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Thessaloniki

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Thessaloniki or Salonica (Θεσσαλονίκη, θesaloˈnici) is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia, the nation's largest region. It is also the largest city in the wider geographical region of Macedonia. The Thessaloniki Urban Area extends around the Thermaic Gulf for approximately and comprises 16 municipalities. According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 363,987, while the metropolitan population approximates one million inhabitants.

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

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 Latin form of the greek name, 'Thessalonica' is often used in older books, and in modern works which refer to the early Christians of the city. The alternative shorter 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 correctly pronounced as 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 local 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' 'symbasilevousa' (co-queen) of the Byzantine Empire. It was also considered to be the second most important city in the Ottoman empire.

History

The city was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon, on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and twenty-six other local villages. He named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great (Thessalo-nikē means the "victory of Thessalians"). It was an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Macedon. 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 and facilitating trade between Europe and Asia. The city became the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia.

When in 379 the Roman Prefecture of Illyricum was divided between East and West Roman Empires, Thessaloníki became the capital of the new Prefecture of Illyricum. The economic expansion of the city continued through the twelfth century as the rule of the Komnenoi emperors expanded Byzantine control to the north. 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. The city was recovered by the Byzantine Empire in 1246 sold it in 1423 to Venice, which held the city until it was captured by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430.

During the Ottoman period, the city's Muslim and Jewish population grew. By 1478, Thessaloniki had a population of 4,320 Muslims and 6,094 Greek Orthodox, as well as some Catholics, but no Jews. By ca. 1500, the numbers had grown to 7,986 Greeks, 8,575 Muslims, and 3,770 Jews, but by 1519, there were 15,715, 54% of the city's population. The invitation of the Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella, was an Ottoman demographic strategy aiming to prevent the Greek element from dominating the city. The city remained the largest Jewish city in the world for at least two centuries, often called "Mother of Israel".

During the First Balkan War, the Ottoman garrison surrendered Salonika to the Greek Army, on November 9 November, 1912. In 1915, during World War I, a large Allied expeditionary force landed at Thessaloniki as the base for a massive offensive against pro-German Bulgaria. In 1916, pro-Venizelist army officers, with the support of the Allies, launched the Movement of National Defence, which resulted in the establishment of a pro-Allied temporary government that controlled northern Greece and the Aegean, against the official government of the King in Athens, which lead the city to be dubbed as symprotévousa ("co-capital"). Most of the old town was destroyed by a single fire on 18 August, 1917, accidentally sparked by French soldiers in encampments at the city. The fire left some 72,000 homeless, many of them Turkish, of a population of approximately 271,157 at the time. Thessaloniki fell to the forces of Nazi Germany on April 22 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. Thessaloniki was rebuilt and recovered fairly quickly after the war with large-scale development of new infrastructure and industry throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

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. Early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988, and Thessaloniki later became European City of Culture 1997. In 2004 the city hosted a number of the football events forming part of the 2004 Summer Olympics. Thessaloniki unsuccessfully bid for the 2008 World EXPO, this time won by Zaragoza in Spain, but another planned bid for 2017 was announced in September 2006 and is now in full development.

Government

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

Urban Landscape

Architecture

The architectural face of Thessaloniki has always a been an interesting and distinctive case, in its constant flux borne of the city's position at the center of all historical developments in the Balkans. Aside from its commercial importance, Thessaloniki was, for many centuries, the military and administrative hub of the region, and beyond this the transportation link between Europe and the Levant.

The city layout changed after 1870, when the seaside fortifications gave way to extensive piers, and many of the oldest walls of the city were demolished including those surrounding the White Tower. During the subsequent 47 years, a period of great economic growth, the city's population exploded by 70%, reaching 135,000 in 1917. The city became an attraction for merchants, traders and refugees from across Europe, including Jews joining the city's earlier population. The authorities replaced part of the city's earliest Byzantine walls to allow it to expand, which it did, to the east and west along the coast. The need for commercial and public buildings in this new era of prosperity led to a marked shift in architectural direction and the construction of large edifices in the city center, in lots formerly occupied by small, shabby one-family homes. During this time, the city saw the building of banks, large hotels, theaters, warehouses, and factories.

