Thessaloniki: a cultural crossroad

Traces of various eras are evident and noticeable in the city of Thessaloniki, start from the prehistoric years (archeological site of Touba) up to today.

Starting from the sea front, the city’s historic district is surrounded by the ancient (mostly Byzantine) wall, which has a length of eight kilometers and an average height of ten to twelve meters and is mostly well preserved and to be seen & visited. There is two well preserved towers of the wall: the Trigoniou Tower and the White Tower, which along the years has actually become the city’s symbol.

There are also archeological sites of the city’s roman era: the Ancient Market, the Palace of Galerios, the Arch of Triumph and the Rotunda

Thessaloniki is known as the city of St. Demetrius (the city’s Patron) and is also known for its many Byzantine churches, which are still places of worship and are spread around the city’s historic district

Amongst the oldest churches are:

The basilicas of Virgin Mary (Acheropiitos) and St. Demetrius, Thessaloniki’s Patron, which also has a catacomb

The church of Osios David in Thessaloniki’s Ano Poli (Upper old Town), the old city, where there is a unique mosaic of the 6th century, representing a beardless and teenage Christ.

The church of St. Sophia, which also has exceptional mosaics and the Rotunda

The churches of Virgin Mary (Halkeon), St. Ekaterini, Twelve Apostles and St. Panteleimon are unique examples of 13th –14th century church architecture. Also, incomparable are the murals at the church of St. Nikolaos Orfanos with their golden backgrounds.

As it was mentioned above all these significant monuments are located in the city’s Historic Center, which is surrounded by the ancient wall. In the same area there are to be seen well preserved buildings, which were built in the period between 1800’s and 1900’s, and survived through the August 1917 fire, which actually destroyed a large segment of the city’s historic center. The 1917 fire, especially hit the Stock Market Square and the Ladadika, two of the most noteworthy commercial areas of that time being.

As of today, in Thessaloniki, there are more than 650 listed buildings. Some of them were renovated and at the present they house services of the Public Sector, as for instance the buildings of: the Ministry of Macedonia & Thrace, the Customhouse, the Armory of the Third Army Corp, the St. Demetrius Hospital, the Faculty of Philosophy, the Papafio Orphanage, the Municipal Department of Culture and Arts, the Municipal Art Gallery and the Agioritiki Hestia (referring to Mount Athos).