Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki or Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, Thessaloníki [θesaloˈnici] or Σαλονίκη, Saloníki) is the second largest and most populous city in Greece, capital of the periphery of Central Macedonia, and an important port of the North Aegean on the Thermaic Gulf. The city has a population of 325,182 registered inhabitants, and its metropolitan area 1,030,338 population.

Toponymy

The city is named after Thessalonikē (Thessaloniki), wife of King Cassander of Macedonia, daughter of King Philip II of Macedonia, and blood sister of Alexander the Great. The name comes from the fusion of the words Θεσσαλία (Thessaly) and νίκη (victory) given to the king's daughter after his victory in Thessaly against the tyrants of Feres. The alternative name Thessaloniki, formerly the most common in many European languages, derives from the variant Σαλονίκη ( Saloníki) in popular Greek. It is not uncommon to hear Thessaloníki or Saloníki with the obscure L typical of the Greek dialect spoken in Macedonia.

Other names important in the city's history include سلانيك (Selānīk) in Ottoman Turkish and Selânik in Modern Turkish, Солун ( Solun) in the Slavic languages of the region, Sãrunã in Aromanian, and Selanik in Judeo-Spanish.

In 1937, by a Greek Royal Decree, the popular name Σαλονίκη (Saloníki) was legally restored by the founding name Θεσσαλονίκη (Thessaloniki), Thessaloniki in Spanish, and since then it has been the official name of the city.

Geography

The city rises at the mouth of the plain formed by the Aliákmonas, Galikós and Axios (Vardar) rivers, which flow into the Thermaic Gulf. The city is located at the end of the valley of the Vardar (Axios) river, in the Gulf of Thessaloniki, as the Thermaic Gulf is also called. The roads from the Adriatic also reach Thessaloniki, such as the Via Egnatia that crosses it and connects with Constantinople since ancient times, and those that come from the Balkans. That is why Thessalonica becomes the main port of Macedonia, replacing the clogged one of Pella. It preserves remains of the walls from the Hellenistic period. On the slopes and the lower central part is the old Turkish city, which was destroyed in the fire of 1917. It was rebuilt and preserves monuments such as churches from the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) as well as the Arch of Galerius, the Rotunda and other buildings of the Galerio complex that are regularly visited by tourists.

Climate

The climate of the city is Mediterranean. It can have episodes of intense cold in the middle of winter due to the north and northeast winds coming from the Russian steppe, which cause temperatures to drop sharply. Some years there are negative temperatures throughout the day with these continental winds.^{[citation needed]}

Average Thessaloniki climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	20.8	22.0	25.8	31.2	36.0	39.8	42.0	38.2	36.2	30.0	26.6	20.6	42.0
Average temperature (°C)	9.3	10.9	14.2	19.0	24.5	29.2	31.5	31.1	27.2	21.2	15.4	11.0	20.4
Average temperature (°C)	5.3	6.6	9.4	13.3	18.3	22.8	25.1	24.7	21.1	16.0	11.1	7.0	15.1
Temp. medium (°C)	1.3	2.2	4.5	7.5	12.1	16.3	18.6	18.3	14.9	10.8	6.8	3.0	9.7
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	-14.0	-12.8	-7.2	-1.2	3.0	6.8	9.6	8.2	2.6	-1.4	-6.2	-9.2	-14.0
Total precipitation (mm)	36.8	38.0	40.6	37.5	44.4	29.6	23.9	20.4	27.4	40.8	54.4	54.9	448.7
Days of precipitation (≥)	11.8	11.3	12.4	11.2	10.7	7.5	5.9	4.7	5.9	8.7	11.5	12.5	114.1
Hours of sun	98.7	102.6	147.2	202.6	252.7	296.4	325.7	295.8	229.9	165.5	117.8	102.6	2337.5
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN), NOAA for sun hours data

Economy

It is an important industrial center, which has oil refineries, petrochemical industries, agri-food industries, distilleries, the textile industry, tobacco manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and shipyards.

