroupolis is the capital of Evros prefecture. It is next to the eastern boards between Greece and . The natural board is Evros river. Alexandroupolis is in the north of Greece, only 2 hours away from Salonika.

OLD CITY

The city was founded as Dedeagach ( Greek: Δεδεαγάτς). The name was based on a local tradition of a wise old man or dede who spent much of his time in the shade of a local tree and was eventually buried beside it. Dedeagach remained the official name of the city.In 1920 it was renamed Alexandroupoli in honor of King Alexander I of Greece.

The lighthouse of Alexandroupolis

The lighthouse of Alexandroupolis was built by the French and the operation began on June 1, 1880. This lighthouse would facilitate and help the local sailors but also all the sailors going to and coming from nearby ports. Therefore, a rocky cylindric tower with wide base was built. The lanterns were made after a contract with the Turkish Government which controlled the area in that period of time. It is not certain how long it took them to end with the construction. It started to lit for the first time in 1st June 1880.At the very beginning, it worked with acetylene, and later with petroleum . Since 1974 it works using electricity. Repairs and refits in the lighthouse were made in 1946 and 1955.

Port of Alexandroupolis

Since the beginning of last century, the major powers of the period recognized the enormous strategic importance the region had and the northern neighbors decided to build a large port in Alexandroupolis.

Naturally their main objective was the implementation of geopolitical strategy already based on the creation of fast transport via railways and ports. The construction of the port of Alexandroupolis began in the 19th century, after the strong efforts of the French railways.

The railway station

The building of a railway station in Alexandroupolis led to the development of the village into a town, and a minor trade centre by the end of the century. That lasted until the . On 8 November 1912, the town and its station were captured by Bulgarian forces .Bulgary and Greece were allies during the , but opponents in the . The Treaty of Lausanne (24 July 1923) affirmed that Western and Alexandroupolis would be controlled by Greece. A previous agreement allowing a Bulgarian presence in the town port had expired.

Our city today

Then Now

Nowadays the population of our city is about 70.000 residents according to the census of 2011. It’s the result from the merging of municipalities, preexisting Alexandroupolis, Agnadia, Amphitriti and Traianoupoli and Feres. Its population after 100-200 years has definetely been increased

Education

Alexandroupoli houses four Departments of the Democritus University of Thrace (based in Komotini). These Departments are the following: Department of Medicine, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Primary Level Education and Department of Education Sciences in Pre-School Age

The city has a network of public schools, from nurseries to high schools, under the responsibility of the city council (though the student are subjects under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education). Languages spoken by the citizens include: Greek, English, Russian, Bulgarian, Armenian, German, and Turkish.

Transport

Alexandroupoli is served by Dimokritos International Airport It is one of the busiest airports in Greece and a main hub for Olympic Airways and Aegean; there are 6 daily flights to , and also flights to Crete, while during the summer months some seasonal flights operate to\from Germany and . The airport is connected to the city by highway, taxi services and scheduled bus services. The port of Alexandroupolis has been used principally by travellers. There are daily services to the Island of Samothraki and a weekly Trans-Aegean service to all the eastern islands of the Aegean, with the final destination of the island of .

Trains run frequently to Thessaloniki and Athens, Burgas in Bulgaria and Edirne or in Turkey. There is an extensive network of train and bus replacements services throughout the region of Evros.

The bus network is much more extensive and frequent. Hourly buses to the major municipalities within and Thrace offered from the Regional Coaches KTEL as well as daily services to Bulgaria and Turkey.

Touristic attractions:

1. The lighthouse(the most famous landmark of the city 2. Evros Delta(one of the most famous wetlands in Greece with rare kinds of birds) 3. Dadia forest ( a protected area by V.V.F.) 4. Samothraki island

Evros River According to Plutarch, the Evros River took its name after the son of the mythic king of Thrace, Kassandros. Kassandros separated Krotoniki and married Damasippi, which fell in passionate love with her stepson Evros. He rejected her love and she, in revenge, defamed Evros to Kassandros, that he supposedly tried to rape her. Kassandros persecuted him to kill him and Evros fell and drowned in the waters of Romvos River. Since then, the area and its history are identified with the name of the tragic young man. The diviner and fa- ther of all gleemen, who lived here, Orpheas, son of Apollo or of the king of Thrace, lagros and the muse, Kalliopi, organized the Orphic mysteries and the relevant events. Sitting there, at the bank of Evros River", as Aristophanis wrote, the initiated laid the foundations for the brilliant development of Evros throughout time and history. The ancient believed that Evros was the biggest river in the world. Alkeos named it "the most beautiful of all rivers", Evripides "argiroritis", Plinios "chrysorroun". Till today, Evros and its tributaries -Ardas, Erythropotamos, Tountzas, Erginis- keep almost untouched and unalterable this heritage of many centuries. The Evros Delta is a crossroad. Here the fresh waters of the rivers are mixed with the sea. Here, Europe meets Asia

At the Evros Delta there are 46 fish species, 40 mammal species, 28 reptile and amphibian species At least 77 bird species find shelter and other 145 species hibernate. Almost 316 bird species have been recorded (among the 442 species throughout Greece) Countless migrant birds pass by in spring and autumn.

The Forest of Dadia

The Forest of Dadia predominates almost in the middle of the prefecture of Evros, 14 km southeast to Soufli and 66 km from ALexandroupoli, covering the south east hills of the mountain mass of Rodopi. The area was declared protected in 1980 and includes two zones of strict protection, of total area 72.900 stremmata. The forest cluster is a landscape with wide diversity. The quiet hills are grooved by several ravines and smalt rivers, the forests of pines and oaks are discontinued by small glades and alternate with meadows, pastures and cultivations, whereas slopes and rocks emerge unexpectedly. The forests of this area include perennial trees of black and hard pine, whereas the meadows are full of wild flowers, such as yellow flags, anemones, orchids and peonies. More than 45 mammal species find shelter at the dense clusters of the forest, such as wolves, jackals, roe deer, squirrel, bats, etc. The herpetofauna that constitutes the main food of raptors includes 40 different species (snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards, etc). One may find the Ecotourist Centre of Dadia Nature. The Forest is famous for its rich and, in many cases, unique flora and fauna, and especially for the presence of raptors. The presence of such a variety of raptors and the fact that the largest percentage of the most rare species, such as the black vulture, the lanner falcon and buteo rufinus nest at the area, render the Forest of Dadia unique in Europe

Thracian Sea -Beaches The Thracian Sea is that which embraces and offers its caress to the marvelous beaches of Evros. This endowed Alexandroupoli with divine beaches. The beach and the camping of the Municipal Tourist Company of Alexandroupoli attract several visitors, offering the ideal environment for un- forgettable holidays. Kyani Akti, Agia Paraskevi, Akti Agiou Georgiou, Dikella at the coastline of the prefecture are waiting to offer you the incredible contact with the blue of the sea, with many options for sea sports, several offshore taverns and hotels.

Samothraki island

At mystical Samothraki, the island of the Kabeirion mysteries, one may visit the Archaeological Museum with its rich findings and the mould of the famous statue of Niki, kept at Louvre, ancient Paleopoli and the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (7 km from Kamariotissa and 12 km from Chora). The towers and the fortresses of Samothraki are included among the most significant samples of the late Byzantine fortress architecture in Greece.

The Winged Victory of , also called the of Samothrace, is a 2nd century BC marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world. The Nike of Samothrace, discovered here in 1863, is estimated to have been created around 190 BC. It was created to not only honor the goddess, Nike, but to honor a sea battle. It conveys a sense of action and triumph as well as portraying artful flowing drapery through its features which the Greeks considered ideal beauty. Modern excavations suggest that the Victory occupied a niche in an open-air theater and also suggest it accompanied an altar that was within view of the ship monument of Demetrius I Poliorcetes (337–283 BC). Rendered in white Parian marble, the figure originally formed part of the Samothrace temple complex dedicated to the Great gods. It stood on a rostral pedestal of gray marble from Lartos representing the prow of a ship, and represents the goddess as she descends from the skies to the triumphant fleet. Before she lost her arms, which have never been recovered, Nike's right arm was raised, cupped round her mouth to deliver the shout of Victory. The work is notable for its convincing rendering of a pose where violent motion and sudden stillness meet, for its graceful balance and for the rendering of the figure's draped garments, compellingly depicted as if rippling in a strong sea breeze. Similar traits can be seen in the Laocoön group which is a reworked copy of a lost original that was likely close both in time and place of origin to Nike, but while Laocoon, vastly admired by Renaissance and classicist artists, has come to be seen as a more self-conscious and contrived work, Nike of Samothrace is seen as an iconic depiction of triumphant spirit and of the divine momentarily coming face to face with man. It is possible, however, that the power of the work is enhanced by the very fact that the head is missing. The statue’s outstretched right wing is a symmetric plaster version of the original left one. As with the arms, the figure's head has never been found, but various other fragments have since been found: in 1950, a team led by Karl Lehmann unearthed the missing right hand of the Louvre's Winged Victory. The fingerless hand had slid out of sight under a large rock, near where the statue had originally stood; on the return trip home, Dr Phyllis Williams Lehmann identified the tip of the Goddess's ring finger and her thumb in a storage drawer at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, , where the second Winged Victory is displayed; the fragments have been reunited with the hand, which is now in a glass case in the Louvre next to the podium on which the statue stands. The statue now stands over a supplementary platform over the prow that allows a better contemplation but was not present in the original. The different degree of finishing of the sides has led scholars to think that it was intended to be seen from three-quarters on the left. A partial inscription on the base of the statue includes the word "Rhodios" (Rhodian), indicating that the statue was commissioned to celebrate a naval victory by Rhodes, at that time the most powerful maritime state in the Aegean. Despite its significant damage and incompleteness, the Victory is held to be one of the great surviving masterpieces of sculpture from the Hellenistic period, and from the entire Greco-Roman era. The statue shows a mastery of form and movement which has impressed critics and artists since its discovery. It is considered one of the Louvre's greatest treasures, and since the late 19th century it has been displayed in the most dramatic fashion, at the head of the sweeping Daru staircase. The loss of the head, while regrettable in a sense, is held by many to enhance the statue's depiction of the supernatural. Numerous copies exist in museums and galleries around the world; one of the best-known copies stands outside the Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas. The first FIFA World Cup trophy, commissioned in 1930 and designed by Abel Lafleur, was based on the model. On February 3, 1999, residents of the Aegean island of Samothrace, the birthplace of the renowned Greek sculpture Nike of Samothrace, the Winged Victory, embarked on a letter-writing campaign to have this finest extant of Hellenistic sculpture returned to their homeland. In a letter signed by the island's mayor, the locals urged Greek politicians to intervene and request that the Louvre museum, where the statue is kept, acknowledge that the sculpture belongs in its natural environment. On August 27th, 1999, the artist Max Mulhern delivered a new Nike sculpture to the island of Samothraki as a gift to replace the missing original. The new sculpture was made of aluminium and had only one wing and one breast. This was a reference to the fact that the original was missing a wing and a breast when it arrived in . The new Nike was welcomed by the citizens of the island. However the Greek Ministry of Culture refused access of the new sculpture to the site where the original Nike was discovered. The gift was buried in a field by the sea.

Samothraki is a verdurous place with dense vegetation. The trees that predominate areolive trees, oaks, chestnuts, Mountain with its imposing top, Feggari (1670 m.), is a big challenge for mountaineers Very near to Loutra, within dense vegetation, one may find Vathres (natural pools). The bewitching landscape of exceptional natural beauty is characterized by perennial platans, clear running waters and impos- ing waterfalls. The route near the Gorge of Fonias, among the platans, slivers and ferns, is unique.

The seacoasts of Samothraki

The seacoasts of Samothraki are wonderful, clean, lacy, covered with white pebbles. To the south of the island, near Lakkoma, Pachia Ammos is waiting for you, a beautiful beach covered with sand. It is imperative to tour the island by boat. Only by this way you will be able to see the exotic Vato with the platans and cold waters, Kremasto with the waterfall, the waters of which rush powerfully in the navy-blue sea in winter and summer, watching afterwards the captivating scene of the geological formations that the inhabitants name "tis Griasta Pania". If you prefer large beaches, you will be impressed by the vast beaches of Kipi, covered with gray- black pebbles.

However, Samothraki is known mainly for the Vathres, natural pools in the inland, surrounded by wild vegetation, fed by the waterfalls. The Gria Vathra, the largest natural pool of the island, is 2 km away from . The Municipality of Samothraki has two camping near Therma. The one is free, surrounded by wild vegetation and the sec- ond, organized, modern, offering all comforts to campers

Thermal Baths

Traianoupoli was built in the beginning of the 2nd B.C. century by the emperor Traianus, near . Traianoupoli Spa, 12 km from ALexandroupoli. The hot springs was the basic attraction pole already from antiquity. The spa has a hydrotherapy clinic and board and lodging facilities. The facilities are heated by geothermal liquid. Information: Samothraki Hot Springs, 15 km from Kamariotissa, the port of the island. Hot springs known from the Byzantine times. Therapeutic indications: rheumatoid arthritis, chronic rheumatopathy, gynecological diseases, peripheral angiopathy, secondary dermatopathy, obesity.

Food Evros kitchen uses the products of local production, such as cereals, vegetables, legumes, meat, river fish (sorn fish and carps), as well as sea fish that are fished at the Thracian Sea. A famous dish is "Babo" (Christmas dish made of pork intestines stuffed with finely-chopped meat, rice, leaks, guts and spices), kavourmas (roasted boneless pork meat) cooked in pots covered with fat. Today, it is made by butchers that put it in thick pork intestines. It is considered to be an ideal side dish for ouzo and beer), petoura or giofkaes (pasta from coarsely cut phylla for pita, milk and eggs, cut in oblong pieces, sun-dried and kept in fabric bags. Kous-kous is made of the same ingredients, grated in small balls), bligouri or boulgour (boiled wheat sun-dried and grated by the mill. It is cooked alone, as rice or with various meats), kolburek (twisted pita), kioul (soup with chicken and wheat gruel), kous-kous, trachanas, cabbage and other pickled vegetables, laggites (crepes made of thin paste baked on satzia round thin stone plate, placed on a trivet, overheated and grated with an onion - eaten with sugar or molasses) and tarator (tzatziki).

Bibliography: Every step… a journey (REGION OF EASTERN MACEDONIA-THRACE) WIKIPEDIA

Also you can see: http://youtu.be/eLlKmc9sTI8 http://www.glogster.com/mariakal/kallithraka/g- 6kvvhm0qkvv4nu00c07gca0?s=nameglog

This work is made by the students of the 2nd Secondary School of Alexandroupolis: Konstantinos Tokamanis, Theodoros Tsakalis, Ioannis Tsaousis, Nikolaos Chatziisaak, Stamatios Chondrogiorgos, Spyridon Chrysafis, Konstantina Tzitzikou, Dimitra Chatzileontiou, Maria Tsakali, Efthimia Chasomeri, Dimitra Tiaka.

Teacher coordinators: Sofia Chatzikonstantinou, Maria Kallithraka-Kontou, Alexios Agiannitopoulos

Sailing Sailing is a very popular sport in Ireland. The first sailing club was formed in Cork in the 18th century. However, there are now many sailing clubs all over Ireland, such as the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RYIC) in Dun Laoghaire.

Sailing is very popular and is a well recognised sport. There is also a big racing element involved, with over 100 recognised races each year. However, sailing is not just competitive; it is also recreational for those who just want to enjoy themselves on the water or who have an interest in fishing.

This is the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dublin Bay. Fishing Dun Laoghaire is a popular boat and shore angling location for fishing. Both the West and East Piers in Dun Laoghaire are popular fishing venues for mackerel, whiting, pouting, codling and pollack. Another renowned destination is Howth, where they have pier, rock and angling fishing available. The fishing port here is the largest fishing port on the East Coast. This is a map of common destinations to fish in Ireland. 

Irish Sea food The clean, unpolluted waters around Ireland are rich in aquatic life and form an exceptional environment for sea food. The main European Irish seafood markets are , , UK, Germany and Italy. The most common fish's that Ireland exports are mackerel, herring and blue whiting. Dublin Seafood Restaurant

Irish Sports Ireland’s largest sporting organisation is the GAA. This is the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is made up of sports such as Hurling, Football, Handball and Rounders. All players who play GAA are amateurs and do not get paid for competing in the competitions. The GAA has its headquarters in Croke Park, Dublin. The stadium was recently done up and has a capacity of 82,300 seats.

Croke Park Stadium

Ireland is also very good a rugby. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won 11 times outright and shared 8 times. The Aviva Stadium, Landowne Road, Dublin, was also recently done up. This stadium has a seated capacity of 51,700.

St. Patricks Day St. Patricks Day is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on the 17th March. It is named after St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Green ribbons and shamrocks are worn by people all over the country. Many people attend parades that are on in most big towns. People

from all over the world come to Ireland for this occasion.

