Tessaloniki. Kirche der Apostel, Church of
The Twelve Apostles
(larger image)

[]

Thessalonica had a Jewish colony, established during the first century, and was an early centre of Christianity. On his second missionary journey, Paul of Tarsus preached in the city's synagogue, the chief synagogue of the Jews in that part of Thessaloniki, and laid the foundations of a church. Opposition against him from the Jews drove him from the city, and he fled to Veroia. Paul wrote two of his epistles to the Christian community at Thessalonica, the First Epistle to the Thessalonians and the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians.

The White Tower of Thessaloniki;
the city’s landmark.

Thessaloniki is commonly called the 'Συμπρωτεύουσα' 'Symprotevousa' (lit. co-capital) of Greece since the National Schism, due to both its long history and its strategic geographic and economic importance. According to official data, the Thessaloniki Urban Area curves round the Thermaic Gulf for approximately 17 km; it comprises 13 municipalities and according to the 2001 census it has a population of 809,457. The Thessaloniki prefecture has a population of 1,099,598 (2005).The alternate name Salonica, formerly the common name used in some western European languages, is derived from a variant form Σαλονίκη (Saloníki) in popular Greek speech.

Thesaloniki. Panorama of the seashore
viewed from the old town walls.
Author: Daniel Tellman
(larger image)

Thessaloniki is a busy, vibrant city and it is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and cultural center as well as a major transportation hub in southeastern Europe. Its commercial port is of a great importance for Greece and for its southeast European hinterland. The city has two state universities that host the largest student population in Greece. As a cultural centre, it is renowned for its large number of monuments of Byzantine architecture as well as for some main Ottoman, and Jewish structures.

The city is famous for its picturesque restaurants and tavernas as well as for its lively and diverse nightlife, ranging from the traditional rebetadika to designer bars and the prestigious nightclubs located in the area adjacent to Makedonia International Airport. Thessaloniki is also famed for bougatsa, a custard-filled pastry sold in bakeries and patisseries throughout the city.

As the metropolitan area population expands to over one million inhabitants, so does the emergence of related problems. These primarily include an increase in traffic congestion, the lack of adequate parking facilities as well as an overconstruction of tightly packed, concrete blocks of apartment buildings. The construction of a subway line that will stretch along the city's central districts began on June 25, 2006 and is expected to be completed by the year 2012.

History

Hellenistic era

Thessaloniki developed rapidly and as early as the 2nd century BC the first walls were built, forming a large square. It was, as all the other contemporary Greek cities, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Macedon, with its own parliament where the King was represented and could interfere in the city's domestic affairs.

Roman era

Due to the city's key commercial importance, a spacious harbour was built by the Romans, the famous Burrow Harbour (Σκαπτός Λιμήν) that accommodated the city's trade up to the eighteenth century; later, with the help of silt deposits from the river Axios, it was reclaimed as land and the port built beyond it. Remnants of the old harbour's docks can be found nowadays under Odos Frangon Street, near the Catholic Church.

Thessaloniki's acropolis, located in the northern hills, was built in 55 BC after Thracian raids in the city's outskirts, for security reasons.

Thessaloníki acquired a patron saint, Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, in 306. He is credited with a number of miracles that saved the city. He was the Roman Proconsul of Greece under the anti-Christian emperor Maximian and was martyred at a Roman prison, where today lays the Church of St. Demetrius, first built by the Roman sub-prefect of Illyricum Leontios in 463.

Other important remains from this period include the Arch and Tomb of Galerius, located near the center of the modern city.

