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Thessaloniki Θεσσαλονίκη
Settlement
The White Tower of Thessaloniki was used as a prison during the era of the Ottoman Empire. Today it is a museum and the landmark of the city.
FlagOfficial seal of ThessalonikiSeal
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Central Macedonia
Districts	16
Government
• Mayor	Vassilios Papageorgopoulos (ND; since January 1, 1999)
Area
• Total	17.8 km (6.9 sq mi)
• Metro	3,683 km (1,422 sq mi)
Highest elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population
• Total	363,987
• Density	20,000/km (53,000/sq mi)
• Metro	1,057,825
• Metro density	290/km (740/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	53x xx, 54x xx, 55x xx, 56x xx
Area code(s)	2310
Vehicle registration	Ν
Website	www.thessalonikicity.gr

Thessaloniki or Salonica (Template:Lang-el) is Greece's second-largest city. The Thessaloniki Urban Area extends around the Thermaic Gulf for approximately 17 km and comprises 16 municipalities. According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 363,987.

Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre. It is a major transportation hub for rest of southeastern Europe. Its commercial port is of a great importance for Greece and its southeast European hinterland. The Prime Minister gives his annual governmental speech outlining plans for the year to come from Thessaloniki.

Thessaloniki retains several Ottoman, and Jewish structures, as well as a large number of Byzantine architectural monuments. The city hosts an annual International Trade Fair, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, and the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.

Name

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. The city's name is also rendered Thessaloníki or Saloníki with a dark l typical of Macedonian Greek . Names in other languages prominent in the city's history include سلانيك in Ottoman Turkish and Selânik in modern Turkish, Solun (Cyrillic: Солун) in the Slavic languages of the region, Sãrunã in Aromanian, and Selanik in Ladino (see other names).

Thessaloniki is commonly called the 'Συμπρωτεύουσα' 'Symprotevousa' (lit. co-capital) of Greece since the National Schism, in much the same way as it was called the 'συμβασιλεύουσα' 'symbasileousa' (co-queen) of the Byzantine Empire.

History

Hellenistic era

The city was founded circa 315 BC by the king Cassander of Macedon (Μακεδονία), on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and twenty six other local villages. He named it after his wife Thessaloniki, a half-sister of Alexander the Great. She gained her name from her father, Philip II, to commemorate her birth on the day of his gaining a victory (Gr. Nike, pronounced Niki) over the Phocians, who were defeated with the help of Thessalian horsemen, the best in Greece at that time. Thessaloniki means the "victory of Thessalians". Thessaloniki developed rapidly and as early as the 2nd century BC the first walls were built, forming a large square. It was 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

After the fall of the kingdom of Macedon in 168 BC, Thessalonica became a city of the Roman Republic. It grew to be an important trade-hub located on the Via Egnatia, a Roman road that connected Byzantium (later Constantinople), with Dyrrhachium (now Durrës in Albania), facilitating trade between Europe and Asia. The city became the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia. It kept its privileges but was ruled by a praetor and had a Roman garrison. For a short time in the 1st century BC, all the Greek provinces came under Thessalonica. 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 town'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.

It had a Jewish colony, established during the first century, and was an early center 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.

Thessaloníki acquired a patron saint, St. Demetrius, 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

When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western segments ruled from Byzantium/Constantinople and Rome respectively, Thessaloníki came under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire). Its importance was second only to Constantinople itself. In 390 it was the location of a revolt against the emperor Theodosius I and his Gothic mercenaries. Botheric, their general, together with several of his high officials, were killed in an uprising triggered by the imprisoning of a favorite local charioteer for pederasty with one of Botheric's slave boys. 7,000 - 15,000 of the citizens were massacred in the city's hippodrome in revenge – an act which earned Theodosius a temporary excommunication.

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.

The city recovered, and the gradual restoration of Byzantine power during the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries brought peace to the area. 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 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 rule of the Komnenoi emperors expanded Byzantine control into Serbia and Hungary, to the north. The city is known to have housed an imperial mint at this time. 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 for the rulers of Thessaloníki in the Middle Ages.