The expansion of Eleftherias Square (today's Venizelou Square) toward 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 industrial activity; the middle and upper classes moved east of the city and built a new suburb, then known as "Exohes", or "country retreats", and this new district soon acquired schools, public buildings and 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 decisive and unforeseen moment in the city's modern history was 1917. A devastating fire swept through the city that year and burned uncontrollably for 32 hours. It destroyed the city's historic center and a large part of its architectural heritage, including many buildings of rare beauty.

A team of architects and urban planners led by Ernest Hebrard, a French architect chose the Byzantine era as the basis for their (re)building designs. 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 significant buildings, the restoration of important Byzantine churches and landmarks and of 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 fully realized, although today's University campus incorporates some of Hebrard's ideas nonetheless.

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. These plans were never to be fully implemented, and the city lacks a full administrative district to this day. Nevertheless, this aspect of the plan influenced a number of building and planning decisions throughout the 20th century, with inevitable adaptations to service the population explosion of the last 50 years.

Landmarks

  • The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Λευκός Πύργος Lefkos Pyrgos), widely regarded as the symbol of the city.
  • The Arch and Tomb of Galerius is more commonly known as the "Kamara" and ornately decorated, crafted with a reddish-coloured stone.
  • The Upper Town or 'Ano Poli' is what remains of Ottoman Thessaloniki, with beautiful wooden houses overhanging 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 spectacular views of the city.
  • The waterfront is Thessaloniki's major draw. The promenade of Nikis Avenue runs from the White Tower of Thessaloniki to the giant palace that is now a ferry terminal, and plentiful cafés, restaurants and shops line the waterfront.

  • The Arch and Tomb of Galerius, or the Church of Aghios Georgios, is a circular church lacking the classic Orthodox iconostasis. The church is built upon former Roman and Greek pagan ruins.
  • Aristotelous Square extends 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 affluent, 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 Church of Aghia Sofia, also located in the city center, includes the large church and paved alleyways that make the few blocks around it widely known.
  • 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 Thessalonikiin the East side of the city, near the Posidonion sports center.
  • Thessaloniki Intemational Trade Fair held every September, organised by Helexpo.
  • The Seven tower-castle (Επταπύργιον).

Museums

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 approximately 1 million people live in the metropolitan area, making it the second largest metropolitan area in Greece after Athens.

Year City population Change Metro population
1981 406,413 - -
1991 383,967 -22,446/-5.52% -
2001 363,987 -19,980/-5.20% 1,057,825

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 the Greek population increased after 1912. Within the interwar 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 ground to a stop 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, the United States, other parts of Europe and Alexandria, Egypt. In 1920, a law of the period creating separate electoral colleges for Salonica's Jews, meant they could not compete with Christian candidates, and a measure in 1922 ending Sunday trading had caused further stress for part of the city's Jewish population, already suffering the loss of markets after the collapse of the Ottoman empire, and more Jews emigrated. The arrival of the 100,000 Greek refugees settling in Thessaloniki after the Asia Minor catastrophe of 1923, reduced the importance of the community and during the interwar period its proportions were at 20% of the city’s population.

In March 1926, Greece had re-emphasised that all citizens of Greece enjoyed equal rights, and a considerable proportion of the Jews of the city stuck by their earlier conviction they should remain. By 1944 the great majority of the community firmly identified themselves as both Greek and Jewish. According to Misha Glenny, these Greek Jews had largely not encountered "anti-Semitism in its North European form..the twentieth century had witnessed the rise of anti-Jewish sentiment among Greeks... but it attracted an insignificant minority". By the mid 1940s the prospect of German deportation to death camps was repeatedly met with disbelief by an increasingly well integrated Greek Jewish population. Mordechai Frizis was nevertheless among the leading Greek officers of World War II.