Byzantine era

The quiet era followed until repeated barbarian invasions after the fall of the Roman Empire, while a catastrophic earthquake severely damaged the city in 620 resulting in the destruction of the Roman Forum and several other public buildings. Thessaloníki itself came under attack from Slavs in the seventh century; however, they failed to capture the city. Byzantine brothers Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius were born in Thessaloníki and the Byzantine Emperor Michael III encouraged them to visit the northern regions as missionaries; they adopted the South Slavonic speech as the basis for the Old Church Slavonic language. In the ninth century, the Byzantines decided to move the market for Bulgarian goods from Constantinople to Thessaloníki. Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria invaded Thrace, defeated a Byzantine army and forced the empire to move the market back to Constantinople. In 904, Saracens based at Crete managed to seize the city and after a ten day depredation, left with much loot and 22,000 slaves, mostly young people.

Despite this, the city quickly recovered, and the gradual recovery of Byzantine power during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries meant that Thessaloniki entered a new golden age of peace and prosperity. The population of the city expanded, and according to Benjamin of Tudela, the city even had a Jewish community some 500 strong by the twelfth century. It also hosted the famous fair of Saint Demetrius every October, which was held just outside the city walls and lasted six days.

The economic expansion of the city continued through the twelfth century as the strong rule of the Komnenoi emperors expanded Byzantine control into Serbia and Hungary, far to the north. The city is known to have housed an imperial mint at this time, another sign of prosperity. However, after the death of the emperor Manuel I Komnenos in 1180, the fortunes of the Byzantine Empire began to decline, and in 1185 the Norman rulers of Sicily, under the leadership of Count Baldwin and Riccardo d'Acerra attacked and occupied the city, resulting in considerable destruction. Nevertheless, their rule lasted less that a year, since they were defeated in two battles later that year by the Byzantine army and forced to evacuate the city.

Thessaloniki passed out of Byzantine hands in 1204, when Constantinople was captured by the Fourth Crusade. Thessaloníki and its surrounding territory—the Kingdom of Thessalonica—became the largest fief of the Latin Empire, covering most of north and central Greece. It was given by the emperor Baldwin I to his rival Boniface of Montferrat but in 1224 it was seized by Theodore Komnenos Doukas, the Greek ruler of Epirus. The city was recovered by the Byzantine Empire in 1246.

At that time, despite the various invasions, Thessaloniki had a large population and flourishing commerce. That resulted in an intellectual and artistic florescence that can be traced in the numerous churches and their frescoes of that era and also by the names of scholars that taught there. (Thomas Magististos, Dimitrios Triklinios, Nikiforos Choumnos, Kostantinos Armenopoulos, Neilos Kavassilas, etc). Many fine examples of Byzantine art survive in the city, particularly the mosaics in some of its historic churches, including the basilica of Hagia Sophia and the church of St George.

In the 14th century though, the city was appalled by the Zelotes social movement (1342-1349). It began as a religious conflict between bishop Gregorios Palamas, who supported conservative ideas and the monk Barlaam, who introduced progressive social ones. Quickly, it turned into a political commotion, leading to the prevalence of the Zelotes, who for a while ruled the city, applying progressive social policies.

Ottoman era

During Ottoman times the city received an influx of Muslim and Jewish populations. By 1478 Thessaloniki had a population of 4,320 Muslims and 6,094 Greek Orthodox, out of a total of 10,414. By c. 1500 the numbers had grown to 7,986 Greeks and 8,575 Muslims; briefly making the latter the majority group. Around the same time a third group arrived: registered in c. 1500 at 3,770 Jews. By 1519 the number of Jews had increased to 15,715, comprising 54% of the city. The Ottomans invited the Sephardic Jews who had been expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella. The Sephardi Jews, Muslims and Greek Orthodox remained the principal groups in the city for the next 4 centuries.

Yet the city remained the largest Jewish city in the world for at least two centuries, and of its 130,000 inhabitants at the start of the 20th century, around 60,000 were Sephardi Jews. Some Romaniote Jews were also present. Thessaloníki, called Selânik in Turkish, became one of the most important cities in the Empire, being the foremost trade and commercial center in the Balkans. The railway reached the city in 1888 and new modern port facilities were built in 1896-1904. The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was born here in 1881, and the Young Turk movement was headquartered there in the early twentieth century. Selânik first became a sanjak center in Rumeli eyalet between 1393 and 1402 and again 1430 and 1864, after it became a province. The Ottoman administrative Selânik province constituted from sanjaks of Selânik (Thessaloniki), Drama and Serres (Siroz or Serez).