At that time, despite the various invasions, Thessaloniki had a large population and flourishing commerce. That resulted in intellectual and artistic endeavors that can be traced in the numerous churches and their frescoes of that era and also by the scholars that taught there Examples of Byzantine art survive in the city, particularly the mosaics in some of its historic churches, including the basilica of Hagia Sophia of Thessalonki, 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

The Byzantine Empire, unable to hold it against the Ottoman Empire's advance, sold it to Venice, which held it until it was captured after a three-day-long siege by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430. The Ottomans had captured Thessaloniki in 1387, but lost it after the Battle of Ankara against Tamerlane in 1402.

During Ottoman times, the city received an influx of Muslims and Jews. By 1478, Thessaloniki had a population of 4,320 Muslims and 6,094 Greek Orthodox, as well as some Catholics, but no Jews. By c1500, the numbers had grown to 7,986 Greeks and 8,575 Muslims, briefly making the latter the majority. Around the same time, Jews were arriving from Spain. In c1500, there were only 3,770 Jews, but by 1519, there were 15,715, 54% of the city. The invitation of the Sephardic Jews that had been expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella, was an Ottoman demographic strategy aiming to prevent the Greek element from dominating the city. The Sephardic Jews, Muslims and Greek Orthodox remained the principal groups in the city for the next 4 centuries.

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 Sephardic 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 here in the early twentieth century.

Selânik was a sanjak center in the Rumeli eyalet from 1393 to 1402 and again from 1430 to 1864, when it became a vilayet (province). The Ottoman vilayet of Selânik province included the 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 center, a number of the stone mosques survived, notably the "Hamza-Bey Camii" on Egnatia (under restoration), the "Alatza Imaret Camii" on Kassandrou Street, "Bezesteni" on Venizelou Street, and "Yahoudi Hamam" on Frangon Street. Almost all of the more than 40 minarets collapsed in the fire, or were demolished after 1912; the only surviving one is at the Rotonda (Arch and Tomb of Galerius). There are also a few remaining Ottoman hammams (bathhouses), particularly the "Hamam Bey" on Egnatia Avenue.

World War I Era

During the First Balkan War, the Ottoman garrison surrendered Salonika to the Greek Army on November 9, 1912. The next day, the Bulgarian Army arrived and claimed the city for Bulgaria. A tense condominium was established. Once the Ottomans were defeated, the Second Balkan War broke out among the former allies, who disputed the final territorial dispositions. The Austrian government proposed to make Salonika into a neutral, internationalized city similar to what Danzig later became; it would have had a territory of 400-460 km² and a population of 260,000. It would be "neither Greek, Bulgarian nor Turkish, but Jewish".

King George I of Greece was assassinated during a visit to Thessaloniki on 18 March 1913, by Alexandros Schinas. The city's status was finally settled by the Treaty of Bucharest on August 10, 1913, though in Greece, the liberation of Salonika is considered to be October 26, 1912, the feast day of the city's patron Saint Demetrios. 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).

World War II Era

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.

Modern Era

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 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 private institutions that are either affiliated with universities in other nations, or accredited abroad.

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 away from the previous bid that has been made and was clarified as unsatisfactory.

Government

Since Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, and an influential city in Northern Greece, it is the capital of the Central Macedonia Periphery, Thessaloniki Prefecture, and Thessaloniki Municipality.

Mayors of Thessaloniki

• Konstantinos Aggelakis (1916-1920)
• 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- )

Foreign consulates

Many countries have consulates in Thessaloniki as all major embassies are located in the capital of Greece, in Athens except the Culture office of the Italian Embassy located in Thessaloniki:

Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America (consulate general).

Urban Landscape

Architecture

The architectural face of Thessaloniki was always an interesting and special case because it was in constant flux due to the city's position at the center of all historical developments in the Balkans. Besides its commercial importance, Thessaloniki was, for many centuries, the military and administrative hub of the region, and also the transportation link between Europe and the Levante.

The city layout changed after 1870, when the seaside fortifications gave way to extensive piers. During the following 47 years, a period of great economic growth, the city's population exploded by 70%, reaching 135 thousand in 1917. The city became a commercial attraction for economic refugees, businessmen and traders from across Europe, including many Jews. The authorities tore down part of the city's Byzantine fortifications to allow it to expand, which it did, to the east and the west, along the coast.

