Thessaloniki is the capital of and second largest city of . It was first established in 316 B.C. by Kassandros and named after his wife, Thessaloniki, half sister of Alexander the Great. It means Victory in Thessaly. It is here that the Apostle Paul first brought the message of Christianity (50 A.D.) and that Demetrius, a Roman officer died in martyrdom (303 A.D.), thus becoming the holy patron of the city. Thessaloniki was the second most important city of the , next to Constantinople, and is full of beautiful examples of Byzantine art and architecture. In the 15th Century Thessaloniki became a haven for Jews exiled from Spain, who became an important part of the culture, until they were sent to the concentration camps during the Nazi occupation, thus ending a period of four hundred years of Jewish influence both socially and economically. This period roughly corresponds with the occupation of Greece by the Ottoman Turks. It became a part of the modern state of Greece in 1913, but burned in 1917 creating a homeless population of 70,000. Add to this mix the influx of refugees from Asia minor after the ʹpopulation exchange treatyʹ signed in Lausanne in 1923 between Turkey, Greece and her former allies who abandoned Greece after their defeat in Asia Minor, and you have the makings of a social revolution which took the form of Rembetika music. To this day some of Greeceʹs the most creative musicians including Dionysious Savopoulos, Stellios Kazantzides and Nikos Papazoglou, come from Thessaloniki. (See also A History of Greece, http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/)

Thessaloniki Today

The city was rebuilt in the 1920s and today Thessaloniki is a lively modern city bustling with life and movement. Large avenues, parks and squares, lines of trees that frame commercial streets with showy shop windows. Old houses, neoclassical buildings, stand side by side with modern dwellings which makes a walk through any section of the city an interesting journey. The past and present merge at old taverns, ʺouzeriesʺ, restaurants next to hotels and luxury bars, ʺbouzouki hallsʺ (Thessaloniki is the cradle of modern Greek popular song, ʺrembetikaʺ), cinema halls, theaters and sidewalk cafes on street pavements and squares. Small family run taverns and basement pastry shops offer a delicious variety of famous Macedonian specialties, next to stalls of ice‐cream sellers for busy pedestrians. The main squares are Platia Elefterias and Platia Aristotelous, both on the waterfront and alive with cafes and restaurants, children playing or people just strolling. This is the place to be in the summer at sunset if you enjoy people watching. Afterwards walk a few blocks to the neighborhood, the old Red Light district (and before that the Egyptian market and later the oil market from where it got its name) which is to Thessaloniki as Psiri is to Athens, full of ouzeries, bars, cafes and bistro‐style restaurants and tavernas. The old port area is being rennovated with warehouses being turned into large restaurants and clubs and even an art gallery or two. If you follow the port road of Leoforos Nikis heading east along the bay you will come to the Lefkos Pyrgos, or White Tower is the symbol of the city and is close to the University area with its clubs and bars, and the International Trade fairgrounds are located is nearby as is the excellent archaeology museum. The White Tower itself is also a museum of art and history. It was built in the 15th Century and was at one time a prison for insubordinate Janisaries, the soldiers of the sultan who had been taken from their Christian parents as children and molded into his elite storm troopers. The neighborhood of Kalamaria is a modern area on the eastern edge of the city, overlooking a large marina and the Thermaikos Gulf. There is a green park above the sea and a number of ouzeries, restaurants, bars and cafes and is a hangout for the young as well as families. Above the lively city is the world of the Epimenidou or Kastra, an area of old neighborhoods with narrow streets and lovely small gardens with children playing in front of wide open doors. Popular songs from old gramophones fill the air along with the sweet smell of flowers that emit their incredibly beautiful aromas at night. This is the old Turkish quarter of the city and is the remains of 19th century Thessaloniki and the walls that surrounded the city are still standing. A must‐visit place is Moudiano, the meat market, in a restored old building full of energy, smells, and some of the most famous old ouzeries in Thessaloniki, some of them with live rembetika music and spontaneous parties. Thessaloniki is in the process of building their metro system which should do for them what the Athens Metro did for the capital, get more cars off the street and more people using public transport. The train station is also undergoing intensive remodeling in 2008.