Thessaloniki's Jewish community continued to play an important role in the city's life up until its occupation by the Nazis in World War II. The Nazis murdered approximately 96% of Thessaloniki's Jews of all ages in the Holocaust, effectively ending the Jewish community of Thessaloniki. Today, fewer than 1,000 Jews are left in Thessaloniki, although there are communities of Thessaloniki Jews -- both Sephardic and Romaniote -- in the United States and Israel.

Jewish Population of Thessaloniki

Year Total Population Jewish Population Jewish Percentage Source
1842 70,000 36,000 51% Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer
1870 90,000 50,000 56% Greek schoolbook (G.K. Moraitopoulos, 1882)
1882/84 85,000 48,000 56% Ottoman government census
1902 126,000 62,000 49% Ottoman government census
1913 157,889 61,439 39% Greek government census
1917 52,000
1943 50,000
2000 363,987 1,000 0.27%

Ethnic statistics

The tables below show the ethnic statistics of Thessaloniki during the end of 19th and the beginning of 20th century.

Year Total Population Jewish Population Turkish Population Greek Population Bulgarian Population Roma Population Other groups
1890 118,000 55,000 26,000 16,000 10,000 2,500 8,500
around 1913 157,889 61,439 45,889 39,956 6,263 2,721 1,621

Economy

Thessaloníki is a major port city and an industrial and commercial center. The city's industries center around oil, steel, petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, flour, cement, pharmaceuticals, and liquor. Being a free port, the city functions as the gateway to the Balkan hinterland. 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 workers are employed in small- and medium-sized businesses and in the service and the public sectors.

In recent years, the city has begun a process of deindustrialization and a move towards a service based economy. A spate of factory shut downs have occurred in order to take advantage of cheaper labor markets and more lax regulations. Among the largest companies to shut down factories are Goodyear, PFI (ΒΦΛ), AVEZ (the first industrial factory in northern Greece built in 1926), and VIAMIL (ΒΙΑΜΥΛ). Siemens is also considering shutting down their plant in the city.

Culture

Festivals

Thessaloniki is home to a number of festivals and events, including the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, with an eighty-year history. The showcase is hosted at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center, attracting over 300,000 visitors each year. The "International Film Festival" offers new and emerging filmakers the chance to showcase their films to the Southeastern Europe region. Notable film makers to appear at the festival include Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve and Irene Papas. The "Documentary Festival", founded in 1999, focuses on documentaries that explore global social and cultural developments, with some films candidates for FIPRESCI and Audience Awards. The festival aims to the offer filmgoers annually gathering in Thessaloniki an exploration of the common images of the early 21st century, and to explore its human landscape through documentary. The Dimitria festival, founded in 1966 and named after the city's patron saint of St. Demetrius, focuses on a wide range of events including music, theatre, dance, local happenings, and exhibitions. The "DMC DJ Championship" is hosted at the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki and has become a worldwide event for aspiring DJs and turntablists. The "International Festival of Photography" takes place every February to mid-April, attracting the interest of both the photographic world and the public. Exhibitions for the event are sited at museums, heritage landmarks, galleries, bookshops and cafes.

Sports

The first football team to be officially established in the city 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:

PAOK is the most successful team of the city's football competitors, Aris its most successful basketball team, and Iraklis its most successful Volleyball and track and field competitor. The main football stadiums to be found in the city are the state-owned Kaftanzoglio Stadium which also finds use as Iraklis' home stadium, and was heavily renovated in the wake of the 2004 Summer Olympics, the Toumba Stadium (PAOK's home stadium), and the Kleanthis Vikelides Stadium (Harilaou), Aris' home stadium. Thessaloniki's major indoor arenas are the state-owned Alexandreio Melathron, home to Aris Thessaloniki and also used for a number of cultural events, and the PAOK Sports Arena, which is that used by PAOK's basketball and volleyball sections.