The need for commercial and public buildings in that new era of prosperity led to a marked shift in architectural direction and led to the construction of large edifices in the city center in lots formerly occupied by small, shabby one-family homes. During this time, Thessaloniki saw the building of banks, large hotels, theaters, warehouses, and factories.

The expansion of Eleftherias Square (today's Venizelou Square) to the sea completed the new commercial center of the city. The rest of the city's neighborhoods, within the old fortifications, remained unchanged. The western districts were the working class section, near the factories, and Thessalonikis' new industrial activity. The middle and upper classes moved east of the city and built a new suburb, then known as "Exohes", or "country retreats". The new district soon acquired schools, public buildings and also some manufacturing plants. Today, the city's most important public buildings are to be found between the historic center and those eastern suburbs, next to the White Tower.

The most important year in the city's history was 1917, a landmark year that shaped Thessaloniki into its present form. The devastating fire that swept through the city that year and burned uncontrollably for 32 hours, destroyed the city's historic center and a large part of its architectural heritage. Many buildings of rare beauty were completely demolished.

The city that was designed between 1917 and 1950 was a modern and functional urban center whose layout and feel had little in common with what preceded it. The team of architects and urban planners that designed the new Thessaloniki was led by Ernesr Hebrard, a french architect. The team chose the Byzantine era as the basis for their designs of the buildings that would adorn the new city. The new city plan included axes, diagonal streets and monumental squares, with a street grid that would channel traffic smoothly.

The plan of 1917 included provisions for the future population explosion and an adequate street and road network that would have been sufficient even today. It contained sites for public and important buildings, the restoration of important Byzantine churches and landmarks and Ottoman mosques, whereas the whole of the Upper City, near the fortifications, was declared a heritage site. The plan also included a site for the campus of the future University of Thessaloniki, which was never realized, although today's University campus incorporates some of Hebrard's ideas.

An important element of the plan was to achieve a fine balance between contemporary urban planning and architectural ideas and the city's rich tradition and history. The main feature of all proposed buildings was the perfect symmetry of all sides and the emphasis on the center of each.

The plan also included provisions for the building of an administrative center with the city hall, the courts building and a series of secondary buildings to house all other civic functions. Unfortunately, those plans were never implemented and the city lacks an administrative district to this day. Nevertheless, this part of the plan influenced a lot of building and planning decisions throughout the 20th century, with the inevitable adaptations to service the population explosion of the last 50 years.

Although Thessaloniki is one of the most attractive cities in Greece and quite interesting for the student of architecture, today it bursts at the seams and presents its residents with a full menu of modern urban inconveniences. Traffic is the most important problem, with new car registrations increasing by about 20 thousand annually, and the volume of cars quintupling in the last 15 years. Thessaloniki is the only major European urban center that is served by only one mode of public transportation; buses. In addition, the city center has limited public parking spaces. A subway line and an underwater tunnel are currently under construction in an effort to decongest the city center.

Landmarks

• The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Template:Lang-el 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 offers excellent views of the downtown area.
• 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 center of the Thessaloniki Expo Center. 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 Arch and Tomb of Galerius 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 center, 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.

Museums

• Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki (Museo Djudio de Salonik)
• Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
• State Museum of Contemporary Arts 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 & Technology Museum - NOESIS
• Thessaloniki Museum of Photography
• Museum of Cinematography
• Teloglion Foundation of Art
• European Center of Byzantine and Postbyzantine Monuments
• The Goulandris Natural History Museum

Archaeological sites

• Agia Paraskevi, Thessaloniki, archaic cemetery
• The Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki
• Monastery of Latomos at Thessaloniki
• The Roman Palace and Hippodrome
• The extensive city walls
• Trigonian Tower and the Castra area

Demographics

Although the population of the Municipality of Thessaloniki has declined in the last two censuses, the metropolitan area's population is still growing, as people are moving to the suburbs. Today approximate 1 million people live in the metropolitan area, making it the second largest metropolitan area in Greece after Athens.