Architectural remains from the Ottoman period can be found mainly in the 'Ano Poli' (Upper Town) which has the only traditional wooden houses and fountains that survived the great fire. In the city centre, a number of the stone mosques survived, of note are; "Hamza-Bey Camii" on Egnatia (currently being restored), the "Alatza Imaret Camii" on Kassandrou st, "Bezesteni" on Venizelou st, and "Yahoudi Hamam" on Frangon st. Almost all of the more than 40 minarets collapsed in the fire, or were removed after 1912, only one survives at the Rotonda(Arch and Tomb of Galerius). There are also a few remaining Ottoman bathhouses, particularly the "Hamam Bey" on Egnatia Avenue.

Modern era

King George I of Greece was assassinated during a visit to Thessaloniki on 18 March 1913.

In 1915, during World War I, a large Allied expeditionary force landed at Thessaloniki to use the city as the base for a massive offensive against pro-German Bulgaria. A pro-Allied temporary government headed by Eleftherios Venizelos was established there, against the will of the pro-neutral King of Greece.

Most of the town was destroyed by a single fire on 18 August [O.S. 5 August] 1917 which was accidentally caused by some French soldiers that were camping there. The fire made some 72,000 people homeless (most of them were Turkish) out of a population of approximately 271,157 at the time. Venizelos forbade the reconstruction of the town center until a full modern city plan was prepared. This was accomplished a few years later by the French architect and archeologist Ernest Hebrard. The Hebrard plan swept away the Oriental features of Thessaloníki and transformed it to the modern, European style metropolis that it is today. One consequence of the great fire was the fact that nearly half of the city's Jewish homes and livelihoods were destroyed leading to a massive Jewish emigration. Many went to Palestine, others stepped onto the Orient Express to Paris and still others found their way to America. Their numbers, however, were quickly replaced by a considerable number of refugees from Asia Minor following the population exchange between Greece and Turkey, after the defeat of the Greek forces in Anatolia during the Greco-Turkish War. With these new refugees, the city expanded enormously and was nicknamed "The Refugee Capital" (I Protévoussa ton Prosfígon) and "Mother of the Poor" (Ftohomána). Thessaloniki fell to the forces of Nazi Germany on April 9, 1941 and remained under German occupation until 30 October 1944. The city suffered considerable damage from Allied bombing, and almost its entire Jewish population was exterminated by the Nazis. Barely a thousand Jews survived. However, Thessaloniki was rebuilt and recovered fairly quickly after the war. This recovery included both a rapid growth in its population, as well as an impressive development of new, modern infrastructure and industrial enterprizes throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Most of the urban development of that period was, however, without a proper plan, causing traffic and zoning problems that remain to this day.

At 23:04 (local time) on 20 June 1978, the city was hit by a powerful earthquake registering a moment magnitude of 6.5. The tremor caused considerable damage to several buildings and even to some of the city's Byzantine monuments. Forty people were crushed to death when an entire apartment block collapsed in the central Hippodromio district. Nonetheless, the city quickly recovered from this natural disaster.

Early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. Thessaloniki became the European City of Culture for 1997.

Thessaloniki is one of the most important university centers in Southeastern Europe and it hosts a large and vibrant student population coming from all over the country. The city features two state universities — the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the largest university in Greece (founded 1926) and the University of Macedonia, as well as the Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki. In addition, there are several universities that are either affiliated with universities in other nations, or accredited abroad. Anatolia College of Thessaloniki, for one, is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in the United States.