Many buildings all over the world were lit up green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.

The Empire State Building, New York

The Pyramids of Egypt

The Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Irish Dancing Irish Dancing is similar to River dancing but to traditional Irish Music. It is notable for its rapid leg and foot movements while the arms and upper body are kept largely stationary.

This is a video of Irish Dancing. There are now Irish Dancing competitions that take place all over the world. People are always travelling for these competitions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSaa-2t2zmQ

The O2 Dublin

The O2 Dublin is where most concerts are held in Dublin. It has the capacity of 14,000 people and is located on the Dublin Docklands. It opened on the 16th of December 2008. Many famous musicians and artists have performed here over the years.

The National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall is in Dublin’s City Centre. It was opened in 1981 by President Hillery. A wide variety of musical genres are performed here including: classical, jazz, opera, traditional, musicals, popular music and education.

Famous Musical Acts from Dublin U2 . This is an Irish Rock Band from Dublin

. Formed in 1976

. The members are Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen

. Very famous worldwide with many hits

The Dubliners . An Irish folk band

. Founded in Dublin in 1962 by Ronnie Drew, who is now deceased

. The group have had many different members over the years

. Famous internationally

Tourist Attractions in Dublin Molly Malone The Molly Malone statue can be found at the end of Grafton Street, which is a very famous street in Dublin’s City Centre. She was a fishmonger who walked the narrow streets of Dublin in the 17th Century. She was an attractive young girl but unfortunately she died of a fever at a young age. The story of Molly Malone is told in a very famous Irish song called: “Cockles and Muscles”. A line of the song is: “In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone”.

Viking Splash Tours The Viking Splash Tours are very famous around Dublin and popular among the tourists that visit Dublin. The tour is based on the fact that years ago Vikings landed in Ireland and settled here. The tour involves going around Dublin City Centre in a bus shaped as a Viking boat and seeing some of the famous sites that Dublin has to offer. The tour also features a trip into the water, because the bus is actually a boat in disguise! It is a very enjoyable and unique experience.

Dublinia Dublinia is situated at the crossroads in Dublin where modern and old Dublin meets. It is connected to Christ Church Cathedral by a medieval footbridge, which is a very famous cathedral in Ireland. It is a famous historical museum in Dublin and is based on the Viking and Medieval ages in Dublin. It is a great experience for tourists and many school children in Ireland visit it. You can learn about what it would have been like to have been a Viking, about their weapons and what it would have been like to be on a Vikingwarship. You can also learn about the torture, deaths, treatments and lifestyles of the people who lived in the Medieval Ages.

The National Wax Museum

This is where the National Wax Museum is located in relation to the rest of the City of Dublin.

This is a picture of the National Wax Museum. Here you can find many famous people made of wax, such as Michael Jackson, Batman and many more. Visitors are taken on a tour through time on the history of Ireland. There is also a Chamber of Horrors and is a very popular and interesting attraction for many tourists.

The National History Museum

Inside the Museum. The view of the outside.

The National History Museum is located on Merrion Street in Dublin. The museum was built in 1856. The ground floor is made up of the skeletons and stuffed bodies of Irish animals. The first floor is made up of mammals from all over the world. The lower gallery has birds from all over the world and the upper gallery contains invertebrate and marine animals. It is a popular attraction for tourists and Irish citizens also.

The National Gallery of Ireland

The National Gallery holds a collection of both Irish and European art. It is located in Dublin’s City Centre and it was founded in 1854 and the doors opened 10 years later. It is free to go into the museum and is a popular tourist attraction in Dublin.

This work is made by the Transition Year Girls in Loreto College, Foxrock, with the coordination and guidance of their teacher, Michael O Flaherty.

Dublin for Thessaloniki

The students of Loreto College Foxrock studying and searching the material of Thessaloniki made some wonderful work. Enjoy it.

Thessaloniki

The White Tower or Lefkos Pyrgos is the landmark of Thessaloniki, a monument and a museum on the waterfront of the city. Constructed in the 15th century this tower served as a defensive bulwark, a prison, a place of execution and nowadays represents a wonderful collection of interesting artifacts.

Sketch by Alice O’Flynn, Loreto College, Foxrock, Dublin, Ireland

The Transition Year Girls in Loreto College, Foxrock

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Name Name Name

Alexandra Brazil Joy Boucher Lorna Bowers Ellen Conn Isabelle Browne Helen Briscoe Anita Costelloe Eva Cappelli Caitlin Byrne Oonagh Fitzgerald Jessica Carroll Sarah Collins Caroline Flannery Lauren Conway Sophie Cordial Katie Griffin Sian Donnelly Lucy Costello Laura Hogan Sophie Dunne Laura Gonzales Alison Howett Laura Fitzgerald Caroline Greene Alexandra Humphries Shauna Griffith Helen Hoare Iseult Jackson Megan Hainsworth Hanna Jordan Cloe Kinsella Lainey Keane Lisa Kelly Sophie Laurtisch Ellen Kilgallon Yasmin Mackey Mary Kate McElroy Caoimhe Leahy Rowena Mahedy Orla Moffatt Alex Lynch Amy McArdle Elana Murphy Etain Markey Ciara Mulligan Ciara O'Donnell Aoife O'Connor Alison Myles Alice O'Flynn Aisling O'Leary Evonne O'Farrell Molly O'Grady Clodagh Prior Jessica O'Flynn Jennifer Pigott Sarah Reunolds Rachel Reynolds Emma Raftery Ciara Somers Olivia Smith Ciara Sastre Emily Torpey

LAVRIO

First of all... our emblem...

The emblem of our town is connected with the industrial life. It is a part of the

Greek Mineral Company, the first company in our town. Our school, the

Lyceum (college) and the Arcaelogical museum are built on the ruins of this company.

(Evianna Zoulou)

But, where is Lavrio?

Name and location

Laurium or Lavrio ( from Middle Ages until 19th century his name was Ergastiri) is a town in southeastern part of , Greece. It takes its name of “lavra” or “lavri” which means narrow passage, tunnel, and characteristics of the area which is full of ancient and modern minimg galleries. It is located about 60 km SE of Athens and N of Cape . It is a sea port. The port is in the middle and gridded streets cover the residential area of Lavrio.

Laurium’s ancient history

Laurium/ Lavrio was famous in Classical antiquity for mining, which was one of the chief sources of revenue of the Athenian state. The metallic silver was mainly used for .

After the , , persuaded the Athenians to devote the anticipated revenue derived from a major silver vein strike in the mines of Laurion circa 483 BC and this laid the foundation of the Athenian naval power. The mines, which were the property of the state, were usually farmed out for a certain fixed sum and a percentage on the working; slave labour was exclusively employed. Towards the end of the 5th century, the output fell, partly owing to the Spartan. But the mines continued to be worked. The ancient workings, consisting of shafts and galleries for excavating the ore, and washing tables for concentrating the ore, may still be seen at many locations. There were well engineered tanks and reservoirs, to collect rainwater for washing the ore since abundant supplies from streams or rivers was impossible at the site.

Thanks of mining Pericles, the famous Athenian

stateman, built the temple of Parthenon on

rock.

(Αnna-Sofia Parianou, Panagiotis Stratis, Evianna Zoulou)

Cape Sounion

Cape Sounion is located 69 kilometres of Athens, at the southern of the Attica peninsula in Greece.

Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an temple of Poseidon, the god of the sea in classical mythology.

The remains are perched on the headland, surrounded on three sides by the sea. The ruins bear the deeply engraved name of English Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788–1824). And a great Greek poet, Seferis, who won the Nobel, wrote lyrics about this temple.

The site is a popular day-excursion for tourists from Athens, with sunset over the , as viewed from the ruins, a sought-after spectacle.

The temple at Cape Sounion was a venue where mariners, and also entire cities or states, could propitiate Poseidon, by making animal sacrifice, or leaving gifts.

The temple of Poseidon was constructed in 444-440 BC, over the ruins of a temple dating from the Archaic Period. It is perched above the sea at a height of almost 60 m. The design of the temple is a typical hexastyle i.e. it had a front portico with 6 columns. Only some columns of the Sounion temple stand today. The temple of Poseidon was destroyed in 399 by Byzantin Emperor Arcadius. Archaeological excavation of the site in 1906 uncovered numerous artefacts and inscriptions, most notably a marble kouros statue and an impressive votive relief, both now in the Athens National Archaeological Museum.

( Lilian Poulida, Elona Ibi)

Thoriko ancient theatre

The ancient Theatre of Dionysus at Thoriko, 2 km from the town of Lavrion, is one of the first and most important theater in . Unique due to its shape which comprises an elongated layout with an oval orchestra, it was built in the late 6th century BC and it is the earliest found so far in Greece.

The position of the ancient deme of Thorikos was located on the hill Velatouri on the edge of the plain of modern Thorikos, near the sea. Among the oldest ancient demes of Attica, Thorikos was one of the 12 settlements (komai) that, according to tradition, took part in the political unification under Athens (synoikismos) by Theseus. Due to its proximity to the mines of Lavrion, Thorikos was the mining centre of Lavreotika region. The site was inhabited from the Neolithic age (ca. 4500 BC) and without interruption until the 1st century BC.

The excavations have brought to light part of the prehistoric settlement, as well as an extensive part of the historical deme, namely residential quarters, cemeteries, the theater, and the so-called "industrial quarter", along with ancient mines. It is noteworthy that mine extraction in Thorikos dates back to around 3000 BC.

(Kostas Kyriakidis, Dimitris Labrousis, Kostas Aggelou, Evianna Zoulou)

HISTORICAL FACTS

It is worth noticing some historical events that are directly linked to the port of Ergasteria: Here in 13/9/1922 sailed on ships with Greek troops, rebelled after the dramatic events of the Asia Minor catastrophe, chief of which were the Plastiras N., S. Fokas and D. Gonatas and they asked, among other things, the resignation of King Constantine and his removal from the country. It was a revolution that will lead to the Greek Republic.

This port caught sight of the Greeks of Asia Minor refugees: 3,100 up 1923-the following years were added and others. They are the ones who gave the new social, economic, cultural and political life into their new home, Lavrio.

From this port passed thousands of Greeks socialists during the difficult years of the Civil War (1946-1949) to be transported as prisoners in . On this coast, where gathered relatives of prisoners with pain in the eyes , has erected a monument (1989).

(Panagiota Tzora, Irene Charalambopoulou, Ioanna Tsolakou, Sofi Kontou) LAVRIO’S MODERN HISTORY

The mines were reworked in the early 20th century by French and Greek companies, but mainly for lead, manganese and cadmium.

Lavrio was one of the most important new cities in Greece in the last century.It was built as a worker’s settlement from scratch, in the newly founded Hellenic State, following the “company model”. The setting up of Lavrion and the exploitation of its subsoil is directly linked to the effort of the new State to develop its resources and industry in the 19th century.

In 1860, a young mining engineer, A. Kordellas, visits and convinces the Italian mining engineer J.B.Serpieri, to exploit the ancient slags in 1863. In 1864, the latter founds the Italian – French company “Hilarion Roux et Cie”at Ergastiriakia port.

The company undertakes the exploitation of the ancient slags and the extraction of silver containing lead ores. The company inaugurated a fully equipped plant in 1865, with 18 furnaces, small ore- washing units and a railway. It was the most important industry in Greece at that period. In 1867, it employed 1.200 workers, a record number compared to contemporary employment figures nation-wide.

In 1869, the company has a dispute with the Hellenic State, the famous “Lavreotika Affair”, over the ownership of the ancient mining residues, known as off-grade ores. Negotiations result in the setting up of two companies in 1873: “The Lavrion Metallurgical Company” and the French-Hellenic company named “Mines of Camariza”.

Τwo years later, in 1875, J.B Serpieri founded the “Compagnie Francaise des Mines du Lavrium”, which succeeded the “Mines du Camariza”. It was set up at Kyprianos area.

The Hellenic and French companies were those which essentially supported the new period of Lavreotiki’s prosperity. They put their seal on the development of the mining industry in Greece as well as on the setting up and the character of the city of Lavrion. The 1867’s workers’ settlement developed into a 10.000 inhabitants city in the beginning of this century.

The two Lavrion companies were responsible for the city’s operation. Houses and shops belonged to them. People were cared for in their hospitals and pharmacies. They built the schools, churches and port facilities.

The birth of industry at Lavrion, brought about a degradation of the environment as a result of the intense metallurgical activity. The natural landscape and the rich forest vegetation rapidly deteriorated. The swamps and the coasts were covered with solid waste, the lush forests were burnt by arson, while smog from the furnaces covered the wider area of the city.

Life in the city of Lavrion, since it was so closely related to the industries of the area, naturally followed their course. The first serious crisis came about in the 1880’s and 1890’s when the price of lead went down. The First World War thought, striked the decisive blow. In 1930, the Hellenic company sold out its installations. Towards the end of the 1920’s, the population of the Municipality of Lavreotiki, was reduced by 50%. Refugees from Asia Minor in 1922, regenerated the city’s population. In the mid 1950’s, a new period commenced for Lavrion, which lasted for several decades and saw the development of new industrial branches.

In 1980, Lavrion faced a new cycle of crisis, as a result of de-industrialization all over Greece. Tens of units ceased their operation and more than 20% of the population left town due to unemployment.

After the definite exhaustion of the ore deposits, brought economic decline in Lavrion leaving thousands of workers unemployed in the late 80s.

Up until a few years ago Lavrion was a pretty dismal place. The unemployment was around 75% and the city was used as a refugee for Kurds and other people. The physical state of Lavrion was so bad that Greek film director Theo Angelopoulos used the city as a stand-in for war-torn Sarajevo in his film Ulysses Gaze.

(Evianna Zoulou, Apollon Augoustakis, Kleitos Priftis, Giorgos Papadopoulos, Maria Vourneli, Tonia Bontioti, Stavrianou Evelina, Tzeni Papastauropoulou, Kostas Kyriakidis, Dimitris Labrousis)

LAVRIO’S PRESENT

But the situation quickly changed. The construction of a passenger’s port and the development of tourism, thanks to natural beauty of the locality and the existence of archaeological monuments, led to new economic development in late 90s. Today, Lavrion region /Laurium is an industrial over ground museum of ancient and 19th century metallurgy industry and a huge underground mineralogical and geochemical laboratory of nature. National Technical University of Athens has undertaken the responsibility of marking, protecting and promoting the region. The total length of galleries is approaching 2000 km! The presence of about 500 mineral species has been ascertained by geologists! No longer a place to be avoided, the port of Lavrion is changing faster than any town in Greece, opening tavernas, cafes and becoming an important ferry boat hub for the Cyclades Islands and home port for several cruise ships and sailboat companies.

This is where the giant columns from the temple of Poseidon at nearby Sounion were dug out. The minerals bring a lot of geological tourism into the mountains and very interesting samples are displayed in the Mineralogical Museum. The Archaeological Museum also gives a good picture of the development of the ancient civilization, which was hugely effected by the early industrialization.

The tunnels and shafts dug to reach the layers of minerals created heaps of debris near the mine entrances. It is possible, to this day, to find a large variety of minerals quite easily. Despite the highly developed metallurgical techniques in the factories, the remnants of which are very well preserved in Lavrion , the Ancient Greeks could not take out all the silver from the ore and after smelting used to dump the slag into the sea. The sea water, which contained minerals penetrated into the slag for thousands of years and reacted with other trace elements. This chemical reaction resulted in the growth of perfect crystals of various minerals , some of which are very rare and exist only in Lavrion. In the winter, when the heavy seas deposit these crystals on the beaches, many collectors come to Lavrion to find them.

In the last few years Lavrion has gone through an amazing transformation. Restaurants, shops and cafes have opened and Lavrion has new life due to the rebuilding of the port into a major ferry terminal for the Greek islands and the relocation of several sailboat charter companies and a marina, whose name is Olympic marine and it is one of the most important marine in Greece. It isn’t only a marine because there is a modern shipyard.

(Eleni Perraki, Dimitris Merasedoglou)

A PHOTO-TOUR IN OUR OLD PORT

(Dimitris Merasedoglou)

A TOUR IN LAVRIO CITY

THE CENTRAL SQUARE

The central square is in the middle of the city and there are many shops around. In the middle of the square there is a solar clock.

(Panagiota Tzora, Poli Pyrgarousi, Irene Charalabopoulou)

Municipality Cultural Center (formerly 2nd Elementary School)

This building was constructed at the south of the central square, around 1885-88, by the "Greek Mining Company", to house "Orpheus" (the Philharmonic Orchestra of the company), and other art events. It's really a very sophisticated building, especially for its time. During the 20th century it was used as the 2nd Elementary School and in approximately 1990 the building was renovated to house the Cultural center.