The Jews of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki's Jewish community, was largely of Sephardic background, but also included the historically significant and ancient Romaniote community. During the Ottoman era, Thessaloniki's Jewish community comprised more than half the city's population and Jews were dominant in commerce until Greece took over the city in 1912. Within the Greek state the Jews enjoyed the same civil rights as all other Greeks. As a result of the Jewish influence on the city, many non-Jewish inhabitants of Thessaloniki also spoke Ladino, the Romance language of the Sephardic Jews, and the city virtually shut down on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.

A great blow to 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, other parts of Europe and Alexandria, Egypt. In 1920, the government created special electoral colleges for Salonica's Jews, so that they could not compete with Christian candidates. 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 the 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.

Jewish Population of Thessaloniki

Economy

Thessaloníki is a major port city and an industrial and commercial center. The city's industries mainly produce refined oil, steel, petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, flour, cement, pharmaceuticals, and liquor. The city is also a major transportation hub for the whole of southeastern Europe, carrying, among other things, trade to and from the newly capitalist countries of the region. A considerable percentage of the city's working people are employed in small and medium sized businesses and in the service sector. Official unemployment rates for 2002 were 10%.

Culture

Festivals

Thessaloniki International Trade Fair

The Thessaloniki International Trade Fair has a long history that dates back to 1926. It is hosted every September for 10 days at the 180,000 m² Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center, in the heart of the city. It's organised by HELEXPO, which also organises themed exhibitions and congresses throughout the year. The International Trade Fair is inaugurated by the Prime Minister and attended by more than 300,000 visitors every year.

Thessaloniki International Film Festival

The Thessaloniki International Film Festival has become the Balkans' primary showcase for the work of new and emerging filmmakers, as well as the leading film festival in the region. The event features the International Section, the panorama of Greek films, the New Horizons program, the Balkan Survey, and numerous retrospectives and tributes to leading figures in the world of film. Since 1993, several international celebrities of cinema like Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve and Irene Papas, have visited Thessaloniki's Film Festival.

Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, launched in March 1999, was inspired by Dimitri Eipides. It has benefited from the local public's enthusiastic response and from the extensive coverage in the local and international press. In 2005, 22,000 plus admissions were registered. The main programme is focusing on documentaries that explore the social and cultural developments in the world, introducing at the same time a number of new side sections and events based on important works by new documentarists. Films of the main programme will be candidates for the FIPRESCI and also the Audience Awards.

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

The Thessaloniki International Festival of Photography (Photosynkyria) takes place in Thessaloniki from February to mid-April of every year, attracting the interest both of the photographic world and of the wider public while at the same time functioning as a meeting place for the Greek and the international photographic scene. Photosynkyria exhibitions and events are hosted in a variety of venues around Thessaloniki, such as museums, heritage landmarks, galleries, bookshops and cafes.

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

The 3 month long festival of cultural events is held every September-December since 1966. It's named after Aghios Dimitrios (St. Demetrius), that patron Saint of the city, and it has become an institution for the city and very popular with the local population. It includes musical, theatrical, dance events, street happenings and exhibitions. It is organised and overlooked by the Municipality of Thessaloniki and last year it celebrated 40 years of history .

Video Dance Festival

The Video Dance Festival started in 2000 at Thessaloniki as an international dance film festival, but soon it widened up to include more kinds of experiment on movement and the moving image.

DMC DJ Championship

The Greek DMC DJ Championship is hosted in Thessaloniki in the International Trade Fair Of Thessaloniki.

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.

Sports

Thessaloníki has a long tradition in sports. The first team that was established officially was Iraklis in 1908. Aris was established in 1914. PAOK and Apollon Kalamarias were established in 1926 by Greek refugees from Constantinople ,Pontus and Asia Minor in the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish War. Today there are many more football teams in Thessaloniki, while the four major teams participate in the Super League Greece and on many occasions in the UEFA Cup.