In October 2007, Thessaloniki organised the first South Eastern European Games. The participating nations were: The Republic of Albania, the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Republic of Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Croatia, the Helllenic Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Montenegro, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Turkey.

Notable Thessalonians

Thessaloniki's famous inhabitants over the centuries include saints, such as Saint Cyril, athletes and musicians, and the founder of the modern Republic of Turkey.

Geography

Thessaloniki lies on the northern fringe of the Thermaic Gulf, along its western side, and to its south-eastern side is bordered by Mt. Hortiatis. The city borders the Mediterranean and Mid-European Temperate climates. Annual rainfall averages 451 mm (17.75 inches). Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost annually.

Thessaloniki was hit by powerful earthquakes in 620, 667, 700, 1677, 1759, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1932, and 1978. The event in 1978 measured a 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.

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), or Thessaloniki Urban Transportation Organization.

Thessaloniki Metro

The construction of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway was under discussion for more than fifteen years, but construction began in 2006 and is scheduled to last around six and a half years, with a completion date envisaged for late 2012. The single line will extend over 9.5km and include 13 stations, and is expected that the subway will eventually serve 250,000 passengers daily. Like the Athens Metro, the Thessaloniki Metro will also house a number of archaeological finds.

Discussions are underway on future expansion to the west, in order to connect the underground with the major transport hubs for the city, the Makedonia Central Bus Station, the Central Railway Station, and Makedonia International Airport. Possible future expansion may include that toward the districts of Eleftherio-Kordelio in the west side, Stavroupoli in the upper west side, Kalamaria in the east side, and the northern districts, such as Toumba.

Motorways

Thessaloniki was without a motorway link until the 1970s. The city is accessed by GR-1/E75 from Athens, GR-4, GR-2, (Via Egnatia) /E90 and GR-12/E85 from Serres and Sofia; by the early 1970s the motorway had reached Thessaloniki and was the last section of the GR-1 to be completed, while 1980s construction saw completion of the city's 4-lane bypass, which was finally opened to traffic in 1988 and runs from the western industrial side of the city all the way to its southeast, approaching Thermi and Halkidiki. Recently upgraded, it now takes in a number of new junctions and improved motorway features; the latest motorway expansion was toward the 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 and Istanbul, alongside Athens and other major destinations in Greece. Commuter rail services have recently been established between Thessaloniki and Litochoro, Pieria, covering the journey in approximately 45 to 50 minutes.

Airport

Air traffic to and from the city is served by Makedonia International Airport, for both international and domestic flights. The short length of the airport's two runways means that it does not support intercontinental flights, although there are plans for major expansion. The expansion of one of the runways into the Thermaic Gulf is being undertaken, so as to enable the servicing of trans-oceanic flights, despite considerable opposition to this by local environmentalist groups.

Media

Newspapers

Television

Radio

Twinnings

Photo gallery

See also

Further reading

  • Apostolos Papagiannopoulos,Monuments of Thessaloniki, Rekos Ltd, date unknown.
  • Apostolos P. Vacalopoulos, A History of Thessaloniki, Institute for Balkan Studies,1972.
  • John R. Melville-Jones, 'Venice and Thessalonica 1423-1430 Vol I, The Venetian Accounts, Vol. II, the Greek Accounts, Unipress, Padova, 2002 and 2006 (the latter work contains English translations of accounts of the events of this period by St Symeon of Thessaloniki and John Anagnostes).
  • 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.
  • Matthieu Ghilardi, Dynamiques spatiales et reconstitutions paléogéographiques de la plaine de Thessalonique (Grèce) à l'Holocène récent, 2007. Thèse de Doctorat de l'Université de Paris 12 Val-de-Marne, 475 p.

References

External links

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