History

Bronze Age and Iron Age

Before the founding of the Hellenistic city of Thessaloniki, there was already a small settlement in the area that was inhabited since the Middle Bronze Age (approximately 2150-1650 BC) known today as the Tomb Archaeological Site. In the following phases of the Bronze Age, between the XIV and XI a. C., the settlement already had several residential complexes separated by narrow streets.

At the beginning of the Iron Age, between 1050-750 B.C. C. the settlement of Tumba continued to be inhabited, although the orientation and size of its buildings changed.

It is likely that the settlement of this archaeological site is identified with the city known in historical sources as Terma. It has been suggested that the violent destruction of buildings observed in the IV century B.C. C. could be deliberate to force its inhabitants to move to another city recently founded in 315 a. C: Thessaloniki. Outside the settlement limits a necropolis has been found that was in use between the X and IV or III a. C.

Hellenistic period

Thessaloniki was founded in 316-315 BC. C. by King Cassandro of Macedonia who unifies and replaces the settlements built in the town called Terma. From his wife Thessalonikē (Thessaloniki), daughter of Philip II of Macedonia and half-sister of Alexander the Great, the city was named after him. Philip had named his daughter that way because she knew of her birth on the day of his victory over the Thessalians.

Roman Empire

After the fall of the Kingdom of Macedonia in 146 BC. C., Thessalonica became part of the Roman Republic. During Roman times it was the capital of the four provinces of Macedonia, and it became an important commercial center on the Via Egnatia, a Roman road that connected Byzantium (later Constantinople) with Durazzo (now Durrës in Albania). In 58 B.C. C. Cicero was exiled in Thessalonica.

In the excavations that have been carried out, the ancient agora has come to light with its buildings from the Hellenistic period and from the Roman period of the century I a. C. In its museum a rich collection of antiquities is kept, from Neolithic times to historical times.

The city of Thessaloniki is known in the Christian sphere for housing in the mid-century I a community which Paul of Tarsus directed two epistles, included today in the biblical canon.

In 300, the Emperor Galerius chose it as his imperial residence. In 380 Theodosius I proclaimed in it the edict by which the symbol of Nicaea became official. The city suffered the repression of the emperor Theodosius I in 390 when he had about seven thousand killed after putting down a revolt, for which he was temporarily excommunicated.

Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire)

The Heptapyrgion or Byzantine fortress of seven towers.

After the fall of the Western Empire, it fell into the hands of the Eastern Roman Empire (or Byzantine Empire, according to the Byzantinists) and was besieged by the Slavs in the VII. Although they were unable to conquer the city, a sizeable Slavic community eventually settled in it. Saints Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki and were sent by the Byzantine Emperor Michael III to the North Slavic regions as missionaries of Christianity. From the Byzantine period are the mosaics preserved in the Basilica of Saint Sophia (Agia Sofia) and in the Church of Saint George.

The city was sacked by the Saracen fleet of Leo of Tripoli in 904 and also by the Norman kings of Sicily in 1185, causing considerable destruction and loss of life. In 1204, with the fall of the Byzantine Empire due to the conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, Thessaloniki and its surrounding territory—the kingdom of Thessaloniki—became the largest possession of the Latin Empire. However, it was conquered in 1224 by the Despotate of Epirus who held it until 1246, when it was recovered by the Byzantines, who, unable to hold it, sold it to Venice.

Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans occupied it in 1430, and called it «Selânik». Over time, most of its inhabitants would be Sephardim expelled from Spain in 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs. They were well received and invited by the sultan and that is how they settled in various cities with population problems, including Thessaloniki. With the arrival of this community, the city grew rich and had a great economic development helped by commerce and industry that also opened up to trade from Western countries, until reaching its culmination in the centuries XVIII and XIX.

Arc de Galerio towards the first half of the centuryXIX

When the city passed from Ottoman to Greek control after the Balkan Wars, the main community in the city was still Ladino-speaking Sephardic Jews. They were wiped out during the Axis occupation in World War II.