The current stands of the major teams are:

• Aris FC - Super League Greece (2006-2007: 4th place)
• PAOK FC - Super League Greece (2006-2007: 6th place)
• Apollon Kalamaria - Super League Greece (2006-2007: 12th place)
• Iraklis FC - Super League Greece (2006-2007: 13th place)

PAOK is the most successful team in football , Aris the most successful in basketball and Iraklis the most successful in Volleyball and track and field. The main football stadiums in Thessaloníki are the state-owned Kaftanzoglio Stadium (Iraklis' home stadium) which was heavily renovated in the wake of 2004 Summer Olympics, the Toumba Stadium (PAOK's home stadium), the Kleanthis Vikelides Stadium (Harilaou) (Aris' home stadium). The major indoor arenas are the state-owned Alexandreio Melathron which is the home arena of Aris Thessaloniki and is used for many cultural events too, and the PAOK Sports Arena which is the arena used by PAOK's basketball and volleyball sections.

Climate

The city experiences a Mediterranean climate with mild rainy winters and hot summers

Transportation

Public transport in Thessaloniki is currently served only by buses. The bus company operating in the city is called Organismos Astikon Sygkoinonion Thessalonikis (OASTH)

Thessaloniki Metro

This soon to be metro line will be one that Thessalonikians have waited 15 years for. The metro line will extended for 9.5km and contain 13 stations. Works will last around 6.5 years and when completed in late 2012. It's estimated that once completed the subway will serve 250,000 passengers a day. Like the Athens Metro, the Thessaloniki Metro will also house archaeological finds.

Discussions are upon the future expansion to the west side of the city connecting underground the major transport means in the city. The Makedonia Central Bus Station, along with the Central Railway Station and Makedonia International Airport. Expansions include the districts of Eleftherio-Kordelio in the west side, Stavroupoli in the upper west side, Kalamaria at the east side, and to the northern districts like Toumba.

Motorways

Thessaloniki did not have a motorway link until the 1970s. Thessaloniki is accessed with GR-1/E75 from Athens, GR-4, GR-2, (Via Egnatia) /E90 and GR-12/E85 from Serres and Sofia. In the early 1970s, the motorway reached Thessaloniki and was the last section of the GR-1 to be completed. In the 1980s construction begun on the 4-lane bypass of Thessaloniki, which was finally opened to traffic in 1988, running from the west industrial side of the city up to the other side of Thessaloniki to its southeast approaching Thermi and Halkidiki. It has recently been upgraded with new junctions and improved motorway features. The latest motorway expansion was Via Egnatia northwest of Thessaloniki.

Railways

The city is a major railway hub for the Balkans, with direct connections to Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Moscow, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, Istanbul as well as Athens and other major destinations in Greece.

Airport

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.

Hospitals and medical centers

• Interbalkan Medical Center
• AHEPA University Hospital
• Papageorgiou Hospital
• Papanicolaou Hospital
• Hipokration Hospital of Thessaloniki
• George Gennimatas Hospital
• St. Demetrius Hospital
• Saint Lucas Clinic
• Kyanous Stavros (Blue Cross)
• Two soon to be built Hospitals

Communications

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Newspapers

• Makedonia - Thessaloniki
• Agelioforos

Television

• ERT3 - division of Elliniki Radiophoniki Tileorasi (ERT)
• TV Macedonia
• TV100
• Apollon TV
• Best TV (local)
• TV Balkania
• Europe One
• Omega TV
• Orion TV
• Panorama TV
• Gnomi TV
• TV Thessaloniki
• Vergina TV
• 4E, Church TV Station

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Radio

• Star FM - 97.1 FM
• Laikos FM - 87.6 FM
• Mylos FM - 88.5 FM
• Thessaloniki Radio Deejay - 89.0 FM
• Zoo Radio - 90.8 FM
• RSO - 91.7 FM
• Ellinikos FM - 92.8 FM
• Heart FM - 93.1 FM
• Radio Thessaloniki - 94.5 FM
• Eroticos FM - 94.8 FM
• Cosmoradio - 95.1 FM
• Athlitiko Metropolis - 95.5 FM
• ERT 3 95.8 FM - public - 95.8 FM
• Republic 100.3 - Official Site
• ERT 3 102 FM - public - 102.0 FM
• Extra Sport - 103.0 FM
• Banana FM - 104.0 FM
• Rock Radio 104.7 - 104.7 FM
• 1055 Rock - 105.5 FM
• City International - 106.1 FM
• Safari FM - 107.1 FM
• Libero FM - 107.4 FM

