The History of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki’s long history and troubled past arereflected in today’s urban landscape as a kaleidoscopeof colors and images of different ethnicgroups, the cultural production of the communitiesthat have lived in this major Balkan port throughthe centuries. On this tour the city’s monumentsbecome the reference points for understandingits different historical periods and introducing itsethnic communities of the past: Roman (GaleriusComplex), Byzantine (examples of 4th-15th centurychurches listed as UNESCO World HeritageSites), Ottoman (ex mosques, hammams, markets),Jewish (Yad Lezikaron Synagogue & Holocaustmonument). The last stop in this overview of Thessaloniki’smulticultural identity is the port, the focalpoint for the city’s occupation history and populationmovement.

Dating back to the Hellenistic Times, Thessalonikihas always been the epicenter of great developments,processes and events, being a principal gatewayfrom the Mediterranean to the Balkans andCentral Europe. Founded in 315 B.C. on the site ofearlier prehistoric settlements, the Hellenistic Citydeveloped an increasingly important role as partof the Kingdom of Macedonia and later on the firstRoman Tetrarchy. The Byzantine and OttomanTimes were those that defined the city’s character:Thessaloniki was the second city of the ByzantineEmpire, playing a leading spiritual and artistic rolein the Balkans, frequently taking the lead in the secularand theological thinking of the age. The monumentssurviving from that period are representativeof the Byzantine culture and art over the centuriesand Thessaloniki is regarded as an open museum ofByzantine art. Furthermore, the city prospered as atrade and business centre of the Ottoman Empireand was defined by the multi-ethnic populationsthat resided and set out in the area. Thessalonikiwas historically known for its prominent communitiesof Jewish, Turks, Serbs, Bulgarians that livedtogether with the Greeks for centuries.

In the beginning of the 20th century, this canvaswas enriched by the advent of Greek refuge populationsfrom Asia Minor that settled here, and dieused new cultures, ethics, customs, and tastes insociety. That was also the period when Thessalonikiwas incorporated in the Greek State (1912)and when later (1917), a destructive fire, sweptaway the historic City Centre. The contemporaryimage of Thessaloniki is a natural consequenceof that period: the newcomers became the mediafor the contemporary future and Thessalonikiprospered again in social, economic and culturalterms.

Thessaloniki through its history has been a meltingpot of diverse cultures, religions and traditionsand the city’s multi- cultural heritage and profilewas shaped by the work and deeds of emperors,saints, apostles, philosophers and thinkers, but alsoby its local residents, its refugees and immigrants.Thessaloniki, sometimes covered by the thick mist,sometimes stormed by the heady wind “Vardaris”,yet always defined by its flairs and flavors, is nowadaysan economic and cultural center, a vibrantfocal point for the Balkans and a geographic landmarkbetween the Eastern & Western Civilization.

Although penetrated by stories of joy and sorrowof the past, today the city enjoys a vibrant urbanlife, enriched by the largest student community inGreece, the increasing cultural production by numerousmuseums, organizations and smaller urbancollectives and finally by the exquisite physical locationthat through time has enabled openness andinspiration.