Kingdom of Greece

Ottoman surrender in Thessaloniki (1912)

After the First Balkan War (1912) it became part of Greece. During the First World War, the provisional government led by Eleftherios Venizelos, a supporter of the Franco-British Allies, settled in the city, against the wishes of the king, of German and pro-neutral origin. The port became an important supply base for allied troops operating in Macedonia.

The city was almost destroyed in a fire on August 18, 1917, probably of fortuitous origin. After this fire half of the Jewish population left the city (many went to Paris and Palestine). In 1922, the city received numerous Greek exiles from the city of Izmir (Turkish İzmir), who contributed their cultural characteristics to the city. The city was rebuilt in the interwar period.

During World War II it was taken over by German troops in 1941, who murdered most of its Jewish inhabitants (about fifty thousand). After the war, the city popularly recovered its official name of Thessaloniki.

Education

	University	Foundation	Acronym	Type
	Aristotle University of Thessaloniki	1925	AUTH	Public
	University of Macedonia	1957	UOM	Public

Heritage

Its historical, artistic and archaeological wealth was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 under the name Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki and in 1997 it was the European Capital of Culture.

• The White Tower (Lefkos Pyrgos) is one of the main monuments and the most recognizable iconographic symbol of Thessalonica. It was built in the same place as a oldest French tower. It currently houses a museum about the history of the city and its surroundings make up one of the meeting places preferred by the Thessalonians.
• The Arch of Galerie is well known locally with the name «Kamara» (Arc in Greek). The square around the monument is always full of people because it is a regular meeting point for the Thessalonians. 50 meters from Kamara is the Rotonda or church of San Jorge, where the mausoleum of Galerio is located.
• The Rotonda de Galerio, or Agios Georgios (Church of St. George), or simply Rotonda, as it is known by the Thessalonians, is a building built on the 306 d. C. of cylindrical structure with three bodies as a pantheon of the ancient gods, and that went from being the mausoleum of Galerio to a Christian church in whose interior can be seen some stunning mosaics and aIV. In 1590 it was converted into a mosque and it was added a minaret that is the only one that currently stands in Thessalonica.
• The Galerio Palace is one of the most important monuments of late antiquity. It was built between 250 and 311 AD as the official headquarters of the eastern part of the Roman Empire for two periods 229-303 and 308-311 AD. According to important historical sources, in addition to Galerio, emperors of the centuryIV such as Theodosius I stayed in this palace. It is located in the current Navarinou Square.
• Old city walls dating back to the centuries IV and Vsurrounded by imposing fortifications such as the Heptapyrgion ("Strength of the Seven Towers"), the Triangle Tower (or the Chain Tower) and the Vardar Fortress.
• The Roman Forum of Thessaloniki was the administrative center of the city from the Roman era. Its construction began at the end of the centuryIId. C. as a reform of an existing agora of the early imperial period where a bath of the Hellenistic period has also been found. Other interventions were carried out between the centuries III and IVd. C. The complex is organized around a rectangular paved surface. Three sides formed two-story porches with double row of corinthian columns that give access to public spaces. In the centuryV the administrative functions of the city were transferred to the complex of the Galerio Palace.
• Panagía Ahiropiitos (Church of the Acheiropoietos) (The Church of Our Lady of the Miracle "Not Handmade"), paleo-Christian basilica of the centuryV.
• Hosios David (Church of Saint David of Thessalonica) at the end of the centuryVIt also refers to the Monastery of Latomos and the Suluca Mosque.
• Agios Dimitrios (St. Demetrius Church) is a century basilicaVII with beautiful mosaics and a century cryptV.
• Agia Sofia (Santa Sofia Church) is a century buildingVIII large surrounded by gardens and also has beautiful mosaics and frescoes.
• Panagía Chalkeon (Church of Our Lady Halkeon) of the CenturyXI.
• Byzantine baths dating back to the end of the centuryXII and early XIIIThey were in use until 1940.
• Church of Agia Ekaterini (Church of Saint Catherine of Thessaloniki) at the end of the centuryXIII.
• Monastery of Vlatadon of the CenturyXIV from whose gardens you get a fantastic view of the city.
• Church of the Prophet Elijah of the CenturyXIV.
• Church of St. Nicholas Orphanos of the CenturyXIV.
• Dódeka Apostlei (Church of the Holy Apostles of Thessaloniki) built between the years 1310 and 1314.
• Agios Panteleimonas (San Pantaleón Church) of the centuryXIV converted into a mosque in 1548 and was known as Ishakiye Camii, which means "Ishak Mosque (Isaac)".
• Church of Christ the Saviour of the CenturyXIV.
• Alaca Imaret Mosque (or Ishak Pasha Mosque), built during the Ottoman period of the centuryXVI.
• Bey Haman, 1444 Turkish bath in the Ottoman period. Also known as "Paraiso Baths".
• Yahudi Hamam (or Pazar Haman), Ottoman bath of the centuryXVI. Its Turkish name means "bath of the Jews," because the area was populated mainly by Sephardic Jews. It is also known as Pazar Hamam, because it is located in the old central market of the city; the bazaar.
• Hamza Bey, 1468 Ottoman mosque. The contemporary thessalonians also know him as Alkazar, for a cinema that operated there for decades.
• Pasha Hamam, Ottoman bath built between 1520 and 1530.
• Bezisten or Bedesten, Turkish building around which the market is deployed. The building is a covered market built during Ottoman domination and its design is based on the mosques of the time.