( Lilian Poulida)

1st Elementary School

Located at the north of the central square, the 1st Elementary School of Lavrio was built in the early 20th century (1901-1902). Actually, it's a two identical buildings complex, which housed the Municipal School for Boys and Girls, during the service of the mayor John Rellos. The architecture is worthy of admiration and study, as well as many other buildings in the town of Lavrio dating from the period. Currently, it is used by the municipal Philharmonic Orchestra. (Dimitris Merasedoglou)

Serpieri Statue

In the northern part of the square we see the statue of J. B. Serpieri, made by the sculptor G.

Brutus. J.B. Serpieri is the one who in the 19th century discovered the mineral-rich soil of

Lavreotiki, in the mining of which he proceeded, representing European companies' interests. In contrast, in the southern part of the square one can admire the sculptural synthesis of Miners, made by the sculptor Kostas Valsamis.

(Panagiota Tzora, Irene Charalampopoulou,

Maria Michailidou, Merasedoglou Dimitris)

THE MARKET (Agora)

The fish market, as today is known, was built in 1885 by the Greek Company to house the merchants of the era. The market had fully sufficiency of products and services to serve the mines' company; the market also supplied the ships loaded with minerals for the long trip to Europe, Istanbul, or wherever. Lavrio was the first electrified city in Greece, had telephone service, railway communication, and there were several annexes consulates. As expected, the market is highly sophisticated from the architectural point of view, with it's highly functional design. Up today. the market is one of the first places someone should visit in Lavrio. Savvopoulos, a great singer and poet, has written a song about Lavrio’s agora.

MUSEUMS

Mineralogical Museum - Steam-powered ore washery ruins Located in the northwest of Lavrion, near the High School of the town, and housed in the only surviving building (the concierge) of the great steam- powered ore washery at Noria, an industrial achievement of the 19th century (1873) built by the Greek mine company.

The great steam-powered ore washery was unique in southern Europe and one of the largest in the world; another reason worth visiting Lavrio is to admire the achievements of the early Greek industry

When the operation of the Greek company stopped, the building housed, from 1936 to

1957, the Pottery Company of Lavrio (AKEL).

In 1970 was demolished to build the Lavrio high school, our school, 1st

Secondary School of Lavrion.

The Mineralogical Museum was founded in 1986. The building of the Museum has its own interesting history, as mentioned above. The minerals which are exhibited here are of indescribable beauty, some unique in the world and bear the names of those who discovered them.

However, the Museum presents findings not only of mineralogical the history of the region should visit the Museum -which is not exploited as it should-, to admire a concise presentation of everything happened during the previous centuries in the region for these mines. Besides, during the golden age of Athenian democracy, the minerals of Lavreotiki played a major role in the development of the Athenian economy.

Archaeological Museum Located at the east of the Mineralogical Museum, opposite the schools, the Archaeological Museum was founded in the late '90s, in order to exhibit the findings of the area. Today the Museum houses valuable objects dating from 5000 B.C. and later, because of the continuous habitation of the rich subsoil of Lavreotiki.

However, there are few findings that have been lost, especially during the late 19th and early 20th century, a period in which the various mining companies didn't take any concern for the antiquities lying on the subsurface; some of the antiquities that are now exhibited in the Museum were stored in the executive offices.

Other museums

There are yet Handicrafts - Industrial - Educational Museum and the Museum of Ceramics AKEL - Panos Valsamakis, all of which are currently housed in the Technological and Cultural Park.

(Kostas Kyriakidis, Dimitris Labrousis, Evelina Stavrianou,

Christina Karagianni, Tonia Bontioti)

PALM –FOREST/KYPRIANOS AREA

Kyprianos is the area where the workers used to live. Today this area is protected from the goverment and the houses are the same for 150 years. In this area there is the palm forest.This forest had many palmtrees but now there are only a few, because a red beetle had destroyed the most of them.

( Panagiotis Stratis, Maria Vourneli)

ANCIENT ORE WASHERY

Scattered troughout the Sounio National

Park there are ancient ore washeries. In the valley of Souriza, the archaeologists

discovered the largest complex of ancient washeries, on which there has been a partial recovery (some of the washeries

can

be visited). Corresponding bands have

even identified sites in Megala ,

ascertain the intelligence and the high

technology of ancient Athenians, in their attempt to mine the precious metals

( Lilian Poulida, Dimitra Kanachalidi)

THE NEW PORT

The new port of Lavrio was constructed in 2000, just before the Olympic Games of 2004, because many cruises ships came for games and Lavrio was one of the Athenian port where the ships could sail.Today, there is a new building for the port authorities and there are ships for Cyclades, Lesvos, Limnos and Samothraki (greek islands). The goverment wanted to do this port one of the most important harbour for travelling in Aegean Sea but because the economic crisis they didn’t do anything.

(Panagiota Tzora, Irene Charalabopoulou, Poli Pyrgarousi)

BEACHES OF LAVREOTIKI At the East, travelling south from you will meet the following beaches: Kaki Thalassa, Daskalio, Vgethi, Enia Vromopousi, Tsonima, Tourkolimano, Thoriko and Oxygono. When you reach Lavrio you will find Perdika, Pounta Zeza, Limani Pasa (Posidonia), Asimaki, and the beach under the temple of Poseidon at Sounio. At the West you will meet the beaches of Legrena and Charakas.

There are of course many small coves of great natural beauty, which complement the Greek seascape. You can visit the beaches of Makronisos, by boat from the port of Lavrion.

(Giorgos Papadopoulos, Eleni Perraki, Irene Charalabopoulou)

THE HISTORY OF OUR PORT

The name of port was Ergasteria, by the ancient time because of the laundries and because of the installations melting furnaces. The second were in the harbor of Lavrio and the port named of them. The location around the harbor named Laboratories already from ancient times and remained so as the newest. In middle ages the almost deserted harbor called Porto Ergastiriakia (laboratory) and afterwards, with the rebirth of the city, called Lavrio Port.

Eventually in a few years the desert port accept large sailing ships and steamers from most European countries and had become a European port.In the period 1865-1873 the annual throughput of the port was 40.000 tonoi, of which approximately 10,000 were exported to Europe in metallic silver-lead Turtles - close to half of the total production in France. Already before 1869 had established the Office of Lavrion and had constructed the building that housed the office of the Port Authority. In the early 1870's was the only Greek port where ships came for transporting metallurgical and other products. With the establishment and operation of two large companies in Lavrion, Greek (1873) and French (1875) who developed the mining-metallurgical works in Lavrio the port’s facilities were more. The waterfront of the former company Ilarion Roux et Cie has expanded in 1881 from its successor company, the Greek, and in 1888 reached 6.000m2. It was made of stone, with storage capacity 20.000tonnon. Thereon made the building with the clock (1875), that housed the department of port operations, the Laboratory for the analysis of incoming and outgoing materials and products and the Railway. Those stone walls at intervals, over which passes the railroad for loading and unloading, called Greek ladder. There were also automatic scales for weighing the various materials and products. (Eleni Perraki, Eleni Athanasiou, Maria Vourneli, Dimitris Merasedoglou, Ioanna Adamopoulou)

THE CHARACTER OF PORT The character of the port was industrial-commercial and passenger. With the opening of the steamship company Ilarion Roux had regular service to and from , the biggest port in Greece. Small sailboats transported from the coastal cities of the Peloponnese and the islands , food for the population of Lavrio.

From the port exported to Europe the products of companies: metallic silver- lead, ore, calcined calamine, ferrum and sidiromanganio. Later other products were available in the Greek market: arsenious acid, soft lead, lead sheets, litharge, red lead, and silver. Imported from Europe firewood, coal, coke, machinery and various materials and from Asia Minor and the Mediterranean ores.

(Katerina Papadopoulou, Alexis Kontantopoulos)

THE FRENCH LADDER

In 1887 the French company began to manufacture its own metal ladder dump at the north side of the harbor, which was completed with additional work in 1888. They brought two steam-powered cranes and automatic scales for handling various materials and mining-metallurgical products to and from ships.

The French ladder had length 48.5 meters, width of 7.5 meters and height above sea 8 met.In peak periods, particularly exported large quantities sidiromanganiouchon, and used the wooden stairs along the waterfront and barges for loading ships.

(Dimitris Merasedoglou, Maria Promira, Eftichia Mouka,

Nikos Gagosis, Kaliroi Chioteli)

This piece of work is made by the students of the 1st High School of Lavrion, Greece: Adamopoulou Ioanna, Aggelou Kostas, Akrivou Evi, Athanasiou Eleni, Athanasiou Konstantina, Augoustakis Apollon, Bontioti Tonia, Charalabopoulou Irene, Chiotelli Kalliroi, Farao Olga, Gagosis Nikos, Ibi Elona, Kanachalidi Dimitra, Karagianni Christina, Konstantopoulos Alexis, Kyriakidis Kostas, Labrousis Dimitris, Merasedoglou Dimitris, Michailidi Maria, Mouka Eftichia, Papadopoulos Giorgos, Papadopoulou- Seni Katerina, Papastavropoulou Tzeni, Parianou Anna- Sofia, Perraki Eleni, Poulida Lilian, Priftis Klitos, Promira Maria, Pyrgarousi Poli, Stavrianou Evelina, Stratis Panagiotis, Tsolakou Ioanna, Tzora Panagiota, Zoulou Evianna With the guidance and coordination of the teachers : Papamanoli Eleftheria, Athanasiou Panagiotis, Chasiotis Kostas, Koutelieri Ekaterini

PLYMOUTH Brief history of Plymouth Plymouth stands between moorland to the north and the English Channel to the south, and is flanked by the river Plym to the east and the river Tamar to the west. The Tamar also forms a natural border between the city in the county of Devonshire, and the county of Cornwall. The origins of Plymouth can be traced back to Saxon times, more than a thousand years ago, and its history very much reflects its maritime location. Farmland on a small peninsula at the mouth of the river Plym, referred to in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Sudtone, meaning South Farm, developed into Sutton Harbour, the hub of medieval Plymouth. The earliest record of leaving Plymouth dates from 1211, and for the next two centuries trade through Plymouth flourished, particularly during the 100 Years War with France. Plymouth's importance both as a community and a port accelerated during this period. In 1254 its town status was recognised by Royal Charter, and in 1439 Plymouth was the first town in England to be granted a Charter by Parliament. Trade with other English regions, the Baltics and Northern Europe expanded, whilst fortifications were built up to repel repeated French incursions. During the next three centuries Plymouth established its reputation both as a centre for voyage and discovery, and for its military importance. Transatlantic trade originated with William Hawkins in 1528. His son John laid the foundations of an organised naval force. In 1572 Sir Francis Drake became the first Englishman to sail into the Pacific, and in 1577 he embarked on the first ever circumnavigation of the globe. Back in Plymouth, Drake masterminded the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. According to popular legend, he played bowls on Plymouth Hoe as the Armada sailed up the Channel. Drake was responsible also for the establishment of England's first colony, at Roanoke in Virginia, an act that may be regarded as the origins of the British Empire. Perhaps the most celebrated expedition to leave Plymouth was that of the Pilgrims. Persecuted for their puritan beliefs in eastern England, they set sail for the New World on board the Mayflower in 1620. After spending a few weeks in Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, they eventually landed in Plymouth Harbor and helped to establish a new Plymouth community. Further explorations that left from Plymouth included three voyages to the southern ocean and the Pacific made by James Cook, the first in 1768. He was the first explorer to set foot on what are now the Hawaiian Islands, where he died in 1779. In 1831 Charles Darwin left Plymouth for the Galapagos Islands, where he formulated his revolutionary theories of natural selection and the Origins of Species. More recently, in 1967 Sir Francis Chichester started and finished at Plymouth the first ever solo circumnavigation of the globe on board his yacht Gypsy Moth IV. Plymouth's military expansion began in earnest in 1670 when a citadel was built on the highest point above the town, the Hoe, meaning high ground. In 1690 the first Royal Dockyard opened on the banks of the Tamar west of Plymouth. Further docks were built in 1727, 1762 and 1793, and a huge naval complex was later established, including the communities of Plymouth Dock and Stonehouse. The Navy's role during war against Napoleon's France was pivotal, and in 1812 a mile-long breakwater was laid to protect the fleet. Throughout the nineteenth century the population and physical size of the towns increased dramatically. In 1824 Plymouth Dock was renamed Devonport, and in 1914 the three towns of Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse were united as the Borough of Plymouth. In 1928 Plymouth was granted City status, and the first Lord Mayor was appointed in 1935. Plymouth was heavily bombed during the Second World War. Plymouth's and Devonport's centres were destroyed. Re-built in the 1950s, Plymouth's commercial heart was the first in England to incorporate pedestrian-only shopping avenues. Since the war the city has expanded, with new housing and commercial developments and absorption of what once were neighbouring communities. In 1967 Plymouth absorbed the towns of Plympton and Plymstock. Plympton pre-dates any development in the Sutton/Plymouth area on the coast. Plympton stands two miles inland on the river Plym, and its origins, which, like that of Sutton, date from the Saxon age, were founded on tin mining and trading. For as long as trading vessels could reach Plympton, the community flourished. However, in the early years of the last millennium the river silted with mining residue, and it was from that time that Sutton / Plymouth grew to pre-eminence. The name Plympton means plum-tree village in Saxon English, and it was from this that the river and later the city of Plymouth itself derived their names. Today Plymouth has strong links with several European cities, with ferry links to France and Spain. Plymouth is twinned with Gdynia in Poland, San Sebastian in Spain, Novorossiysk in Russia, Brest in France and, since 2001, with Plymouth, Massachusetts. The whole region is a popular tourist destination, and the city itself attracts large numbers of visitors, particularly Americans, who are drawn to the Old Barbican district where they can stroll through streets that date from the sixteenth century and take tea in Elizabethan tearooms. At the Barbican, too, is the Mayflower Steps monument, built in 1934 and a permanent reminder of the Pilgrims' voyage to America. Plymouth's motto is Turris fortissima est nomen Jehovah - "the name of Jehovah is the strongest tower", taken from the Proverbs of Solomon.

Sources: Plymouth City Council

How the city took its name? Is there a history about the city’s nomination?

The settlement of Plympton, further up the River Plym than the current Plymouth, was also an early trading port, but the river silted up in the early 11th century and forced the mariners and merchants to settle at the current day Barbican near the river mouth. At the time this village was called Sutton, meaning south town in Old English. The name Plymouth, meaning "mouth of the River Plym" was first mentioned in a Pipe Roll of 1211. The name Plympton means plum- tree village in Saxon English, and it was from this that the river and later the city of Plymouth itself derived their names.

Sights in Plymouth… Smeaton's Tower Smeatons Tower has been Plymouth's most famous landmark ever since the 1880s. Climb the 93 steps and enjoy the spectacular panoramic view over the city and beyond.

Elizabethan House On Plymouth's historic Barbican, you'll find an ancient doorway that takes you back in time to Drake's Plymouth.

Crownhill Fort Crownhill Fort may look like a green and wooded hill but it was once a formidable fighting machine - the largest and most important of the great Victorian forts built to defend Plymouth from attack by land as well as sea. Suitable for all ages.

The Merchant's House A historic building tucked away down one of the city's oldest streets - the Merchant's House is Plymouth’s largest and finest surviving example of a 16th/17th century residence.

National Marine Aquarium The National Marine Aquarium is Britain's foremost aquarium and in the years since it opened it has attracted millions of visitors through its doors. Great for the whole family.

The Royal Citadel The Royal Citadel in Plymouth, Devon, England, was built in the late 1660s to the design of Sir Bernard de Gomme. It is at the eastern end of Plymouth Hoe overlooking Plymouth Sound, and encompasses the site of the earlier fort that had been built in the time of Sir Francis Drake.

Port of Plymouth Location The Port of Plymouth is located at the mouth of the River Tamar in southwest England. The ferry crossings at the port offer the shortest route to France and the Iberian Peninsula, with routes to Roscoff and Santander.

England via Plymouth Plymouth had an advantage over other UK ports because of its location at the western entrance to the English Channel. Passengers and mail could be disembarked, via Millbay Docks, and then quickly transported inland by train - saving the time spent at sea sailing on to places like Southampton or London. Millbay also offered the last chance to join a ship outbound from the Channel.

Cross-Channel Plymouth has long had trading links with France and Millbay Docks has always had a share. Between 1909 and 1912 the Great Western Railway ran cross- Channel cargo services to Brest and Nantes. In the early 1970s a group of French vegetable farmers restored these links. Brittany Ferries was set-up to speed the delivery of fresh cauliflowers to Britain. A new harbor was built at Roscoff in West Brittany whilst, at Millbay, berthing dolphins were installed and land set aside for marshaling freight and future shore side developments. The first Ro-Ro ferry, the Kerisnel, arrived in Plymouth on 3 January 1973.

