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THESSALONIKI
Every year
thousands of people come from countries all over the world to visit
Thessaloniki. They admire its interesting
architecture, they visit museums and old Byzantine churches, and they
stroll along the seafront or have a meal in one of the hundreds of
quaint taverns or restaurants. They visit the shops to buy clothes and
shoes, jewellery and antiques and also travel to nearby Halkidiki for a
swim at its sandy, warm and friendly beaches.
Thessaloniki
was founded in 316 BC, seven years after the death of Alexander
the Great, by Kassandros who named it after his wife,
Thessaloniki, daughter of King
Philip II of Macedonia
and sister of Alexander the Great. The basic settlement for the
new city was the ancient town of
Thermi
(what today is Kalamaria) and the new city
was founded on that spot mostly because the historical conditions of
that period demanded the creation of a coastal city with a safe harbour.
Kassandros increased the population of the town by encouraging
inhabitants of 26 small surrounding agricultural communities to settle
there.
Over the course of
time and during all periods of history since then,
Thessaloniki
has played a primary role in the political and cultural life of
Macedonia. Especially during the
Byzantine period, the city was almost equal in importance to
Constantinople since it was the second city of the Empire on
the basis of population and culture. Thessaloniki
was then known as the symvasilevousa. Of all Greek cities,
it is the only one that has such well preserved examples of Byzantine
architecture from the 5th to the 14th centuries
AD. Thus we could compare it to an exciting
museum
of Byzantine art.
In the
year 168 BC, after the defeat of the last Macedonian King by the
Romans, the city became the capital of the
province
of Macedonia. In 300 AD
the Byzantine Empire was established by Emperor
Constantine. During the Middle Ages the city suffered from invasions by
Slavs and other barbarian tribes. In 904 it was occupied by
Saracen pirates who took and sold more than 20,000 of its inhabitants in
Eastern slave markets.
In 1430
the Ottomans captured Thessaloniki.
The city remained under Ottoman rule until 1912 when it became
Greek again. The Ottomans transformed the magnificent Byzantine churches
into mosques and also built numerous public baths, almshouses (imarets),
fountains, covered markets and minarets, some of which still exist.
During the
Byzantine period, the city's harbour was constructed by Emperor
Constantine (310 AD) and Theodosius fortified the city in
390 AD. Parts of this old fortification can be seen today although
the existing walls of the city are basically medieval. They are
constructed of small stones and mortar with zones of stones and mortar
parallel to the ground for more solidity. The Acropolis of the
city still exists and the circular tower of the Trigonio, at the
eastern corner, offers a fine view of the whole city. The length of the
wall was eight kilometers. The Turks began demolishing the wall and the
towers that existed along the seafront as pirates were no longer a
threat and commerce had to be facilitated. The only tower left behind by
the seafront is the White Tower (1430) which has become the
city's landmark.
Today
Thessaloniki
is a large coastal city of 700,000 inhabitants. Remains of its
2300 year old history can be seen while strolling in the center
within the walls. But the modern city has spread over a large area and
possesses all the amenities of today's great cities.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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