In June 2003, the Summit meeting of European leaders, at the end of the Greek Presidency of the EU, was hosted at the Porto Carras resort in Chalkidiki, instead of within Thessaloniki itself (as originally planned) due to some security concerns. In 2004, the city hosted some of the football events of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Thessaloniki unsuccessfully bid for the 2008 World EXPO, won by Zaragoza, Spain. However, another planned bid for 2017 was announced in September 2006.

Mayors of Thessaloniki

• Petros Syndikas (1922-1926)
• Nikolaos Manos (1929-1930, 1934-1936)
• Charisios Vamvakas (1931-1933)
• Konstantinos Merkouriou (1937-1943)
• George Seremetis (1943-1944)
• Petros Levis (1945-1946)
• Christos Konstantinou (1946-1950)
• Pantelis Petrakakis (1951-1955)
• Minas Patrikios (1956-1959)
• Ioannis Papailiakis (1959-1964)
• Konstantinos Tsiros (1964-1967)
• Michalis Papadopoulos
• Thanasis Giannousis (1982-1983)
• Theoharis Manavis (1983-1987)
• Sotiris Kouvelas (1987-1990)
• Konstantinos Kosmopoulos (1990-1999)
• Vasilios Papageorgopoulos (1999- )

Landmarks

• The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Lefkos Pyrgos), widely regarded as the symbol of the city. It has been known by many names and is now home to the Museum of Byzantine Cultures. The top of the tower has excellent views of the city.
• The Arch and Tomb of Galerius is more commonly known as the "Kamara", is ornately decorated and made with a reddish coloured stone.
• The Upper Town or 'Ano Poli' is what remains of Ottoman Thessaloniki, beautiful wooden houses overhang the winding streets all the way up to the Eptapyrgio at the top of the city. The Ano Poli also contains some of the city's oldest and most important churches, particularly Osios David, St. Nicolaos Orphanos and Vlatades Monastery.
• The Church of Aghios Demetrios is the most important church in the entire city. Lying above the remains of the agora and the Roman Forum, the church has three side-chapels, a museum, and underground catacombs that also include Saint Demetrios' imprisonment chamber. He is the patron saint of the city.
• OTE Tower, a TV tower is the centre of the Thessaloniki Expo Centre. A revolving restaurant offers great views of the city.
• The waterfront is Thessaloniki's major drawcard. The promenade of Nikis Avenue runs from the White Tower of Thessaloniki to the giant palace that is now a ferry terminal. Numerous shops and cafés line the waterfront.
• The Rotonda or the Church of Aghios Georgios, which is a circular church lacking the classic Orthodox iconostasis. The church is built upon former Roman and Greek pagan ruins.
• Aristotelous Square, extending all the way from Nikis Avenue on the waterfront to the Church of Panayia Halkeion. The square, shaped like a bottle, is lined with tall archondika, or mansions of the rich, that have now been converted to shops and hotels. A large park lies at the north end of the square, and Thessaloniki's thriving old market is just one block away to the east and west.
• The area surrounding the Church of Aghia Sofia, also located in the city centre, includes the large church and paved alleyways that make the few blocks around it famous.
• The extensive Byzantine walls of the Upper City (Ano Poli) and kastro.
• The Kyvernion (little Palace); former residence of the King and Queen of Greece; in the Karabournaki area, in Eastern Thessaloniki
• The modern Concert Hall of Thessaloniki in the East side of the city, near the Posidonion sports center.
• Thessaloniki Intemational Trade Fair held every September, organised by Helexpo.
• The Mediterranean Cosmos shopping Mall in the East; close to the Highway Thessaloniki-Nea Moudania.