Personalities from Plymouth Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (1540 – 27 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in- command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the second circumnavigation of the world, from 1577 to 1580. He died of dysentery in January 1596 after unsuccessfully attacking San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Sir George Arthur Army officer and colonial administrator.He was born in 1860, and was the son of Colonel Sir Frederick Arthur and Lady Elizabeth Hay- Drummond. Between the years 1914-16 he held the office of Personal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for War, he also wrote a number of military biographies on Kitchener Wolseley and Haig, and died at the age of 85 on 14 January 1946. At the time of the Whitechapel murders he was a 28 year old captain in the Royal Horse Guard and also an amateur actor, appearing as the corpse when Bancroft produced Theodora.

Robert Falcon Scott "Scott of the Antarctic" is perhaps the most famous of all the Polar explorers. He is best known for his legendary and fatal attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole. His team succeeded in reaching the pole, though did so a month after the Norwegian Amundsen and his party. It is less well known that Scott's expeditions were far ranging and achieved much in the fields of science and exploration beyond the fateful polar trek that he is best known for. Robert Falcon Scott, (born June 6, 1868, Devonport, Devon, England— died c. March 29, 1912, Antarctica), British naval officer and explorer who led the famed ill-fated second expedition to reach the South Pole (1910–12). Scott joined the Royal Navy in 1880 and by 1897 had become a first lieutenant. While commanding an Antarctic expedition on the HMS Discovery (1901–04), he proved to be a competent scientific investigator and leader and was promoted to captain upon his return to England.

Ron Goodwin Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 1925 – 8 January 2003) was a British composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years.

Beryl Cook Beryl Cook, OBE (10 September 1926 – 28 May 2008) was an English artist best known for her original and instantly recognizable paintings of people enjoying themselves in pubs, girls shopping or out on a hen night. Drag shows or a family picnicking by the seaside or abroad - tangoing in Buenos Aires or gambling in Las Vegas. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until middle age.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley was born in Plymouth, Devon, England (Freedom Fields Hospital), and grew up on her parents' country farm. She attended Tavistock College and has been modeling since 2003 for a variety of clothiers: Abercrombie & Fitch, Burberry, Bloomingdale's, Ralph Lauren, DKNY. She started modeling for Victoria's Secret in 2006 and was officially named one of the lingerie company's "Angels" in November 2009, at the age of 22. Her first film role is as Carly Spencer, replacing Megan Fox as Sam Witwicky's new love interest in the third installment of the Transformers series: Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). Bibliography http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ron-goodwin-mn0000841210 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2492819 millbay_docks_25-32 http://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/ http://plymouth.ports-guides.com/ http://www.activplymouth.com/community/content/famouspeopleo fplymouth-2441.html

This piece of work is made by the students of Devonport High School for Girls: Ameria Munro, Anna Perkins, Bickle Clare, Blackmore Lauren, Olivia Butcher, Caitlin Martin, Amelia Clements, Ellie Courts, Ella Van Blankenstein, Ellana Dawe, Eva Smith, Evi Large, Flora Woolman, Rosie Gillard, Hannah Hill, Olivia Holliday, India West, Nancy Kehoe, Rebecca Lindsay, Louise Lecointe, Maria Mistakidis, Megan Stone, Sarah Wilcox, Sophi Lee Bucknell, Molly Sutton, Zoe Middleton

With the guidance and coordination of their teacher Jose Fernandez Garcia

THESSALONIKI ‘S INTRODUCTION

The city of Thessaloniki, built by King Cassandros in 315 B.C. as a new capital for the Macedonian state, was named after the king’s wife, sister of . Set on the shores of the , Thessaloniki is one the world’s most historic cities; in more than 23 centuries of uninterrupted history it has been a major centre of population, a busy economic, cultural and political centre in the region of the and south-eastern Europe, an important meeting point for different cultures and peoples. It has always been a prize eagerly sought by powerful men in the region, connected by generals and would-be kings. Throughout its long life the city experienced many important events. It has seen powerful and ambitious emperors, who endowed it with fine public buildings, superb churches, markets, baths, fortifications and ports. The city has lived through calamitous wars, uprisings, siege, conquest and fire – but also through days of peace and prosperity in which the arts were able to thrive. Saint Paul preached the Christian message here, and it was from Thessaloniki that Curil and Methodius launched their civilizing mission to the Slav peoples. For centuries, Thessaloniki was home to many different ethnic groups – Jews, Ottoman Turks, Armenians and others. Alongside the native Greek population, they all left their characteristic mark on the city and helped shape its cosmopolitan character. Throughout their long history, the people of Thessaloniki have made important contributions to the arts, literature and commerce. In modern Thessaloniki, the magical traces of its long history are everywhere to be seen: in the streets and city squares, the famous churches, the walls and historic buildings, the many different neighborhoods, the seafront, the sea and the outskirts of the city. In every corner, secrets await the lover of history, echoes from the past, historical figures and the distant traces of great events – a feast for the historian, for those who revere the past and its traditions, and for contemporary man, seeking in the collective memory of the city universal values, works of art, messages of peace and fraternity. Thessaloniki is the most hospitable of places- and its people look forward to welcoming all those visitors who wish to discover the true face of the city.

The

Thessaloni, one of the most populous and multicultural of the port cities of the Mediterranean, can look back on an uninterrupted history of many centuries – punctuated with turbulent and dramatic events, but continuing without a break from its foundation to the present day.

Most scholars agree that Thessaloniki was founded by Cassandros, King of Macedonia, in around 316-315 BC, who united the surrounding small settlements and named the city after his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander the Great. The new city, located in a central position on the Thermaic Gulf, brought together the people of twenty-six settlements from the surrounding area. The burial mounds found in the immediate vicinity of Hellenistic Thessaloniki have yielded rich testimony of continuous and organized human occupation from as early as the Neolithic period. The nucleous of the local settlements was probably Thermi, on whose precise location archaeologists cannot agree, though it may be identified with the ancient settlement revealed at Mikro Emvolo (Mikro Karabournou).

The new city evolved rapidly into the metropolis of the Macedonian region. Recent studies of the urban plan of the centre of the ancient city, in additions to the archaeological research (due to the Metro of Thessaloniki), have shown the existence of large streets oriented from north to south and east to west, at right angles to one another and forming substantial blocks of construction. No trace has remained of either the Hellenistic port of palace.

However we do know that the forum was situated at the centre of the modern city, on the same site as the later Roman forum, which has been extensively excavated. Perhaps the most important military base in the kingdom of Cassandros, and the largest commercial port in the northern Greek region, Thessaloniki was a city of international reputation and character, home to a large number of foreigners in the Hellenistic period. It was also to become the best- known religious centre of the Greek world.

In the Hellenistic era Thessaloniki had a dual administration, being typically autonomous, as its aims did not conflict those of the greater state. The Romans fearing the expansion of the Macedonian state initiated several wars against it, leading to the battle of Pydna (June 22, 168 B.C.), in which the were comprehensively defeated. Thus, the major cities of Macedonia, i.e. , Thessaloniki and , were surrendered to the Roman Consul Aemilius Paulus.

There was no decline in the city’s importance following the military conquest of Macedonia by the Romans (146 BC). Enjoying a well-defended location within the Thermaic Gulf, at the foot of Mt. Kissos and with a privileged position for east-west and north-south trade, with four rivers in its immediate vicinity and a safe harbor, set on one of the most important roads of the time, the Via Egnatia, Thessaloniki remained an important economic and administrative centre within the Roman Empire.

During the Roman Era Thessaloniki was strengthened and fortified, decorated with buildings and special monuments. It is generally agreed that the Roman fortifications of the city were added to before the construction of the Galerian complex (palace, triumphal arch and Rotonda)

Galerius palace comlex Galerius triumphal arch (Kamara)

Rotonda Mausoleum

When Diocletian established the Tetrarchate, or system of four rulers, Thessaloniki was made capital of the section of the Empire comprising the Balkan peninsula and administered by one of the four Tetrarchs, Galerius Valerius Maximianus. The city enjoyed renewed prosperity during this period and rose to new prominence, with a marked increase in building activity. The Roman port must have been located on the same axis as the palace complex of Galerius, somewhere on the seafront to the west of the site where the White Tower was to stand many centuries later. This is the period during which the boundaries of the walled city acquired their final form, with the reconstruction of the eastern walls. These boundaries would remain in plave until the end (2nd half) of the 19th century. The eastern walls were built just outside, and abutting on to, the hippodrome, along the line from the White Tower up to Aghiou Dimitriou street. Air photo of city’s fortifications

A cosmopolitan and prosperous seaport, the city grew in commercial and strategic importance during the Roman period and was one of the first bases for the spread of Christianity. St Paul first travelled there in AD 50, and he returned in 56 to visit the church he had founded and for which he exhibited great concern in his Epistles. His preaching was well received. As a result the first Christian community was created in the city. In the middle of the 3rd century the frequent attacks of the Goths disrupted the co called “Pax Romana”.

From the 4th century AD to 1430, when the city was occupied by the Ottomans, Thessaloniki was the second city after and symvasilevoussa (co-reign) of the , implementing imperial policy in the European part of the Empire. The city played a leading role in the Balkan region in the fields of learning and the arts. Often taking an independent line in spiritual and social developments, it led the way in the intellectual and religious thought of the period. The city’s vitality and dynamism remained throughout the 1100 years of the Byzantine era, despite the many adversities and reverses it endured. With repeated sieges by Avars and in the 7th and 8th centuries, the Saracens in the 10th century and later the , Normandes and Franks from the West, the city was the centre of some of the most important military operations of the period, but none of these was able to halt its cultural development, which reached its peak during the Palaeologean years. From the 9th century onwards, the conversion of the Slavs by brothers Cyril and Methodius from Thessaloniki, who also devised an alphabet for the Slav language, represent the first extension of the city’s cultural influence out into the Slav world – an influence which was to culminate in the 14th century. It was largely through Thessaloniki that the ideology and cultural influence of were communicated to the Balkans. The monuments that remain from this thousand-year period have led the city to be described as an “open- air museum” of and architecture. The of the rotunda, St Demetrius and St David are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art. The Christian monuments of Thessaloniki are outstanding examples of churches built according to central, basilical and intermediary plans from the 4th to the 15th centuries. For this reason, they constitute a series which is a typological point of reference. The influence of the Thessalonian churches on the development of the monumental arts was considerable, first in the Byzantine and later the Serbian world, whether in the early Christian period of the high Middle Ages or the Palaeologean Renaissance. The mosaics of the Rotunda, St Demetrius and St David's are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art.

Imperial splendour and the changing fortunes of the Thessalonian church were inextricably linked during the early centuries of Christianity. It was during the period that the palatial complex of Galerius was being built (298-311) that St Demetrius was martyred (c. 303). Sometime later the rotunda, which Galerius had probably planned as his mausoleum, was taken over by the Christians who converted it to a church dedicated to St George. North of the Forum, on the ruins of the thermae (baths) where tradition has it that St Demetrius was imprisoned and tortured, they built the Basilica of St Demetrius. Rebuilt in 412-13 by the eparch Leontius and enlarged in 629-34 according to a grandiose plan that included five naves, the church, despite having been ravaged by fire in 1917, remains one of the most notable monuments of the early Christian era. That is the reason for which UNESCO has nominated the palaeochristian and byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki as monuments of world cultural heritage.

The Church of Saint Demetrius,s the main sanctuary dedicated to the patron saint of Thessaloniki, dating from a

time when it was the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire. The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once. Nave with rests of applicated light and dark fields of the arches

The basilica is famous for six extant panels, depicting St. Demetrius with officials, responsible for the restoration (called the founders) and with children, represent rare examples of art surviving from the Dark Age that followed Justinian's death. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Saloniki from a pagan Slavic raid in 612.

Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire. Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church's crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

Other churches of archaeological interest were built during the Byzantine period. These include the Basilica of the Virgin, called Acheiropoietos, after 448, The Acheiropoietos has been dated from its bricks and mosaics to ca. 450– 470, making it perhaps the earliest of the city's surviving churches. It was modified in the 7th and again in the 14th–15th centuries. Known as the Panagia Theotokos in Byzantine times, it is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its current name is first attested in 1320, presumably after a miraculous acheiropoietos ("not made by hands") icon of Panagia Hodegetria that was housed there. Byzantine sources also indicate that the city's patron saint, St. Demetrius, was also worshipped in the Acheiropoietos. The building is a three- aisled basilica

St David's (late 5th or early 6th centuries), The (Greek: Όσιος Δαβίδ) is a late 5th-century church in Thessaloniki, Greece. In Byzantine times, it functioned as the katholikon of the Latomos Monastery, and received a rich mosaic and fresco decoration, which was renewed in the 12th–14th centuries. The surviving examples are of high artistic quality. Under Ottoman rule, the building was converted into a mosque (probably in the 16th century), until it was reconsecrated as a in 1921, receiving its present name.

and particularly St Sophia (8th century), which is a harmonious blend of the Greek cross plan and a three-nave basilica plan. St Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Since the 3rd century, there was a church in the location of the current Hagia Sophia. In the 8th century, the present structure was erected, based on the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey). In 1205, when the captured the city, the Hagia Sophia was converted into the cathedral of Thessaloniki, which it remained after the city was returned to the Byzantine Empire in 1246. After the capture of Thessaloniki by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430, the church was converted into a mosque. It was reconverted to a church upon the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912.Its ground plan is that of a domed Greek cross basilica. Together with the Gül and the Kalenderhane Mosques in Istanbul and the destroyed Church of the Dormition in Nicaea, it represents one of the main architectural examples of this type, typical of the Byzantine middle period.

When the city was returned to Byzantium in 1246, new churches were built, among which were:

The Church of Saint Panteleimon is a late Byzantine church in Thessaloniki, Greece, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The church lies in the eastern part of the old city, near the Tomb of Galerius (the "Rotunda”) Its current dedication to Saint Panteleimon was given to the church after the end of Ottoman rule in 1912, and its original dedication is therefore disputed. In Ottoman times, it was converted into a mosque in 1548 and became known as Ishakiye Camii ("Mosque of Ishak [Isaac]"), which in the prevailing scholarly interpretation points to an identification with the late Byzantine Monastery of the Virgin Perivleptos. The church is of the tetrastyle cross-in-square type, with a narthex and a ambulatory that is connected to two chapels. Very few of the building's original wall paintings survive. Ottoman remains include the base of the demolished minaret and a marble fountain.

The Church of the Holy Apostles is a 14th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. The building belongs to the type of the composite, five-domed cross-in-square churches, with four supporting columns. It also features a narthex with a U-shaped peristoon (an ambulatory with galleries), with small domes at each corner. There are also two small side- chapels to the east. The exterior walls feature rich decoration with a variety of brick-work patterns. The interior gives a very vertical impression, as the ratio of height to width of the church's central bay is 5 to 1. The interior decoration consists of rich mosaics on the upper levels, inspired by Constantinopolitan models. These are particularly important eas some of the last examples of (and the last of its kind in Thessaloniki itself). Frescoes complete the decoration on the lower levels of the main church, but also on the narthex and one of the chapels. These too show influence from Constantinople, and were possibly executed by a workshop from the imperial capital, perhaps the same which decorated the Chora Church. St Nicholas Orphanos, From its interior decoration, the building is dated to the period 1310–1320. The church originally formed part of a monastery, traces of which (remnants of a gate) survive to the east. The church was originally built as a simple, single-aisled edifice with a wooden gabled roof. Later, aisles were added on three sides. They form an ambulatory, under whose floor several graves have been found. The church's original marble templon survives. The church is most notable for its frescoes, contemporary with the church's construction, which cover almost the entire interior surface. The frescoes are an example of the Thessalonican school at the height of the "Palaiologan Renaissance", and their creator may be the same who decorated the Hilandar monastery in in 1314. The church has been linked to the Serbian king Stephen Uroš II Milutin (r. 1282–1321), who is known to have sponsored churches in the city, on account of the depiction in the main aisle of St George Gorgos, the Serbian ruler's patron saint, and of St. Clemens of Ohrid, a favourite motif of the Serbian churches.