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List of notable residents

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• Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki
• Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius, apostles to the Slavs
• Christos Sartzetakis (b. April 6, 1929), jurist & ex-president of Greece
• Manolis Anagnostakis, doctor and leftist writer
• Kostas Tahtsis, writer
• Alexandros Zannas (1892 - 1968), politician
• Isaac Carasso, founder of Dannon yogurt company
• Stratos Dionysiou (died 1990), popular singer
• Cahit Arf, (1910 - 1997), Turkish mathematician
• Stavros Koujioumtzis (1932-2005), music composer & lyricist
• Zoe Laskari (b.1942), actress
• Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881 - 1938), politician, founder of the Republic of Turkey

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• Marinella (b. May 20, 1935), popular singer
• Marsheaux techno musicians
• Dionysis Savvopoulos (b. December 2, 1944), music composer, lyricist and singer
• Peja Stojakovic, Serbian-Greek NBA basketball player
• Nazım Hikmet, (1901 - 1963), Turkish poet
• Eleni Daniilidou, tennis player
• Traianos Dellas, footballer

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Twinnings

(in chronological order)

• Hartford, Connecticut, United States, since May 5 1962
• Plovdiv, Bulgaria, since February 27 1984
• Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, since March 19 1984
• Limassol, Cyprus, since June 30 1984
• Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, since October 10 1984
• Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, since October 20 1984
• Bratislava, Slovakia, since April 23 1986
• Akhisar, Turkey, since August 25 1988
• Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, since May 3 1988
• Constanţa, Romania, since July 5 1988
• San Francisco, California, United States, since August 6 1990
• Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, since March 20 1992
• Alexandria, Egypt, since July 12 1993
• Tel Aviv, Israel, since November 24 1994
• Tianjin, People's Republic of China, since March 4 2002
• Saint Petersburg, Russia, since 2003
• Syracuse, Sicily, Italy, since March 18 2007

Photo gallery

• The pedestrianized Iktinou street in the city center.
• The Byzantine City Walls
• Eastern part of Tsimiski Street
• Section of the campus of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• The Heptapyrghion or Yedi Kule Castle.
• The colourful Navarinou Square at the city center.
• Night view of Nikis Avenue on Thessaloniki's central seafront.
• Evening view of the White Tower and the Thermaic Gulf towards the YMCA Square.

See also

• History of Greece
• Jews in Greece
• Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
• OASTH

Further reading

• Apostolos Papagiannopoulos,Monuments of Thessaloniki, Rekos Ltd, date unknown.
• Apostolos P. Vacalopoulos, A History of Thessaloniki, Institute for Balkan Studies, 1972.
• Thessaloniki: Tourist guide and street map, A. Kessopoulos, MalliareÌ„s-Paideia, 1988.
• Mark Mazower, Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews, 1430-1950, 2004, ISBN 0-375-41298-0.
• Thessaloniki City Guide, Axon Publications, 2002.
• James C. Skedros, Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki: Civic Patron and Divine Protector, 4th-7Th Centuries (Harvard Theological Studies), Trinity Press International (1999).
• Vilma Hastaoglou-Martinidis (ed.), Restructuring the City: International Urban Design Competitions for Thessaloniki, Andreas Papadakis, 1999.