Whatʹs Happening in Thessaloniki

Every year in September the THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR is held in Thessaloniki, exhibiting Greek and foreign products of every description. After the International Trade is over the GREEK SONG FESTIVAL takes place as well as the very popular Thessaloniki Film festival. Saint Demetrios, the patron of Thessaloniki has his name day celebrated throughout the city on October 26th. During the year, trade fairs for special interest groups are organized by the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair administration. Almost all of the major hotels have convention facilities. Lately the Thessaloniki Film Festival has been gaining more and more attention and attracting film‐makers from all over the world. Thessaloniki has a water park, a zoo and magic park which you can read about at Thessaloniki Amusements. It is also the home to one of the two major malls in Greece though getting there can be a problem since it is outside of town in the semi‐industrial‐rural‐commercial wasteland, the kind of area you find outside of most cities but more chaotic with factories and highways mixed with olive groves and sheep and road signs that give you conflicting information. If you have a few days to spare and you like cities then come to Thessaloniki. Take a visit to Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great. Visit the nearby beaches or wander around the city and see the Archeology museum which is according to Frommerʹs, one of the best in the world. But be sure to save enough time to the cafes, restaurants, bars and ouzeries of the city where you will really feel the flavor of life in what is surely one of the most interesting and hippest places in Europe. For those who find Greek food bland you will be pleased to find the cuisine of Thessaloniki a bit spicier. Thessaloniki is also a paradise for shoppers blessed with lots of shops, markets, bars and coffee houses to suit all budgets and tastes. Virtually every side street veers off to locate some Greek delicacy from pastries to artwork.

Shopping in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is a shopperʹs paradise. The City Centre is small yet blessed with an abundance of shops, markets, bars and coffee houses to suit all budgets and tastes. Virtually every side street veers off to locate some Greek delicacy from pastries to artwork. Similar to the layout of the ʹBar Streetsʹ across the Greek Islands, shops are to be found in a familiar fashion. Stores stocked to the brim with the latest Italian leather shoes are situated in succession. Meander around a corner and street stalls and shop windows will beckon you to co‐ordinate a new bag. Tsimiski Street is central and a good place to gain bearings. Itʹs loaded with stores and caters effortlessly for the needs of the average High Street shopper. A mall also lies beneath the US Consulate. Various brand names and logos can be spotted in and around here. Music, unique, handcrafted jewellery and cosmetics are well worth a browse. A good bargain can always be found. From the lustrous palette of the MAC shop to the basement stores beneath, eye kohl, lip liners and nail polishes are identified by lurid shades displayed neatly upon vast rows of shelving. Agias Sofias sets the trend for the more ornate client and lover of boutiques. The latest fabrics, textiles and designs complete with price tags to match are guaranteed to tantalise the senses of any passer‐by. Egnatia Street runs parallel with Tsimiski and will undoubtedly meet expectations comfortably. A breather and aching feet may request a stop for coffee and something to munch. There are numerous venues on offer for a pit stop of frappe or cappuccino and a spot of people watching around and Leof Niki. Wherever one chooses to sit in Thessaloniki, expect to be collared by street sellers. Itʹs impossible to escape them. They do not hassle but are frequent, thus making themselves a nuisance more than anything. The market is an authentic delight to the travellerʹs eye. Itʹs situated between Aristotelous and Ionos Dragoumi. Barrels of olives are displayed in colourful arrays, emphasising to tourists that olives donʹt just come in standard black or green. Fresh meats, poultry and fish are prepared and sold on site. Herbs, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, wines, cheeses, honey and nuts can all be purchased to compliment any Greek culinary delight. Another cobble stoned alleyway will lead to lavish arrangements of hand embroidered and crocheted soft furnishings. Rugs, cowbells, coffee pots and religious pictures and figurines can all be found here. The majority of stores throughout the City operate Monday to Saturday. They commence business at 9.00 a.m. and close again at 2.00 p.m. Most reopen again around 5.30 p.m. until 9.00 p.m. with the exception of banks and Saturday trading. Inability to gain access to shops during opening times no longer poses problems. There are a number of precincts in and around Thessaloniki. City Gate is the closest to the City Centre. It boasts a hypermarket with ample parking. A further two levels of shops range from clothing stores to mobile phones, confectionery to coffee beans. The upper floors provide a number of places to eat and drink. A cinema, amusement arcade and tenpin bowling alley can also be located here. One of the newest and hippest centres to emerge is Mediterranean Cosmos. This impressive mall can be located in Thermis, just outside of the airport. It is one of the largest precincts in Europe. It is clean although the ceiling leaks occasionally. Yellow slip hazard cones are frequently placed around the wet floors. The interior is spacious and colourful. Parking is easily accessible and Mediterranean Cosmos offers bountiful venues to relax, catch the latest movie or simply grab a bite to eat. The shopping mall times are usually from 9.00 a.m. until 9.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday. The cinema and dining facilities will remain open for business until roughly 2.00 a.m.

THESSALONIKI ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

The Palace of Galerius (300 A.D.) at Navarino Square. Roman Market and Theatre (photo) Ruins standing at the Law Court Square (Dikastiria). Roman Baths. North of the church of Agios Dimitrios. Nymphaion. An elegant monopteral, circular building. Vergina, the ancient site of Aigai and the first capital of Macedonia has extensive ruins including the tomb of Phillip and the summer palace of King Antigonas Gonatas. Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 to 3:30 but stays open until 7 in the summer.