Vlatadon Monastery: Founded in the 14th century in the area that may have sheltered oldest temple. The first historical references to the monastery Vlattadon made in 1405 in the Russian travelogue browser Ignatius of Smolensk. In the 15th century the abbey flourished. After the capture of Thessaloniki by the Turks gave some privileges, and validated by a firman of Mehmed II in 1446. In 1633, with the signet of Kirill Loukari, Moni Vlattadon succursal attached as the Monastery of St. Iberians' Mt. In 1801 it was renovated catholic, but in 1870 a fire destroyed part of it, including the library. The damages were repaired at the expense of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Today the monastery belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. From the original building survives only sanctuary and a few other architectural elements. Near the church of the monastery is dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ, there domed chapel of the 14th century with frescoes the Palaeologean. According to local tradition, the monastery was built in the place where he preached and lived by the Apostle Paul during his stay in the city Made from material collected by Athena Keloglou, Konstantina Kotorli, Stefania Kampoyri, Kyriaki Gaitanidou, Maria Ntavrani, Aliki Tzioumaki, Pelagia Tsalabouni. The History of Thessaloniki (part 2)

In 1204, after the fall of Constantinople by Crusaders, the city became the capital of the Frankish Kingdom of Thessaloniki. In 1224 the “Despotis” of Epirus, Theodore I Comnenos liberated Thessaloniki, dissolved the Frankish Kingdom and established a Greek State with Thessaloniki, as the capital. In 1246 the Emperor of Nicaea John III Vatatzes re- occupied Thessaloniki. Andronikos Comnenos Palaeologus was appointed Governor of the city. In 1260 Michael Palaeologus was crowned Emperor of the reborn Byzantine Greek State giving an end to Frankish occupation that lasted 57 years.

The 14th century was an era of intellectual and cultural flourishing for Thessaloniki, during which however a severe deterioration of social, political and religious conflicts took place. In 1387 after a 4-year siege, Thessaloniki fell to the Ottomans, and became a vassal city to the Sultan Murad I. The first Ottoman occupation lasted until 1403, when the Byzantine Emperor Manouil liberated Thessaloniki. After a brief occupation by the Venetians lasted from 1423 to 1430, the Ottoman forces of Sultan Murad II seized the city. On 29 March 1430 the city was captured and looted by the Ottomans. Since then, the Ottoman period begun and lasted approximately 500 years. Very rapidly, the Byzantine city acquired the character of an Islamic centre for the , as major public and religious buildings were erected. But Thessaloniki always retained its mix of ethnic groups, and this mix was enriched in 1492 by the arrival, in large numbers, of the first Jews from Spain, driven by the Edict of Alhambra. followed by successive waves from Italy and other countries in central and eastern Europe. When the Ottomans gained control of the city in 1430, most of the churches, new or old, were converted to mosques, and other Islamic sanctuaries were built (Hamza Bey Cami in 1467-68, Alaca Imaret in 1484). Alaca Imaret Yeni Cami

Under Ottoman rule (1430-1912), Thessalonika regained the status of major cosmopolitan city it had enjoyed during the early Christian era. The multitude of cultural influences is reflected in the city's wealth of monuments, now sadly depleted, which were described by travellers such as Robert de Dreux (1665), Evliya Celebi (1668), Paul Lucas (1714), Félix de Beaujour (1797), and Abdul Mecid (1858).

As the population of the city began to grow substantially in the 16th century, the old residential and commercial districts underwent a process of differentiation. The various ethnic groups- mainly Jews, Muslims and Greek Christians – began to organize themselves into separate communities. The low-lying area of the city was inhabited mainly by Jews and Greeks, with the former living mainly in the centre, from Egnatia street down to the seafront and the area of the ancient forum, their houses located among the workshops, stores and warehouses. In around the 18th century, the Frangomahala neighborhood grew up close to the port and the forum, evolving into a crowded district populated by Franks and Levantines. The Greeks were scattered along Egnatia and the eastern walls, around the Metropolitan Church, the Church of Saint Minas and the Vardari area. The Muslims gathered in the Upper City, on the Bair hill, with its rocky ground and steep inclines.

The history of the defences of the city during the long period of Ottoman rule (1430-1912) remains largely unknown. The most significant interventions made by the Ottomans to the city walls can be seen at the Trigonio or Alysseos Tower, the White Tower and the Vardari Fort (Top-Hane) Seat of the Sancak Bey, a mullah and an Agha of the Janissaries, as well as the base for a major military force, the Ottoman city of Selanik was a vital trading centre, of critical importance in the commerce of the Ottoman Empire, not to mention the largest port in the Balkan region. Over the five hundred years from the Ottoman conquest to the liberation of 1912, Thessaloniki – a crossroad of ideas and cultures- played a critical civilizing role in the Balkan regions subject to Ottoman rule.

The importance of Thessaloniki, especially in the 18th century, can be measured from the interest shown in the city by the great European powers, who took steps to open consulates here. France was followed by England, Holland and the Venetian Republic. Hundreds of ships, small and large, laden with every conceivable cargo, disgorged a colourful host of merchants and sailors from every corner of the earth. Coffee, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper were unloaded at the port, followed by silk, paper, tin and ivory. Luxury items were imported from Constantinople, while of oil, citrus fruits and sponges came from the islands of the Aegean. Ships brought timber from Crete, cereals, tobacco and raw silk from the Orient. Every week, herd of livestock set off from Thessaloniki on the long road to Sofia, Skopje and Vienna.

In the 18th century in the streets of Thessaloniki, like a second Babel, one could listen to many different languages, such as Turkish, Greek, Spanish, French, etc. By the 1830s, and mainly in the second half of the 19th century, the city went through economic, cultural and intellectual growth and at the same time its population increased.

It was not until the second half of the 19th century that the look of the city began to undergo radical change. It was then that the modernization of the city began, with new technologies and the first industrial activities transforming the character of the old Thessaloniki. The eastern walls along the low-lying terrain and those along the seafront began to be demolished in 1866. In the wake of the fire of 1890, in the old commercial centre, the district was rebuilt to a modern street plan, while new trends in architecture, imported from Europe, began to be seen, alongside the use of new construction materials.

From 1904 until 1908 the took place. The Greek Consulate in Thessaloniki became the strategic headquarters of the Macedonian Struggle, developing intense activity regarding the organization and supply of Greek guerrilla groups, aiming the liberation of Macedonia and of course Thessaloniki.

As the First Balkan War broke out, in October 1912, Greece declared war on the Ottoman Empire and expanded its borders. When , Prime Minister at the time, was asked if the Greek army should move towards Thessaloniki or Monastir (now Bitola, Republic of Macedonia), Venizelos replied "Salonique à tout prix!" (Thessaloniki, at all costs!). As both Greece and Bulgaria wanted Thessaloniki, the Ottoman garrison of the city entered negotiations with both armies. On 26 October 1912, the feast day of the city's patron saint, Saint Demetrius, the Greek Army accepted the surrender of the Ottoman garrison at Thessaloniki. The Bulgarian army arrived one day after the surrender of the city to Greece and Tahsin Pasha, ruler of the city, told the Bulgarian officials that "I have only one Thessaloniki, which I have surrendered". After the Second Balkan War, Thessaloniki and the rest of the Greek portion of Macedonia were officially annexed to Greece by the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. On 18 March 1913 was assassinated in the city.

In September 1915, a few months after the outbreak of the First World War, the Entente forces landed in Thessaloniki. In the summer of 1916, after the surrender of Eastern Macedonia to the Central Powers, the Movement of National Defence was launched by Greek patriots in order to activate and organize Greeks in Thessaloniki and Macedonia in favour of the Entente.

In September 1916 Venizelos arrived in Thessaloniki, taking over the leadership of the movement and formed the provincial government of Thessaloniki, which was recognized by the Entente powers. In August of 1917 a catastrophic fire broke out in Thessaloniki, which lasted

thirty hours, burning down most of the city centre and destroyed 2/3 of the city, particularly the low-lying areas within the walls.

In 1919, a new plan regarding the burned zone was prepared by a team of eminent planners, architect and archaeologist Ernest Hebrard, which envisaged a radical restructuring of the city. So the appearance of Thessaloniki was transformed from an oriental city with narrow streets into a modern city, designed and built in a really impressive architecture.

After the defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War at 1922 and during the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, a population exchange took place between Greece and Turkey. Over 160,000 Greeks deported from the former Ottoman Empire and Asia Minor were resettled in the city, changing its demographics,

giving a new boost to the local economy. Additionally many of the city's Muslims were deported to Turkey, ranging at about 20,000 people. The vast need for housing, after the sudden increase of the population made obligatory the modification of the Hebrard plan for Thessaloniki and changed a lot its architecture. In 1925, the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki and the University of Thessaloniki were founded.

During the interwar period Thessaloniki was noted for its intense poverty, underdevelopment and social inequality. Already since 1908 it was in Thessaloniki that the Workers Confederation (known as Federation) was founded. This situation is the main reason for which in Thessaloniki labor unions were flourished during the ‘30s, the union movements was born and culminated. Massive strikes and demonstrations with thousands of wounded and dead, during the 1936, expressed the needs, demands and protests of the working class, due to the social inequality and the spread of socialist ideas.

During World War II Thessaloniki was heavily bombarded by Fascist Italy and, the Italians having failed to succeed in their invasion of Greece, it fell to the forces of on 8 April 1941 and remained under German occupation until 30 October 1944, when it was liberated by the Greek People's Liberation Army. The importance of Thessaloniki to Nazi Germany can be demonstrated by the fact that, initially, Hitler had planned to incorporate it directly in the Third Reich (that is, make it a part of Germany) and not have it controlled by a puppet state such as the Hellenic State or an ally of Germany (Thessaloniki had been promised to Yugoslavia as a reward for joining the Axis on 25 March 1941). Having been the first major city in Greece to fall to the occupying forces just two days after the German invasion, it was in Thessaloniki that the first Greek resistance group was formed, as well as the first anti-Nazi newspaper in an occupied territory anywhere in Europe. Thessaloniki was also home to a military camp-converted- concentration camp, known in German as "Konzentrationslager Pavlo Mela" (Pavlos Melas Concentration Camp), where members of the resistance and other non-favourable people towards the German occupation from all over Greece were held either to be killed or sent to concentration camps elsewhere in Europe.

The Nazis soon forced the big Jewish population of Thessaloniki into a ghetto near the railroads and on 15 March 1943 began the deportation process of the city's 56,000 Jews to its concentration camps.. They deported over 43,000 of the city's Jews in concentration camps, where most were killed in the gas chambers. The Germans also deported 11,000 Jews to forced labor camps, where most perished. Only 1,200 Jews live in the city today, remains of the thriving Jewish community of prewar Thessaloniki (also known as the of the West, during the late 19th century). After the war, Thessaloniki was rebuilt with large-scale development of new infrastructure and industry throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In 1947 the Municipal Library of Thessaloniki re-opened and in 1951 the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki did so too. Thessaloniki after the war, and under the Treaty of Yalta and the division of Europe into two rival camps, lost its natural hinterland, the Balkans. For four decades the city tried to adapt to the new international reality and claim for itself an autonomous economic and cultural role within a centralized State. At the same time urbanization brought to the city hundreds of thousands of people from rural areas and Thessaloniki expanded and grew rapidly.

Many of its architectural treasures still remain, adding value to the city as a tourist destination, while several early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. In 1997, Thessaloniki was celebrated as the European Capital of Culture, sponsoring events across the city and the region. Agency established to oversee the cultural activities of that year 1997 was still in existence by 2010. In 2004 the city hosted a number of the football events as part of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Since 1989, with the changes in the geopolitical European map, Thessaloniki regained its strategic position on the South-East European map and pursued a leading role, in the development of relations of Greece with the neighbouring countries, and as one of the economic and cultural centers of the broader region of the Balkans.

Today Thessaloniki has become one of the most important trade and business hubs in Southeastern Europe, with its port, the being one of the largest in the Aegean and facilitating trade throughout the Balkan hinterland. On 26 October 2012 the city celebrated its centennial since its incorporation into Greece. The city also forms one of the largest student centres in Southeastern Europe, is host to the largest student population in Greece and will be the European Youth Capital in 2014.

Bibliography

1. Heritage walks in Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki History Centre, Municipality of Thessaloniki. 2. http://www.thessaloniki.gr/portal/page/portal/DimosThessalonikis/Peripa toi-Klironomias/Peripatoi-Klironomias 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki 4. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/456/ 5. http://www.thessaloniki2012.gr/en/page/history-thessaloniki-brief 6. http://thessaloniki-gold.com/thessaloniki/history.htm 7. http://www.imma.edu.gr/imma/publications/cds-dvds/history-of- macedonia.html 8. Thessaloniki, Scientific Yearbook of the Thessaloniki History Center, Municipality of Thessaloniki, Sixth volume, 2002

Thessaloniki: A port, a city, a history The port of Thessaloniki has been developed, mainly during the Roman period, as it constituted the link between the East and the West, by facilitating the commercial trade of the city’s hinterland as well as of the neighboring Roman regions. During the Byzantine Empire period, the port followed the destiny of the city, which was in acme with a cosmopolitan and a multicultural character. The port-city became the center of the trade of the Balkans, something that continued during the Ottoman period, although in a smaller pace.

Recovery in the 17th century From the end of the 17th century, the trade of the city showed some signs of recovery, a trend which affect and affected by the port. In 1871 the first rail networks have been developed that connected Thessaloniki with other European and Balkan cities, thus the city of Thessaloniki was established as a major commercial and economic centre. In 1888 the rail connection with Europe has been initiated, followed by the rail connection with (1893) and Constantinople (1895). These rail connections gave a new dynamic to the port which entered in a new era that lead Thessaloniki to play the role of the most important economic centre in the Balkan Peninsula. On this ground, Thessaloniki entered the 20th century as one of the biggest and most important cities of the faltering Ottoman Empire. In 1904 Ottoman Empire and France signed an agreement which resulted in the development of the French company “Societe Ottomane d’ Exploitation du Port de Salonique” which granted the exploitation of the port of Thessaloniki for a 40 years period. The company undertook the construction of the necessary infrastructures and superstructures, for the modernization and the better operation of the rail network inside the port. At the same time the first machinery equipment was deployed in the port and helped it to enter in a new era. The port of Thessaloniki started operating in February 1st 1903.

Interwar Period In 1930 the Port Fund of Thessaloniki has been established, which redeemed the “Societe Ottomane d’ Exploitation du Port de Salonique” based on a yearly lease payment, and undertook the responsibility for the port exploitation. The Port Fund proceeded with the maintenance and the upgrade of the port infrastructures as well as with the development of new projects. The port development halted during the World War II period. More than the 80 % of the ports’ infrastructures destroyed due to the allies bombardments and the sabotages of the German troops before abandoned the port. The strike was overwhelming and took more than ten years for the restoration of the damaged infrastructures. In 1953 the port of Thessaloniki entered in a new era. The two entities that operated the port, integrated into one entity named “Free Zone and Port of Thessaloniki” and new infrastructure projects started in order to expand the west side of the port. The next two decades were crucial. Big plants established in the wider area, creating new transport needs. In the port area new and specialized superstructures have been developed for the proper transport facilitation of raw and industrial materials. At the same time new projects were completed and the necessary regulations adopted for responding to the needs arise from the city’s “building boom”. In 1970 the “Free Zone and Port of Thessaloniki” renamed as “Thessaloniki Port Authority” which undertook the exclusive right to exploit the loading, unloading and warehousing operations, while it employed the then existed port labor force.

Passenger port The port of Thessaloniki facilitates also coastal shipping and cruise passengers. As a cruise destination, Thessaloniki offers an opportunity to the cruise passengers to exploit the tourist attractions of the city as well as of the neighboring areas (Dion, Pella, ) which offers natural beauties, museums, archaeological sites and religious monuments. For the facilitation of the passenger traffic, the port authority operates the “Macedonia” passenger terminal, a renovated neoclassical building at the heart of the port and of the city. The passenger terminal has modern halls and provides all the necessary services to the passengers (infokiosks, Wi-fi hotspots etc) creating a friendly and a cozy atmosphere.

Port of culture The organic link between the city of Thessaloniki and the port is the 1st pier, the area which connects the past with the present. The warehouses of the 1st pier undergone an extensive renovation in the mid of 90’s, although maintained their traditional architectural structure. These warehouses are transformed to modern, functional multipurpose buildings, able to host conferences, seminars, exhibitions, receptions, theatrical performances, cinemas etc. Two of these buildings host the Museum of Photography and Modern Art and the Museum of Cinema which is an integral part of the annual Cinema Festival of Thessaloniki.

The Port of Thessaloniki today Its coordinates are:

Latitude : 40° 38′ 20″ N Longitude : 22° 56′ 53″ E : UTC + 2 UN/locode : GRSKG

Situated in the creek of Thermaikos Gulf, it plays an exceptional role regarding the wider area's merchant traffic. It serves not only as a domestic merchant port but also as a hub for the adjacent markets due to its proximity and extensive transport network. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of tons of all kinds of cargoes (bulk, breakbulk, liquid and containerised) are moved yearly via the port of Thessaloniki destined to the neighbour countries of Bulgaria, , Kosovo, F.Y.R.O.M. and .