References

1. De Facto Population of Greece Population and Housing Census of March 18th, 2001 (PDF 39 MB). National Statistical Service of Greece. 2003.
2. Ανδριώτης (Andriotis), Νικόλαος Π. (Nikolaos P.) (1995). Ιστορία της ελληνικής γλώσσας: (τέσσερις μελέτες) (History of the Greek language: four studies). Θεσσαλονίκη (Thessaloniki): Ίδρυμα Τριανταφυλλίδη. ISBN 960-231-058-8.
3. Vitti, Mario (2001). Storia della letteratura neogreca. Roma: Carocci. ISBN 88-430-1680-6.
4. Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ch.27 2:56
5. Thomas Magististos, Dimitrios Triklinios, Nikiforos Choumnos, Kostantinos Armenopoulos, and Neilos Kavassilas
6. ^ The New Cambridge Medieval History p.779 - Rosamond McKitterick, Christopher Allmand
7. Mark Mazower, Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews, 1430-1950, London: HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0-00-712023-0
8. for a review of recent work on the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, see Andrew Apostolou, "Mother of Israel, Orphan of History: Writing on Jewish Salonika", Israel Affairs 13:1:193-204 doi:10.1080/13537120601063499
9. Encyclopedia Britannica, 12th edition, 1922, vol. 30, p. 376
10. Rena Molho, "The Jewish community of Salonika and its incorporation into the Greek state 1912-19", Middle Eastern Studies 24:4:391-403 doi:10.1080/00263208808700753; see also N. M. Gelber, "An Attempt to Internationalize Salonika, 1912–1913", Jewish Social Studies 17:105–120, Indiana University Press, 1955 (not seen)
11. ^ "Population of Greece". General Secretariat Of National Statistical Service Of Greece. www.statistics.gr. 2001. Retrieved 2007-08-02.
12. http://www.jmth.gr/web/thejews/pages/pages/history/pages/his.htm
13. http://www.ce-review.org/00/4/daskalovski4.html
14. http://www.jmth.gr/web/thejews/pages/pages/history/pages/his1.htm
15. Stanford J. Shaw, Turkey and the Jews of Europe during World War II, http://www.sefarad.org/publication/lm/043/6.html , 2001.
16. Mazower, pg. 381
17. ibid
18. http://www.jmth.gr/web/thejews/pages/pages/history/pages/his.htm
19. ^ "CONCLUSION OF CONTRACT FOR THE THESSALONIKI METRO". Attiko Metro S.A. www.ametro.gr. 2006-04-07. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
20. "Thessaloniki metro "top priority", Public Works minister says". Athens News Agency. www.ana.gr. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
21. "CONCLUSION THESSALONIKI METRO & ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION". Attiko Metro S.A. www.ametro.gr. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-08-13.

External links

Government

• Municipality of Thessaloniki
• Thessaloniki Port Authority
• ΟΑΣΘ - Organisation of Urban Transport of Thessaloniki (Greek & English)
• Thessaloniki - Photo Archive Documents 1900-1980

Cultural

• Thessaloniki Film Festival
• Thessaloniki - Old postcards

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v t e World Heritage Sites in Greece
North	Aigai Mount Athos Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki City Walls Rotunda Church of the Acheiropoietos Church of Saint Demetrios Latomou Monastery Church of Hagia Sophia Church of Panagia Chalkeon Church of Saint Panteleimon Church of the Holy Apostles Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos Church of Saint Catherine Church of the Saviour Vlatades Monastery Church of Prophet Elijah Byzantine Bath Philippi Zagori
Central	Delphi Temple of Athena Pronaia Tholos Athenian Treasury Gymnasium Stoa of the Athenians Temple of Apollo Hosios Loukas Meteora Old Town of Corfu
Attica	Acropolis of Athens Daphni Monastery
South	Epidaurus Mycenae and Tiryns Lion Gate Tomb of Aegisthus Treasury of Atreus Tomb of Clytemnestra Grave Circle A Grave Circle B Mystras Olympia Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae
Aegean Islands	Delos Medieval City of Rhodes Grand Master's Palace Fortifications Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse Nea Moni of Chios Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos

v t e   Prefectural capitals of Greece

Agios Nikolaos Alexandroupoli Amfissa Argostoli Arta Athens Chalcis Chania Chios Corfu Corinth Drama Edessa Ermoupoli Florina Grevena Heraklion Igoumenitsa Ioannina Kalamata Karditsa Karpenisi Kastoria Katerini Kavala Kilkis Komotini Kozani Lamia Larissa Lefkada Livadeia Missolonghi Mytilene Nafplion Pallini Patras Piraeus Polygyros Preveza Pyrgos Rethymno Rhodes Serres Sparta Thessaloniki Trikala Tripoli Vathy Veria Volos Xanthi Zakynthos

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• Archaeological sites in Greece
• Coastal cities
• Port cities and towns in Greece
• Greek prefectural capitals
• Greek regional capitals
• Prefecture of Thessaloniki
• Cities and towns in Greece
• Tourism in Greece
• Pauline churches
• World Heritage Sites in Greece
• 310s BC establishments
• Mediterranean
• Historic Jewish communities