Museums

• Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki (Museo Djudio de Salonik)
• Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
• State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki housing an important collection of 1275 Russian avant-garde works of art, collected by George Costakis
• Macedonia-Thrace Folklore and Ethnological Museum, housed in the G. Modiano Mansion
• Museum of Byzantine Culture
• Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum
• Thessaloniki Cinema Museum
• Thessaloniki Museum of the Macedonian Struggle
• Thessaloniki Sports Museum
• Water Museum of Thessaloniki
• White Tower of Thessaloniki, museum and monument
• Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum
• Thessaloniki Museum of Photograpy
• Teloglion Foundation of Art
• European Centre of Byzantine and Postbyzantine Monuments
• The Goulandris Natural History Museum

Archaeological sites

• Crypt of Aghios Demetrios
• Agia Paraskevi, Thessaloniki, archaic cemetery
• The Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki
• Monastery of Latomos at Thessaloniki
• The Roman Palace and Hippodrome

Monuments

• Historical center of ThessalonikiThe Arch and Tomb of Galerius
• The extensive city walls
• Trigonian Tower and the Castra area
• The ancient Agora
• The Rotunda
• The Roman Palace and Hippodrome
• The church of Agia Sofia

Demographics

The Jews of Thessaloniki

A great blow to the the Jewish community of Thessaloniki came with the great fire of 1917, which left 50,000 Jews homeless. Many Jews emigrated to Turkey, United States, Europe and Alexandria, Egypt. In 1922, a blue law preventing trading on Sunday caused further financial stress on the Jewish merchants, already suffering the loss of markets after the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and yet further Jews emigrated.

The arrival of 100.000 Greek refugees that settled in Thessaloniki after the Asia Minor catastrophe of 1923, reduced the importance of the community and during the interwar period its members represented only 20% of the city’s population. Thessaloniki's Jewish community, nonetheless, continued to play an important role in the city up until Thessaloniki was occupied by the Nazis in World War II. The Nazis murdered approximately 96% of Thessaloniki's Jews in the Holocaust, effectively ending the Jewish community of Thessaloniki.

Today, fewer than 1,000 Jews remain in Thessaloniki, although there are communities of Thessaloniki Jews -- both Sephardic and Romaniote -- in the United States and Israel.

Economy

Festivals

Thessaloniki International Trade Fair

Thessaloniki International Film Festival

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

The Festival attracts a film-going public which discovers, year after year, images of the new century, new film ecritures, new directors, new technologies, but also representatives of the film world who find here a reliable organisation, appropriate for promoting their work. The event revolves around the standard sections: stories to tell, views of the world the recording of memory, and portraits but every year's programme is being enriched by several other sections.

The images of 21st Century make a date every March in Thessaloniki with a film-going public that seeks an in-depth reading of the human landscape through a journey into the art of documentary.

Thessaloniki International Festival of Photography

Photosynkyria was launched in 1988 by photographer Aris Georgiou and has been organized in the last 5 years by the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, which annually appoints the artistic director of the festival.

Dimitria

Video Dance Festival

DMC DJ Championship

DMC’s World DJ Championships, sponsored internationally by Technics and Ortofon, has grown through the years and the formats of the competitions have developed along with the demands. Originally meant to be a DJ mixing battle, DJ Cheese in 1986, introduced scratching in his routine, changing the course of the DMC battles. Since that time, the Technics DMC World Champion title has become the most sought after by aspiring DJs and turntablists worldwide.

The only equipment permitted in Technics DJ Championships worldwide are Technics SL1200 turntables and the Technics EX-DJ1200 mixer. The DJs are allowed a period of exactly six minutes to impress the judges.

Transportation

The city is a major railway hub for the Balkans, with direct connections to Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Moscow, Vienna, Budapest, Istanbul as well as Athens and other major destinations in Greece. Air traffic of the city is served by Makedonia International Airport with both International and Domestic flights. The short length of the airport's two runways means that it cannot support long-haul flights, although there are plans for major expansion. There is work being done to expand one of the runways into the Thermaic Gulf (which there is considerable environmental opposition to), to make it a trans-oceanic airport.

A new tunnel is also proposed to link the port area in the western part of the city with the eastern section. However, considerable opposition has been raised to this project.

References

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• CONCLUSION THESSALONIKI METRO & ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION. Attiko Metro S.A. www.ametro.gr (2007-04-12).
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