The distances between Thessaloniki and the capital cities of neighbouring countries are: Thessaloniki - Sofia (Bulgaria) :280 Km Thessaloniki - Beograd (Serbia) :610 Km Thessaloniki - Pristina (Kosovo) :320 Km Thessaloniki-Skopje(F.Y.R.O.M.): 220Km Thessaloniki - Tirana (Albania): 328 Km

Thessaloniki Port Authority (TH.P.A S.A) is a public limited company enlisted in the Athens Stock Exchange with the Greek state being its major shareholder. Since the beginning of the previous century (1925) the port operates as a Free Zone (control type I) but also complies with the directives since May 1, 1995. It is adequately equipped, providing modern facilities for accepting and handling all types of cargo and is remarkably well connected with road and rail.

Available are six piers with docks of a total length of 6.200 metres along with all kinds of mechanical equipment and a maximum draft of about 12 m. The container terminal (S.EMBO) is located at pier Nr. 6. Presently it covers an area of approximately 254.000 sq. metres with a storage capacity of 4700 TEUs (including 336 reefer plugs). Loading/discharging operations are provided 24/7 with four gantry cranes of 40 - 50 tons lifting capacity two of which are post panama type. Railway connection reaches the container terminal while a transtainer of 50 tons lifting capacity is used to load/unload the containers onto/from the railcars. Forklifts, straddle carriers and other mechanical means are also available.

It is worth noting that as from August 4th 2011 the port's free zone has been expanded by 75 square kilometres (its total surface now occupies 1002 square kilometres) located northwest of the piers No. 5 and No. 6 , adjacent to both the conventional cargo quays and the container terminal.

Nowadays the Port Authority is in the process of expanding the container terminal's area and infrastructure in order to meet the latest demands of modern shipping (the ability to accommodate larger ships with a draft up to 16 meters) and cope with the increased container throughput.

For a virtual tour at the port visit this link: http://www.thpa.gr/images/stories/flash/port_tour.swf

Bibliography 1. Photographic Album, A port, a city, a history: Thessaloniki – Sea Commerce – 20th century, Thessaloniki Port Authority 2011 2. http://www.snpth.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&la yout=blog&id=44&Itemid=141&lang=en 3. http://www.thpa.gr

Thessaloniki’s sights and attractions

ARISTOTELOUS SQUARE in Thessaloniki is the only part of the city where the urban plan of French architect Ernst Hébrard was implemented. Aristotelous square was built in 1917, after the fire that destroyed the city and the establishment of the “Thessaloniki New Plan International Commission”, chaired by Hébrard. The Commission undertook the reconstruction of Thessaloniki, an ambitious plan, which unfortunately fell short because of major ownership interests. Aristotelous Square is a typical combination of Byzantine style and Western architecture.

The two landmark buildings in the square, “Olympion” and “Electra” were built in the 50s and 60s respectively, just as Aristotelous was undergoing works to achieve its final form in 1960. Today, Aristotelous Square is lined with different kinds of shops, banks, jewellery shops and several café bars and hotels.

OTE TOWER The OTE Tower in Thessaloniki is a 76-metre telecommunications tower, built in 1970 and designed by the architect Al. Anastasiadis. Together with the antenna, it exceeds 70 metres. For many years, it was used as an OTE kiosk at the Thessaloniki International Fair, which is one of the biggest such events in Europe. The OTE Tower was renovated internally in 2005. Today, it is used by the Cosmote mobile network. A rotating restaurant-café operates on the top floor of the tower. OTE Tower is one of the city’s symbols.

Thessaloniki Concert Hall The Thessaloniki Concert Hall meets all the specifications of a modern musical venue, while also representing a landmark of modern Greek architecture, designed to blend in perfect harmony with the history of the city, it serves, combining elements of the magnificent Byzantine past and the later cosmopolitan role of Thessaloniki. This complex includes the main auditorium with 1.464 seats, meeting rooms and spacious foyers. The Concert Hall’s infrastructure, complete with scene mechanisms and lighting facilities, conforms perfectly to the highest standards of visibility and acoustics and meets the needs of demanding productions. Apart from that, the Hall is capable of hosting conventions/congresses of 1400 participants; one has to note the availability of facilities for simultaneous interpretation, the contemporary audiovisual equipment and the existence of additional spaces for parallel events. Up to now, it has hosted successful openings of conferences, concerts, meetings, lectures, presentations, exhibitions and receptions. http://www.tch.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&page=1

(Grigoris Tsalabounis)

The Town Hall

The first Town Hall was a simple two-stores building that housed on the ground floor, the department of Weights and Measures Service, a Health Service and pharmacy. At the first floor were the offices of Mayor, General Secretary and treasurer, while the hall of the Municipal Council was in the second floor. The building was then at the Mayorshipstreet (Belediye in Turkish), which, after the liberation of the city was renamed Alexander the Great and later, after the effect of the new town plan, in J. Dragoumis. The fire in August 1917 destroyed most of the historic center of the city, burned the building of the Town Hall and at the same time completely burned and valuable primary file.

Since then, began a long wandering in the Municipality of Thessaloniki and municipal services were housed temporarily at all times, in different buildings. The Municipality of Thessaloniki was able to find several places to install the services, but all of these solutions were temporary. In 1924 under the new plan of the city, the municipality of Thessaloniki launched an international tender for the construction of City Hall in the city. The contest were three exceptional architectural designs, which provided for the construction of an impressive City Hall. But since then, the fate of the competition and the shortlisted projects remained unknown. The economic downturn of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Greek state, must have been responsible for the failure to complete the project. During the interwar years, the Greek government had to face big problems with the arrival of millions of refugees, while in Thessaloniki, in addition, after the great fire of 1917 which destroyed most of the city, were other projects took priority.

After the dictatorship, the Greek state decided to settle definitively the issue of the new City Hall, Thessaloniki. In 1976 the camp was situated for the construction of the Town Hall, and shortly afterwards, in 1980, the same space was used for the building of the planned Byzantine Museum

Since then the Municipality of Thessaloniki undertook procedures for completing the project. In 1986, by unanimous decision of the Municipal Council of the city, a nationwide architectural competition for the new City Hall in the city. Entities, citizens and companiew involved in the city for more than 10 years in a tug of war about whether to have built a new building or if it was necessary to use one of the historic mansions of Thessaloniki. By the early 21st century, the municipality of Thessaloniki managed to built at last the new Town Hall.At 2009 Thessaloniki managed to obtain a new Town Hall, suitable to the city’s long and impressive history.

Mary Aitsidou

MUSEUMS OF THESSALONIKI ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM The museum is housed in a building designed by architect Patroklos Karantinos and is an example of the modern architectural trends of Greece. Built in 1962, the museum had a new wing added to it in 1980, in which the findings from Vergina were displayed, up until 1997. In 2001 and 2004, the museum was extensively renovated and its permanent exhibits reorganized. The central rooms hold exhibits from the archeological excavations conducted in Thessaloniki and the broader area of Macedonia. The new wing hosts two exhibitions: The Gold of Macedon, with artifacts from the cemeteries of Sindos, Agia Paraskevi, Nea Philadelphia, Makrygialos, Derveni, Lete, and ; and The Thessaloniki Area in Prehistory, with material from prehistoric settlements, dating from the Neolithic to the Early and Late Bronze Age. At present, the collection of Archaic to Late Roman sculptures from Thessaloniki and Macedonia in general is displayed in the central section of the museum. In all these rooms, certain important exhibits have been singled out and further information about them is given to help visitors appreciate the importance of each exhibit and of the area and the period from which it comes. Apart from its permanent displays, the Archaeological Museum also hosts major temporary and thematic exhibitions. In the Manolis Andronicos Room, for instance, there is an exhibition titled The Coins of Macedonia from the 6th Century to 148 BC, with examples of coins that were circulating in Macedonia in that period. A showcase in the lobby of the museum displays some finds from the excavation of the Neolithic settlement at Makriyalo in Pieria, accompanied by information about the progress of the excavation. The new wing hosts two exhibitions: The Gold of Macedon and The Thessaloniki Area in Prehistory. The former includes finds from numerous excavations in . Taking the history of gold as its central theme, it presents the culture of Macedonia from the 6th century bc to 148 bc, discussing the use of gold objects, the technology of the manufacture of gold jewellery, and the techniques of gold mining. There are also numerous finds from the cemeteries of Macedonia, and their role in the burial customs is described. The point of the Thessaloniki in Prehistory exhibition is to recreate a picture of the Thermaic littoral before the city of Thessaloniki was built. http://www.amth.gr/index.php/en/

BYZANTINE MUSEUM History To design the museum, a nationwide architectural competition was announced in 1977. The competition was ultimately won by the entry of Kyriakos Krokos. Construction of the building began in March 1989, and was completed in October 1993. Antiquities from the Byzantine & Christian Museum in Athens were transferred in June 1994, some of them being displayed in the museum's inaugural exhibition, "Byzantine Treasures of Thessaloniki: The Return Journey". The museum finally opened on 11 September 1994. The Museum of Byzantine Culture is housed in a modern building 11.500 m² wide, of which 3.000 m² comprise the permanent exhibition area. It also includes spacey and well-organised conservation laboratories and storerooms, a small amphitheatre, a café-restaurant and a separate wing for temporary exhibitions, a space of 300 m². Exhibits Opening in 1994, the museum currently has three permanent exhibitions. The first, "Early Christian Churches", focuses on the design and decoration of churches in early centuries of Christianity. "Early Christian Cities and Dwellings", presents aspects of economic life, domestic handicrafts, houses, and food and clothing of early Christians, and finally, "From the Elysian Fields to the Christian Paradise" focuses on cemeteries of early Christians, jewellery, sepulchral architecture and painting, cult customs, and clay and glass objects recovered from excavated graves. Beginning in 1998, the museum has run educational programs for schoolchildren.

Awards In 2005, the museum was awarded the Council of Europe's Museum Prize. http://www.mbp.gr/html/en/index.htm

WAR MUSEUM The War Museum of Thessaloniki is a military museum in Thessaloniki, which opened its doors to the public in October 2000. It is housed in the building designed by architect Vitaliano Posseli and built between 1900 and 1902. The museum’s mission is to act as a base in for events organized by the War Museum in Athens and to help preserve historical memory and heritage in Northern Greece. Through its permanent exhibitions and various dedicatory exhibitions, the museum emphasizes the continuation of the Hellenic race throughout history, while simultaneously contributing to the documentation of the at war. The permanent collections show events which were a watershed in Modern Greek history from the turn of the 20th century to the liberation of Greece from German forces at the end of World War II. They include photographs of the times, Greek army, air force and navy uniforms, weapons of the Greek army, replicas of artillery and ships, works of art, stone engravings, maps, paintings, postcards, and similar items from the armies of other Balkan countries. These exhibits give insight to the Balkan Wars, , the Asia Minor Campaign, the Greco-Italian War, the Battle of the Forts in eastern Macedonia, the Battle of Crete, the Occupation and the Resistance, the part played by Greek forces in Allied action in North Africa, Italy and Normandy, as well as the liberation from the forces of occupation. http://polemikomouseiothessalonikis.blogspot.gr/

(SPYRIDON KELOGLOU)

MUSEUM FOR THE MACEDONIAN STRUGGLE The Museum for the Macedonian Struggle is a historical museum. It presents the local history and cultural identity of Macedonia, keeping alive the memory of the struggles of Hellenism and highlighting the role of ordinary people, who left indelible traces in a diverse cultural heritage. It aims to show, through the permanent collection exhibits available, the Macedonian struggle, "the fight for the Liberation of Macedonia and its union with the rest free Greece" and the players, as well as the historic events which caused but also described that fight. In the museum's exhibits are included the weapons, uniforms and personal items of the protagonists of the Macedonian Struggle (1904 - 1908), as well as collecting 1,350 photos of the era. The Museum for the Macedonian Struggle is located in the center of the Thessaloniki city. It occupies a neo-classical building designed by the renowned architect Ernst Ziller and built in 1893. In its six ground-floor rooms the museum graphically illustrates the modern and contemporary history of Macedonia. It presents the social, economic, political and military developments that shaped the presence of Hellenism in the region. This approach enables the visitor to form a global picture, not only for the revolutionary movements in the area, but also for the rapidly changing society of the southern Balkans and its struggles to balance between tradition and modernization. http://www.imma.edu.gr/imma/index.html http://www.e-istoria.com/260.html

Thessaloniki modern art museum

In the history of the Modern Greek visual arts, the Macedonian Centre of Contemporary Art and the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art represent a remarkable achievement of individual initiative.

Petros Kamaras, a well-known local tobacco merchant, man of letters and lover of arts, firmly supported the whole project, taking an active part in the setting up of the association. The “Macedonian Centre for Contemporary Art” came into being on 30.01.1979, with a provisional board of directors under the chairmanship of Petros Kamaras. A written text entitled “thoughts for the founding of a contemporary Art museum in Thessaloniki” was then sent out to the various civic, social and cultural institutions.

The MMCA experienced a cultural odyssey, organizing a series of ambitious exhibitions at every possible exhibition place of Thessaloniki: the Old Archaeological Museum, the new Archaeological Museum, the White tower, Alatza Imaret, the buildings at the Port of Thessaloniki, as well as those of the Thessaloniki International Fair. The museum extends on three floors. The first floor hosts the workrooms and ateliers where the art courses take place. The second floor houses the exhibition rooms, a cafe, a gift shop, a video room, the staff offices and the stores. In the third floor, we can find other exhibition rooms, the conference hall and the library. http://www.mmca.org.gr/mmst/el/home.htm

Teloglion foundation of art The Teloglion Foundation of Art was founded in 1972 with the donation of the art collection as well as the entire property of Nestor and Aliki Telloglou to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The collection The core of the collection Teloglion Arts is donating Telloglou which includes works of art from various cultures: figurines, mostly from the Hellenistic period, Corinthian, Hellenistic and Roman pottery, Persian miniatures, samples of Arabic and Chinese art (vases, panels, dishes), and taflandezika and woodwork. The bulk of the collection are works of great Greek and European artists of the 19th and 20th century oils, watercolors, drawings, prints, sculptures. Remarkable also is the collection of ceramic works by Panos Valsamaki. The Teloglion Foundation of Art, which was inaugurated in December 1999 with the exhibition entitled “Collections and Donations,” is housed in a modern, impressive building on the northern end of the campus. Its aims include offering people the opportunity to familiarize themselves with art, collecting, recording and studying the cultural heritage of Greece, creating the right conditions for artists and scholars to cooperate with each other, providing special education programmes to enhance students’ understanding of art. http://www.teloglion.gr/index.php

Thessaloniki photography museum

Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki is located in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece. The museum was founded in 1987 by Aris Georgiou, Apostolos Maroulis and Yiannis Vanidis but it wasn't until 1997 that it was legally established and until 1998 that it opened with Giorgos Makris as its president and Aris Georgiou as its first director. The museum’s mission is to collect photographs, especially historical and artistic photographs of Greece, to organize exhibitions and events to show the museum’s collection, to join forces with other similar bodies and work together and to publish books on photography. The Museum’s mission on local, national and international level is realised: By planning and executing exhibition series, by creating archives and collections entrusted to the museum by photographers and by proceeding in digitalizing and documenting them in order to preserve, conserve and promote them, as well as by conducting research and salvaging works from external sources. Also the museum’s mission is to organize the Photobiennale, the evolution of the international photography meeting Photosynkyria and to enrich the platform for dialogue through portfolio reviews, the establishment of prizes and the organization of meetings. http://www.thmphoto.gr/index.asp?lng=en

(Kyriaki Gaitanidou)

JEWISH MUSEUM OF THESSALONIKI The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki was founded to honor the rich and creative Sephardic heritage of Jewish culture developed in the city after the 15th century. After the terrible expulsion of the Sephardim from Spain by King Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, thousands of Jews found a safe haven in Thessaloniki, bringing with them knowledge of Renaissance culture and languages of the Western Mediterranean. Very quickly, the Sephardic community in Thessaloniki reached its peak in the 16th century. and it was no accident that the city was given the name "Mother of Israel." The Museum is housed in one of the rare buildings owned by Jews who survived the great fire of 1917. In the museum exhibited the history of the Jewish presence in Thessaloniki from the 3rd century BC until the Second World War and given an overview of the religious and everyday life of the city's Jews. A special exhibition space refers to the holocaust of about 49,000 Jews in the city during the German occupation were deported to Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen where massively and systematically exterminated by the Nazis. The museum apart from the permanent collection objects, photographic exhibitions and tombstones from the large Jewish cemetery of Thessaloniki houses a rich library of important documents that are printed in Thessaloniki from the 16th to the 20th century. and a documentation center on the history, customs and language of the Sephardic Jews. The museum also offers guided museum-play. http://www.jmth.gr/index.html#

WHITE TOWER OF THESSALONIKI The White Tower of Thessaloniki is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece and a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia. The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification which was mentioned around the 12th century and reconstructed by the Ottomans to fortify the city's harbour; it became a notorious prison and scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule. It was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912. It has been adopted as one of the most known buildings-symbols cities in Greece. It has 6 floors, 30 meters tall and 70 meters perimeter. Today, the White Tower houses an exhibition dedicated to the city of Thessaloniki and its history throughout various periods, organized by the city's Museum of Byzantine Culture. Since 2006 works as permanent City Museum of Thessaloniki.