THESSALONIKI MONUMENTS ‐ CHURCHES

Galerian Arch (Kamara) erected shortly before 305 A.D. The Rotonda, (photo) a domed building of early 4th century A.D., served as a Pantheum or as a Mausoleum for emperor Galerius. Church of Ossios David (late 5th century A.D.), the chapel of the Latomos Convent , an early Christian church that still stand in Thessalonikiʹs Turkish quarter known as Epimenidou or Kastra. The City Walls were erected during the time of Theodossios the Great to guard the city from Democracy Square of nowadays across Eptapyrgio up to the site later occupied by the White Tower, a work of the architect Sinan (first half of 16th century). Agios Dimitrios , was completely rebuilt in 1948 according the original plans. The church has been destroyed twice before by fire. The Crypt , the most easterly section of the Bath, is the place where St Demetrios was imprisoned, tortured and buried. Agia Sofia (8th century) marks the transition from the domed basilica to the domed crusiform church is a copy of the original Agia Sophia in Constantinople. Panagia Halkeon, a cruciform church, was built in 1028 A.D. according an inscription of that era. Agia Ekaterini (13th century) is very well preserved externally, with traces of frescoes inside. Agfi Apostoli (14th century) retains a rich decoration both externally and in the interior, dating at the time of the Byzantine Pateologos imperial dynasty. Agios Nikolaos Orfanos (14th century), 20 Irodotou Str. tel. 213.627 richly decorated with frescoes in the 17th century it became the chapel of Vlatadon Monastery. Profitis Ilias was built in 1360 upon the ruins of a Byzantine palace by the monk Makarios Houmnos. The post‐Byzantine era has also left in Thessaloniki an important number of churches.

THESSALONIKI MUSEUMS

Archaeology Museum: Near the White Tower and fairgrounds, tel. 2310 830.538. Displaying sculpture of the archaic, classical and Roman periods.

Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki: The Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki was founded to honour the rich and creative Sephardic heritage as it evolved in the city after the 15th century consequent to the horrible expulsion from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. The Museum is housed in one of the rare Jewish structures that survived the fire of 1917. Located in the very heart of Thessaloniki, this imposing building has at times housed the Bank of Athens and the offices of the Jewish newspaper ʺLʹ Independentʺ and is a silent witness to the great Jewish presence that once filled the streets of Thessaloniki. Open Tuesday, Friday & Sunday: 11:00am ‐ 2:00pm and Wednesday & Thursday: 11:00am ‐ 2:00pm & 5:00pm ‐ 8:00pm. 13, Agiou Mina Street.

New Museum of Byzantine Culture: 2 Stratou St., tel.: 2310 868.570.

Ethnological and Popular Art: 68, Vas. Olgas, tel. 2310 830.591 displaying costumes and objects of the last 250 years of Greek national life and culture. One of the best in Greece.

Museum of the Macedonian Struggle: 23, Proxenou Koromila Str. tel. 2310 229.778. Exhibits from the years of local national resistance 1878‐1912.

White Tower Museum: tel. 2310 267.832. An exhibition of the history and art of Byzantine Thessaloniki covering the period between 300 and 1430 AD. There is a small cafe with a great view at the top.

Gallery of Fine Arts; 1, Nic. Germanou Str. inside the building of the National Theatre, tel. 2310 238.601. Important works of Greek and foreign painters.

Municipal Gallery: 162, Vas. Olgas, tel. 2310 425.531.

Museum of the Crypt: Inside the church of Agios Dimitrios, tel. 2310 270.591

Museum of the Society for Macedonian Studies: 1, Nic. Germanou Str. tel. 2310 238.601.

Northern Greece Cultural Centre: 108, Vas. 01‐ gas Str., tel. 2310 834.4o4.

Macedonian Centre of Modern Art: International Trade Fair grounds, tel. 2310 281.567

Technical Museum of Thessaloniki: Thessaloniki Industrial Area, 2nd Street, Building no 47, tel. 2310 799.773.

Museum of Attaturk . The founder of modern Turkey was actually born in Thessaloniki and his house has been turned into a historical museum. Donʹt be put off if the guard asks for your passport. No, itʹs not a small island of Turkish territory in the midst of Greeceʹs second largest city, but with ocassional tensions between the two countries they donʹt want to take any chances of someone defacing the displays. The last time somebody blew up this house in the fifities it set off anti‐Greek riots in Istanbul and the expulsion of several thousand remaining .