Culture

Museums

• The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (AMTH) is considered one of the most important museums in Greece. Its collection includes archaeological findings of Thessaloniki, its surroundings, Macedonia and all the north of Greece.
• The Museum of Byzantine Culture (MBP; its Greek acronym) was awarded in 2005 with the Council of Europe Award. The museum presents to the visitor various aspects of life during Byzantine and post-Byzantine periods: art, ideology, social structure, religion, and how historical changes and the political situation affected the daily lives of people.
• Sport Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Photography
• Museum of War

Cinema

Thessaloniki International Film Festival is held every year in this city.

Transportation

Macedonia International Airport

International Airport "Macedonia" of Thessalonica.

Air traffic to and from the city is provided by Macedonia International Airport for domestic and international flights. The short length of the airport's two runways does not allow it to accommodate intercontinental flights, although an extension to one of the runways towards the Thermaic Gulf is currently under construction, despite opposition from local environmental groups. After the completion of the works on the runway, the airport will be able to receive intercontinental flights and accommodate larger aircraft in the future. A master plan, with designs for a new terminal building, has been submitted and funding is currently being sought.

Thessaloniki Metro

Thessaloniki Metro Map.

The construction of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion in 2018, by which time it would become a vital transportation service for the city. 9.6 km, includes 17 stations and is expected to carry 250,000 passengers per day. Some stations will house a number of archaeological finds.

Sports

Tumba Stadium

Equipment	Sport	Competition	Stadium	Creation
Aris de Thessaloniki F.C.	Football	Super League of Greece	Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium	1914
PAOK of Thessaloniki F.C.	Football	Super League of Greece	Tumba Stadium	1926
Iraklis FC	Football	Beta Ethniki	Kaftantzoglio Stadium	1908
Aris de Thessaloniki B.C.	Basketball	A1 Ethniki	Alexandrio Melathron Pavilion	1922
PAOK of Thessaloniki B.C.	Basketball	A1 Ethniki	PAOK Sports Arena	1926

Twinnings and collaborations

Monolith in Melbourne recalling the twinning between the Australian and Thessaloniki city.

Thessaloniki is twinned with the following cities:

Brotherhood

Collaborations

European Capital of Culture

Predecessor: Copenhagen

European Capital of Culture 1997

Successor: Stockholm

Notable people