http://www.lpth.gr/en/ (Aliki Tzioumaki)

Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum (NOESIS) is located at the outskirts of Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece. The museum’s main objective is to offer to the public an environment that facilitates the familiarization with and the understanding of science and technology. The foundation is also actively engaged in the protection of the Greek Technological Heritage. NOESIS has a 150-seat digital planetarium, a 300-seat Cosmotheatre with the largest flat screen in Greece, a 200-seat amphitheatre, as well as a motion simulator theater with three platforms, 3-D projection, and 6-axis movement NOESIS was founded in 1978 as a cultural and educational non-profit organization. In 1998, the museum initiated a project that aimed at the construction of a new facility and the development of a new spectrum of activities. The project was completed successfully and the new foundation "Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum - NOESIS" was established. The project had a total budget of approximately €29 million and was co-funded by the European Union, the EEA – EFTA States and the Greek government. The museum currently features many exhibits, including "Technology of Transportation," featuring antique car models that mark the history of automobiles. The exhibition hall also includes an exhibit on ; also, NOESIS will be opening the Center for Creativity and Innovation, a facility for students, as well as a Techno-park. http://www.noesis.edu.gr/index_en.php?action=firstPage

The Sports Museum

The Sports Museum was founded in 1998, after the initiative and co- operation of the Ministry of Culture, the Specialized Sports Secretariat of Macedonia-Thrace and with the participation of representatives of the Sports Federations and Unions. In 2001 it was transformed into a civil, non- profit corporation, under the name of Sports Museum. The aim that led to the establishment of the Sport Museum was to impress the athletic history of the country and to cover the absence that appeared to be in Greece. The Museum promotes research, communication and cooperation with agents of the athletic family, informing and engaging people concerning issues of athletic heritage. At the same time, basic intention was to create a vivid place, where the museum information will motivate the public to participate and will proceed the healthy aspects of sports. Specifically, aim of the Sport Museum is the conservation of sport heritage and the promotion of the cultural side of sport, missions that are accomplished in actual fact through permanent or temporary exhibitions, main feature of which is the information and communication with the public of Thessaloniki but also the wider area.

http://www.olympicmuseum-thessaloniki.org/

Thessaloniki’s architecture, buildings and monuments

The Acropolis district with Eptapyrgio, in an aerial photograph from the time of the First World Part of the precincts of Eptapyrgio, nowadays used for staging cultural events.

The Anna Palaeologina Gate, opened in 1355, while the Empress was residing in Thessaloniki.

Yeni Cami, a work of architect Vitaliano Poselli in 1902 (former Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, 1925- 1963), in an early 20th century postcard.

The Allatini flour mill in eastern Thessaloniki, as reconstructed in 1900, on the site of an earlier mill that had burned down, to plans by Vitaliano Poselli.

Exohon Avenue, modern Queen Olgas street, with the horse-drawn tram, in an early 20th century postcard.

The Casa Bianca mansion, built in 1911-12 by architect Piero Arrigoni and nowadays functioning as exhibition space for the Municipal Art Gallery.

Villa Mordoh, nowadays home to the Cultural Center of National Bank.

The Command Post, now Ministry for Macedonia and Thrace, The central building of the old market of Thessaloniki designed by Vitaliano Poselli in 1891.

The Metropolitan Church of Saint , In 1974 a modern statue of Alexander, designed by Ernst Ziller mounted on the rearing Bucephalus, overlooks the Thermaikos Gulf at Thessaloniki, made by the sculptor Vangelis Moustakas

UMBRELLAS ON THE BEACH The "Umbrellas" sculpture on Thessaloniki’s new sea front is a 13-metre high artistic creation, located near the hotel Macedonia Palace. The work was created by Georgios Zoggolopoulos (1903-2004). It is a poetic creation, which expresses the endless vitality of its creator. It is a pole of attraction for both residents and visitors and a popular photo opportunity spot.

National Theatre of Northern Greece Vasiliko Theatre

Gregory Tsalampounis and Pelagia Tsalampouni

Thessaloniki International Trade Fair The Thessaloniki International Trade Fair is an annual commercial exhibition event of much importance in Greece and Southeastern Europe taking place at the 180,000m² Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center in Thessaloniki, Greece. The fair was first held in 1926 and today it is organised by HELEXPO. The Thessaloniki International Trade Fair is the most important international annual report for the entire Balkan region, and the largest in Greece. Founded in 1925 in Thessaloniki by trade and became the first organization in 1926. In this event, which is held every September, participates today a large number of exhibitors from many countries especially in stands - display area. During the Fair there are numerous activities, concerts etc, and it has been customary for the country's Prime Minister to set out his government's policies for each coming year in a speech at the annual Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, and for this reason

the event has political significance in addition to its commercial importance.

Thessaloniki’s Exhibition Centre covers an area of 180,000 square meters on the eastern side of the city center. The company was cleaved and became two separate companies. The first is the owning company of exhibition centers and facilities and the second is the organiser of exhibitions in Thessaloniki.

http://www.helexpo.gr/default.aspx?page=568&lang=en-US

Thessaloniki International Book Fair

The 10th Thessaloniki Book Fair will be held on 16 – 19 May 2013 at the Helexpo Exchibition Center. The institution of the Thessaloniki Book Fair has established a dynamic presence the last 10 years and signals the passage in the state of “maturity” by creating strong co-operations with the involved parties and by opening “windows” of extraversion in Greece as well as abroad. At least thirty foreign countries are expected to participate this year in the Thessaloniki Book Fair, upgrading its international character. At the same time the participation of the Greek publishers will be universal in accordance with the appraisal of the tripartite committee that represents the industry and actively participates into the planning and scheduling of this exhibition.

Thessaloniki, a European city situated at the crossroads of the Balkans and the Mediterranean, has been home to the international book fair since 2004. Ten years on, the fair is a regular fixture for the book trade and booklovers. The TBF enables visitors to get acquainted with the latest releases of publishers from around the world. Attractions include an exhibition, guests of honour and dedicated areas for children and teenagers

Guest of honour of this year is United Kingdom and there will be a Tribute to K.P. Cavafis, 150 years since his birth http://www.thessalonikibookfair.com/2013/en/Pages/fair.asp

(Manto Topalidou)

The Thessaloniki International Film Festival

The Thessaloniki International Film Festival has become one of the Balkans’ primary showcases for the work of new and emerging filmmakers. The event features the International Section, a panorama of Greek films, the New Horizons program, the Balkan Survey, and numerous retrospectives and tributes to leading figures in the world of film. The Festival is competitive with the International Section jury awarding several prizes each year, most notably the "Golden Alexander" for Best Feature- Length Film. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival is established as one of the most important film festivals in Southern Europe, with a number of notable film makers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Irene Papas and Fatih Akın taking part, and was established in 1960. Since 1992, the International Thessaloniki Film Festival has striven to present the most innovative independent films from around the world. Components of the Festival include: The International Competition section consists of new directors' first or second films. The non-competitive panorama of Greek films, an overview of the recent local production is followed by the presentation of the State Film Awards by the Greek Ministry of Culture. The Independence Days non-competitive section is the cutting-edge showcase for the latest trends in independent film production. The Balkan Survey, created in 1994, stands as a unique program which offers audiences a window on the cinema of this region of the world. Today, president of the Thessaloniki Film Festival is the Paris-born Greek actor Georges Corraface http://www.filmfestival.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-US&page=448

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – Images of the 21st Century is a Film Festival specializing in documentary films which takes place every March in Thessaloniki and is affiliated with the International Thessaloniki Film Festival.

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival was launched in March 1999 and was inspired by Dimitri Eipides.

The main programme focuses on documentaries that explore the social and cultural developments in the world. The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival is a non-competitive event. There are two Audience Awards as well as awards in conjunction with ERT3, Amnesty International and the WWF. Films of the main programmes are candidates for the FIPRESCI prize for Best Greek and Best Foreign Documentary to one Greek and one foreign film.

http://tdf.filmfestival.gr/default.aspx?lang=en-US&page=1110

Thessaloniki Song Festival The Thessaloniki Song Festival, originally the Greek Song Festival was a Greek song festival hosted between 1959–1997 and 2005–2008. The host city of the event was initially Athens (1959–1961) but the contest was later moved to Thessaloniki, from which it got its name. The festival was usually hosted at the Alexandreio Melathron in Thessaloniki.

International Festival of Photography The Thessaloniki International Festival of Photography (Photosynkyria) takes place in Thessaloniki from February to mid-April of every year, attracting the interest of both the photographic world and the wider public, while also functioning as a meeting point for the Greek and the international photographic scene. Photosynkyria exhibitions and events are hosted in a variety of venues around Thessaloniki, including museums, heritage landmarks, galleries, bookshops and cafes. Photosynkyria was launched in 1988 by photographer Aris Georgiou, and over the past five years has been organized by the Museum of Photography Thessaloniki, which annually appoints the artistic director of the festival.

Dimitria The institution has its origins in the tradition of exchanged products with inland seafood products named Demetria during the Byzantine era. Then the manners and customs of effects received and transferred to Thessaloniki. Specifically, the feast with this name flourished in the 14th century, and the so-called "golden age" of today's second largest city of Greece. The Dimitria festival, founded in 1966 and named after the city's patron saint of St. Demetrius, has focused on a wide range of events including music, theatre, dance, local happenings, and exhibitions. The original name of the new Demetria was "New Festival". The first edition contained only 11 events. Soon, however, the number of events multiplied and today reached a three-digit number.

(Dimitra Rossiou)

Sports

The main stadium of the city is the Kaftanzoglio Stadium (also home ground of Iraklis FC), while other main stadiums of the city include the football Stadium and Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, home grounds of PAOK FC and Aris FC respectively, all of whom are founding members of the Greek league.

Being the largest "multi-sport" stadium in the city, Kaftanzoglio Stadium regularly plays host to athletics events; such as the European Athletics Association event "Olympic Meeting Thessaloniki" every year; it has hosted the Greek national championships in 2009 and has been used for athletics at the Mediterranean Games and for the European Cup in athletics. In 2004 the stadium served as an official Athens 2004 venue, while in 2009 the city and the stadium hosted the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final.

Thessaloniki's major indoor arenas include the state-owned Alexandreio Melathron, PAOK Sports Arena and the YMCA indoor hall. Other sporting clubs in the city include Apollon FC based in , Agrotikos Asteras FC based in and YMCA. Thessaloniki has a rich sporting history with its teams winning the first ever panhellenic football, , and water polo tournaments.

The city played a major role in the development of . The local YMCA was the first to introduce the sport to the country, while Iraklis BC won the first ever Greek championship. From 1982 to 1993 Aris BC dominated the league, The city also hosted the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in which Greece came third.

Thessaloniki has a longlife sports tradition, served by many sports groups. These are:

G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki, Gymnastikos Syllogos: commonly referred to as Iraklis, is a Greek sports club based in Thessaloniki. The club was founded in 1908 and is named after Hercules, the mythical Greek semigod. Its colours are blue and white. This team includes a variety of sports like: football, basketball, volleyball, judo, rugby union, cycling, handball. Established in 1908, the club is one of the oldest in Greek football and the oldest in Thessaloniki, hence the nickname Ghireos (meaning the Elder). Iraklis was a founding member of Macedonia Football Clubs Association, as well as the Hellenic Football Federation, as a part of G.S. Iraklis Thessaloniki Kaftanzoglio Stadium has been the home ground of Iraklis since 1960

Aris is a Greek sport club founded on 25 March 1914 in Thessaloniki. The club colors are yellow and black. The club is named after Ares, the god of war, whose image (as depicted in the Ludovisi Ares) is portrayed on the club logo. Aris is considered to be one of the most important Greek sport clubs and maintains departments in many sports, including: Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Water Polo, Baseball, Ice Hockey Aris BC is one of the most successful Greek basketball clubs of all times, tallying ten Greek Championships, eight Greek cups and three European titles. Under the leadership of the legendary duo of Nikos Galis and , Aris was the dominant force in Greek basketball during the 1980s and early 1990s

The YMCA of Thessaloniki was established in Thessaloniki in 1918 to provide “homes for soldiers” for conscripts fighting on the during World War I. In 1921, it was registered as a public, non-profit making organization by prominent citizens of the city and in that same year, introduced basketball into Greece. In the years since its founding, the Thessaloniki YMCA has grown significantly as the organization developed and delivered innovative programs to the community. Today it serves amongst other activities, the sports by basketball, volleyball, waterpolo, swimming, tennis, handball, etc. Its symbol in Thessaloniki is the famous building of YMCA of Thessaloniki, in the center of the city. At the turn of the century, the YMCA celebrated its 80th anniversary and upgraded its facilities with the construction of a sports hall, seating 2,500 spectators, a multi-purpose cultural center, outdoor sports fields

The P.A.O.K. Pan- Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans, is a Macedonian multi- sports club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. P.A.O.K. was founded in 1926. Because of its crest, it is also known as the "Two-Headed Eagle of the North", in contrast with AEK Athens, the "Two- Headed Eagle of the South". The club has maintained a presence in the Greek First Division since the year 1960. P.A.O.K. B.C. is the professional basketball department of the club which brought limitless joy to its fans by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup on 1991. In 1999 PAOK again won the Greek Cup. The Handball Club was founded in 1999 after it merged with another club from Thessaloniki, Triton. In 2012 he won AEK 25-24 in Patra and won the Greek Cup. P.A.O.K. volleyball club was founded in 1933. Since 1959 PAOK has its own Stadium, named Toumba Stadium, which has been rebuilt in 2004, due to the 2004 Summer Olympics, hosted in Greece, Athens. Its capacity is 29.000 seats. P.A.O.K. Sports Arena is located in Thessaloniki, Greece and it hosts the P.A.O.K. B.C. and P.A.O.K. V.C. departments. It was opened in the year 2000 and in the same year it hosted the Euroleague and Greek Cup final-fours. It has 8,500 seats for fans and guests.

M.E.N.T. B.C., officially the Educational Union of Toumba Youth or M.E.N.T. Vassilakis B.C., is a Greek professional basketball club that was founded in 1926. The team is located in Thessaloniki, Greece. M.E.N.T. B.C. competes in the third division of Greece, the B National.

V.A.O. B.C. The men's team at this year competing in the National category C. and try to do the best possible way, playing good basketball. In 1971, the athletic departments of V.A.O. were added those of weightlifting in 1979 and later part of Handball.

Apollon Kalamarias is a Greek sport's club from Thessaloniki founded in 1926. The club is named after Apollo, the mythical Greek god. Apollon Kalamaria was founded on January 24, 1926 at Kalamaria from Ponti an refugees. The original idea was to set up a club to spread the rich musical heritage of Pontus, where members will gather to play lyra and traditional music. This emblem was chosen as the team's head of Apollo, god of music in ancient Greek mythology. Later followed by the creation of theatrical and athletic departments.

(Antonis Athanasiadis, Vangelis Aivazidis, Nick Skandalidis)

Historical ethnic statistics

Ethnic composition of Thessaloniki between 1500 and 1950. The tables below show the ethnic statistics of Thessaloniki during the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th century.

Population growth The municipality of Thessaloniki is the most populated municipality of all the municipalities that are part of the Thessaloniki Urban Area and make up the "City of Thessaloniki". Although the population of the municipality of Thessaloniki has declined in the latest census, the metropolitan area's population is still growing. The city forms the base of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area, with latest census in 2011 giving it a population of 1,006,730.

Population of the Urban and Metropolitan areas of Thessaloniki Metropolitan Year Municipality Urban area area 2001 363,987[155] 786,212[155] 954,027

2004 386,627[156] – 995,766

2011 322,240 790,824[1] 1,006,730

Thessaloniki’ s educational institutions

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (A.U.Th.) The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (often called the Aristotelian University or Thessaloniki) is the largest university in Greece and in the Balkans. It is named after the philosopher Aristotle, who was born in Stageira, about 55 km east of Thessaloniki. Its campus covers 230,000 square metres in the centre of Salonica, with additional educational and administrative facilities elsewhere. The largest university in Greece was founded on June 5th, 1925. It comprises 7 faculties which consist of 33 schools, 5 faculties which consist of one school each, as well as 4 independent schools. About 81,500 students study at the Aristotle University (72,140 in undergraduate programmes and 8,360 in postgraduate programmes). The AUTH has several Faculties of Theology, of Philosophy, of Sciences, of Law, Economical and Political Sciences, of Agriculture, of Forestry and National Environment, of Veterinary Medicine, of Medicine, of Dentistry, of Engineering, of Fine Arts, of Education, School of Pharmacy, of Physical Education and Sports Science, of Journalism and Mass Media Studies. The University’s faculties have several schools each with various study subjects.

http://www.auth.gr/en

The (U.o.M) The University of Macedonia is the second largest university in Thessaloniki (following the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). It currently consists of ten departments which deal mainly with social, political and economic sciences. The second University of Thessaloniky, used to be the Graduate School of Industrial Studies. Today the University of Macedonia has the following departments: Department of Economics, Department of Business Administration, Department of International and European Studies with two separate majors International and European Studies and Diplomacy, Department of Accounting and Finance, Department of Applied Informatics, Department of Educational and Social Policy.

http://www.uom.gr/index.php?newlang=eng

Tecnological Educational Institution of Thessaloniki.

Founded on 1983 the TEI of Thessaloniki has a School of Agricultural Technology, a School of Business Administration and Economics, a School of Food Technology and Nutrition, a School of Health and Medical Care and a School of Technological Applications, http://www.teithe.gr/index_en.html

The International Hellenic University (IHU) The International Hellenic University (IHU) was established in October 2005. The University consists of three Schools: The School of Economics and Business Administration, the School of Humanities and the School of Science and Technology. All degrees in IHU are taught exclusively in English. The IHU is financed by the European Union and the Greek state, and aims at providing higher education particularly to international students who are interested in studying in Greece.

The university’s logo. http://www.ihu.edu.gr/

Grigoris Pavlakis

TRANSPORT Public transport in Thessaloniki is served mainly by buses. The bus company operating in the city is the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization and is the only public means of transport in Thessaloniki at the moment. It operates a fleet of 604 vehicles on 75 routes throughout the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area. International and regional bus links are provided by KTEL at its Macedonia Intercity. Bus Terminals, located to the west and the east of the city centre

THESSALONIKI METRO The construction of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion in 2018, where it is set to become the city's most vital public transport service. The line of Phase 1 is set to extend over 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi), include 13 stations and it is expected to eventually serve 250,000 passengers daily. Some stations of the Thessaloniki Metro will house a number of archaeological finds.

Discussions are already underway for future expansions, in order for the metro network to also serve major transport hubs of the city, notably the Macedonia Intercity Bus Terminal (KTEL) and Macedonia International Airport. For the expansion towards the airport, the Attica Metro company is considering the construction of an over ground network or a monorail. The expansion to Kalamaria, a southeast borough of Thessaloniki, has already become part of the initial construction phase, while future expansions are considered and planned for Efkarpia to the north and Evosmos to the west. The strategic plan for the construction of the Thessaloniki Metro envisions that the city will have a system of 3 lines by 2018 or 2020 at the latest.

MACEDONIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Air traffic to and from the city is served by Macedonia international airport for international and domestic flights. The short length of the airport's two runways means that it did not support intercontinental flights, although a major extension, lengthening one of its runways into the Thermaic Gulf is under construction, despite considerable opposition from local environmentalist groups. Following the completion of the runway works, the airport will be able to serve intercontinental flights and cater for larger aircraft in the future. A master- plan, with designs for a new terminal building and apron have also been released, and is seeking for funding.

Railways and ferry connections Due to the Greek economic crisis, all international train links from the city were suspended in February 2011. Until then, the city was a major railway hub for the Balkans, with direct connections to Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Moscow, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul, alongside Athens and other destinations in Greece. However Thessaloniki has remained as one of Greece's most important railway hubs and has the biggest marshalling yard in the country. Regional train services within Greece (operated by TrainOSE, the Hellenic Railways Organization's train operating company), link the city with other parts of the country, from its central railway passenger station, called the "New Railway Station" located at the western end of Thessaloniki's city center.

( Makridou)

Famous personalities of Thessaloniki

GEORGE IOANNOU

George Ioannou was born in Thessaloniki, in 1927. He studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at the Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki and worked as teacher for many years. He first appeared on the Modern Greek literary scene with two collections of poems, but soon devoted himself to prose writing. His first collections of prose established him as the founder of autobiographical fiction.

MANOLIS ANDRONIKOS Manolis Andronikos was a Greek archaeologist and a professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was born on October 23, 1919 at Bursa. Later, his family moved to Thessaloniki. He studied philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and in 1952 became a professor of Classical Archeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Later he continued his studies at Oxford University with the professor Sir John D. Beazley (1954– 1955). He came back to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 1957 where he taught Archeology first as instructor and later (1964) as professor. Manolis Andronikos conducted archaeological research in Veroia, Naousa, , and Thessaloniki, but his main research was done in Vergina. The greatest moment of his life took place on November 8, 1977, when he made one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: he found the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina in the prefecture of Imathia. The tomb he identified as Philip's was unplundered and contained many invaluable items, such as the Golden Larnax. The finds from this tomb were later included in the travelling exhibit "The Search for Alexander" displayed at four cities in the from 1980 to 1982. While the discovery is of great archeological importance, the identification of the tomb with Philip has been disputed by certain archaeologists. Ironically enough however tried to disassociated the findings of the tomb and its findings from Alexander's father despite the support from the literature. Andronikos was a member of the Archaeological Council (1964–1965), the Athens Archaeological Association, the Macedonian Studies Association, the Association Internationale des Critiques d' Art and the German Archaeological Institution at Berlin. He lived permanently in Thessaloniki on Papafi Street and died on March 30 , 1992.

Ntinos Christianopoulos The Christianopoulos born in Thessaloniki, the son of refugees from Eastern Thrace and studied at the department of Philosophy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Then, he worked as a librarian in the Public Library of the city from 1958 to 1965. Then he worked as editor. In 1958 he founded and became under his direction the magazine Diagonal, released in 1983 as short time pauses and the publishing house Editions diagonally. At the time, developed a circle of poets called the diagonal. Dinos Christianopoulos is an award-winning modern Greek poet, novelist, essayist, translator, researcher, folklorist, editor and book reviewer. The real name of prolific writer is Konstantinos Dimitriadis. His poems have been translated in several languages. In 1958 he founded the literary journal "Diagonal", which he continued to publish until 1983. The journal acted as a greenhouse for contemporary poets and writers. The first collection of poems of the lean season (1950) is distinguished by Cavafy style, while in subsequent performances reflected clearly the dominant theme of his poetry, the fleeting homosexual relationship and erotic passion that leads to humiliation and loneliness. Occasionally hunted much of the social status quo of the time, for example, was nearly arrested by the junta's refusal to accept the relevant prize for a prose work of the "Adventist". In 2011 he was awarded the Grand Prize for Literature for all his work, but refused to receive it by referring to his own text from 1979 which said: "I am against any honorary distinction from wherever it comes from. In June 2011 he received an honorary doctorate from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the Literature section.

STAVROS KOUYIOUMTZIS He was born in Thessaloniki in 1932. He wrote his first song in 1960. After that, he started composing many songs and advanced his co-operation with many new singers. In the late 1960s, he co- operated with the then 19-years old . Kouyioumtzis has to show various co- operations with some of the most important Greek singers. Kouyioumtzis songs are regarded as top-quality music in Greece. Moreover, in many of his songs he himself wrote the lyrics; wonderful lyrics. Every Kouyioumtzis' song contains a message; either of love, poverty or the agony of the poor to live with dignity. According to lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos, Kouyioumtzis "followed the music spirit which was dominant in Greece during the last 25 years (from 1965 to 1990) through the music of and Manos Hadjidakis". However, it is clear that Kouyioumtzis music is something different; has its own unique type and character. It is generally acceptable that Stavros Kouyioumtzis was a character of calm disposition and an excellent man in the field of Greek music. A bashful character himself, it is characteristic that Kouyioumtzis was not appearing in the media, except on special occasions. During the last few years he left Athens and moved back to his birthplace, Thessaloniki, where he continued working on music and songs until he died suddenly on 12 March 2005.

Pelagia Tsalampouni

DIONISIS SAVVOPOULOS: Dionysios Savvopoulos was born in Thessaloniki and moved to Athens in the sixties to become one of the most important musician-composers in Greece. Especially active during the dictatorship his albums from this period, Fortigo, To Perivoli Tou Trelou, Mpallos, and Vromiko Psomi are considered his best work. The album Vromiko Psomi (Dirty Bread) in particular is a fusion of tradtional Greek with Zappa-Jethro Tull electric rock, with stirring lyrics that criticised the Dictatorship in words so soulful that they could not be deciphered by anyone without a heart. Savopoulos continued to record and perform live and was the musical director of the closing ceremony of the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Like Theodorakis and Tsitsanis, Savvopoulos is an icon and a symbol of hope and resistance during difficult periods in Greek history.

NIKOS PAPAZOGLOU: Nikos Papazoglou ( 20 March 1948 – 17 April 2011) was a Thessaloniki-born Greek singer- songwriter, musician and producer. Papazoglou began performing in a number of Greek local groups in the 1960s. In 1972, he moved to Aachen in Germany with the group Zilotis in an attempt to break into the international music scene. The group recorded six songs in Milan, Italy. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Greece. He worked for many years with Dionysis Savvopoulos and Manolis Rasoulis. He became widely known with the disc Manolis Rasouli, The Revenge of Gypsies. From this production Savvopoulos, we learn that his nickname was «push-pull», because of its technical knowledge. Papazoglou was characteristic of the red scarf he wore in the neck in all his appearances. Sang songs of many great Greek singers and also supported many artists and bands their first steps into the studio, “the rural”, in Thessaloniki. Nikos Papazoglou participated in many discs created in this studio, as a producer, sound engineer, arranger and musician. The Papazoglou died of cancer on April 17, 2011, shortly after the death of his partner, Emmanuel Rasouli.

KOSTAS VOUTSAS: Voutsas was born in Thessaloniki in 1931. He studied drama at the Drama School of the Macedonian Conservatory of Thessaloniki and made his stage and screen debut in 1953. In 1961 his breakthrough came when the Greek film director Giannis Dalianidis gave him a leading role in his phenomenally successful youth melodrama O Katiforos. He soon became one of the best and most popular comic actors of his generation and created personal groups, starring in many Greek comedies by top playwrights and classics like ' The Wasps (as Philokleon), Molière's Le bourgeois gentilhomme (title role), etc. He has always been more committed to being a theatrical actor. In an interview to the Athens daily newspaper To Vima, he said: "Playing in movies has helped me a lot, but I was always committed to the theatre and that was my highlight."

MARINELLA: (born May 20, 1938) is one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades. She has sung professionally since 1957. Since the beginning of her career, she has released 66 personal albums and has been featured in albums of other musicians.

(Athena Keloglou)

Katia Zygouli born July 4, 1978, is a Greek fashion model and occasional actress.Zygouli has graced the covers of many international fashion magazines such as Harper's Bazaar, Madame Figaro, Marie Claire, France's Elégance and Vogue. Her advertisement jobs include Longchamp, Jitrois, Nivea Pantene, Folli Follie and others. She has been represented by various fashion agencies around the world including Storm Models, IMG Paris, PS Model Management and NEXT Model Management. In 1996 she was the winner of the Elite Model Look competition. She is married to the Greek pop singer Sakis Rouvas.

Manolis Anagnostakis Manolis Anagnostakis (10 March 1925 – 23 June 2005) was a Greek poet and critic at the forefront of the Marxist and existentialist poetry movements arising during and after the in the late 1940s. Anagnostakis was a leader amongst his contemporaries and influenced the generation of poets immediately after him. His poems have been honored in Greece's national awards and arranged and sung by contemporary musicians. In spite of his accomplishments, Philip Ramp notes that Anagnostakis "is the least known, to an English speaking audience, of the major Greek poets of his generation." The non-existence - death - has the poet from the first moment of its presence in the literary field. And how could it be otherwise? "Death constantly come and go throughout its existence through the holes that are opened to extract the bullets pierced the bodies of his comrades." War, occupation, civil war, Losses friends, the sentencing of him to death are some of the events that make up the landscape in which starts and develops his spiritual activity.

ZOE LASKARI Zoe Laskari was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. In 1959 she won the title of "Miss Greece" and two years later she played the female lead in Giannis Dalianidis's youth melodrama _Katiforos, O (1961). The success of that film made Laskari a star; she signed an exclusive contract with Finos Film, the most powerful Greek studio of the period, and appeared in many films, musicals, comedies and melodramas (most of them were directed by the prolific Dalianidis, who became her mentor). She made her stage debut in the late 1960s, but really concentrated on theater after the decline of the Greek commercial cinema in the mid-1970s; her stage work includes Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (as Martha), Euripides' "The Trojan Women" (as Eleni), Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park" etc.

NIKOS PENTZIKIS Nikos Gabriel Pentzikis (1908-1993) was born, lived, and died in Thessaloniki. He studied pharmacology in Paris and for many years had his own Pharmacy in Thessaloniki, which also became something of a literary center. He states that "When I was a student in Paris, I was influenced by Norwegian and, more generally, Scandinavian Symbolist literature, and I began to move on a new level. Pentzikis was something of a black sheep in twentieth- century Greek letters. With the passing of time his reputation began to grow and his critical reception gradually developed into unqualified acclaim. His unique work as a writer is reflected also in his work as a painter, which, again, is remarkable for its distinct and highly personal style. His works includes The Dead Man and the Resurrection, Icons (a collection of poems), Pragmatognosia, Architecture of a Dissolute Life, The Novel of Mrs Ersi, Mother , Pros Ekklesiasmon, and Archive.

Stefania Kampouri

Thessaloniki’s problems Unemployment In our days, with the economic crisis it is obvious that many people would prefer to transport with the public transportation to save money from the gas. The truth is that it is not happening due to that many people don't have a job and they don't need to transport to and from their jobs. The image of constricting full urban buses every morning doesn’t exist anymore in Thessaloniki. Moreover, the most manufactories and shops which used to employ many people are now closed. Last but not least, shopping center malls decreased the number of their employees. The percentage of unemployment in Thessaloniki is about 35% and it is getting worse the time that seasonal job positions are opening in the touristic sector .Most of these unemployed people are young people up to 24 years old whose dreams are being destroyed. The city is experiencing a crash in the sector of the employment, she is getting languished and degraded and it is being visible in every corner of the city.

Pollution: The last years, Thessaloniki has been noted to have an increase in pollution. The main problem is the air pollution. Due to the economic crisis, people in Thessaloniki are using an economic way to get warm. They are burning wood or other materials in fireplaces. Because of this, the gas burning in means of transportation and the factories, the photochemical smog is produced which is quite polluting for the earth and harmful for the health. From 2005 until today Thessaloniki is constantly one of the most polluted places in Europe as the concentration of the suspended particles outreach the limits. The pollution of the atmosphere and the changes it brings affect to the everyday life and the quality of life of the people who live there. The factor that saves the city from “suffocation”, is the northern wind, called Vardaris. Whenever Vardaris blows the atmosphere gets magically and totally cleared. Some other kind of pollution in Thessaloniki which are not in such a bad situation are: noise pollution and water pollution. Noise pollution is coming from the cars’ noise and water pollution is basically coming from the toxic waste, that manufactories drop into the sea!

Noise Greece has 5 cities to list noisiest cities in Europe: Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion and Lamia. In Thessaloniki, 60% of the population is exposed daily averaged sounds above 75 dB (which is the limit of "noisy situation"). And the summer the noise pollution spreads in all tourist areas. The noise measurements, performed in Thessaloniki, showed that the city has a significant noise problem. The state in schools in terms of noise is "bad to unacceptable" downtown, "bad or very bad" in Upper Town and 'good to moderate "in the western sector. Unfortunately no serious measures are taken to confront with the noise problem.

Traffic One of the greatest problems in our city is traffic jam and its impacts on our life. Hundreds of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam every day, with average speed at peak hours almost equaling to walking speed (6 Km/h). Thessaloniki, has no access to “guided” means of mass transportation, but has hundreds of vehicles parked in double row, strangling its road. As a consequence of the dense traffic, our town suffers from serious problem of noise, caused from the increase of cars.

Dimitris Koutroulas – Konstantinos Gektidis

This piece of work is made by the students of the 3rd High School of Thermi, Thessaloniki: Antonis Athanasiadis, Maria Aitsidou, Vangelis Aivazidis, Kyriaki Gaitanidou, Konstantinos Gektidis, Stefania Kampouri, Athena Keloglou, Spiridon Keloglou, Konstantina Kotorlli, Dimitris Koutroulas, Georgia Makridou, Maria Ntavrani, Gregory Pavlakis, Dimitra Rossiou, Nick Skandalidis, Manto Topalidou, Pelagia Tsalampouni, Gregory Tsalampounis, Evi Tsiourela, Aliki Tzioumaki With the guidance and coordination of the teachers Evi Kousidou and Stavroula Yiangou

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We owe many special thanks for their help, support and guidance to:

1. Thessaloniki History Centre, Municipality of Thessaloniki

2. Thessaloniki Port Authority

3. Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki