Thessaloniki

Θεσσαλονίκη (Greek) Thessaloniki (English)
Nickname(s): The co-capital, The Bride of the Thermaic Gulf
Flag Seal
Location
40°39′N 22°54′E / 40.65°N 22.9°E / 40.65; 22.9
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	Central Macedonia
Prefecture:	Thessaloniki
Districts:	16
Mayor:	Yiannis Boutaris (since January 2011)
Population
City: • Total • Density	2001 statistics[1] 363,987 (2nd) 20,412 /km2 (52,867 /sq mi)
Metropolitan: • Total • Density	2004 statistics[2] 995,766 (2nd) 971 /km2 (1,562 /sq mi)
Other information
Denonym:	Thessalonian
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Elevation:	0 - 20m (0 - 66ft)
Postal codes:	53xxx, 54xxx, 55xxx, 56xxx
Telephone:	231-x-xxxxxx
Auto:	NAx-xxxx to NXx-xxxx
Patron Saint:	Saint Demetrius (26 October)
Website:	thessaloniki.gr

Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, IPA: [θesaloˈnici]), Thessalonica or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Macedonia. Its honorific title is Συμπρωτεύουσα (Symprotévousa), literally "co-capital", a reference to its historical status as the Συμβασιλεύουσα (Symvasilévousa) or "co-reigning" city of the Byzantine Empire, alongside Constantinople. According to the 2001 census, the municipality of Thessaloniki had a population of 363,987, its Urban Area 800,764 and the Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) of Thessaloniki has an estimated 995,766 residents (2004).^[3]

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 city hosts an annual International Trade Fair, the International Thessaloniki Film Festival, and the largest bi-annual meeting of the Greek diaspora.^[4]

The city is well-known for its great number of students, estimated not far from 200,000. Aristotle University (70,000), Macedonia University (around 35,000) are the two public universities located in the city; a TEI (Technological Educational institute) is located in Sindos, the industrial zone of the city. Public and private vocational institutes (in Greek IEK) provide professional training to young students. Private colleges offer American and UK academic curriculum, via cooperation with foreign universities. In addition to Greek students, the city hence attracts many foreign students either via the Erasmus programme in the public universities, or for an entire degree in public universities and private colleges.

Thessaloniki is home to numerous notable Byzantine monuments, including the Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments of Thessalonika, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Geology 3.1 Climate 4 Government 5 Cityscape 6 Economy 7 Demographics 7.1 The Jews of Thessaloniki 8 Historical ethnic statistics 9 Culture 9.1 Festivals 9.2 Sports 9.3 Media 9.4 Notable Thessalonians 10 Transportation 10.1 Thessaloniki Metro 10.2 Railways 10.3 Airport 10.4 Motorways 11 Twin towns — sister cities 11.1 Collaborations 12 See also 13 References 13.1 Bibliography 13.2 Notes 14 External links 14.1 Government 14.2 Cultural

[edit] Etymology

All variations for the city's name derive from the original (and current) appellation in Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, literally translating to "Thessalian Victory" and in origin the name of a princess, Thessalonike of Macedon, who was so named because she was born on the day of the Macedonian victory at the Battle of Crocus Field.^[5] The alternative name Salonika, 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 also rendered Thessaloníki or Saloníki with a dark l typical of Macedonian Greek.^[6][7] Names in other languages prominent in the city's history include סלוניקה (Salonika) in Ladino, سلانيك (Selânik) in Ottoman Turkish, Солун (Solun) in the South Slavic languages and Sãrunã in Aromanian. It is sometimes abbreviated to Thess by Anglophone Greeks of the diaspora and by the troops of the international forces stationed in the various ex-Yugoslav territories who visit the city for their breaks from duty.

[edit] 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 26 other local villages.^[11] He named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great (Thessalo-nikē means the "Thessalian victory")^[12] (See Battle of Crocus field). 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; it facilitated 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.^{[citation needed]} The economic expansion of the city continued through the 12th 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 forces of the Fourth Crusade. Thessaloníki and its surrounding territory—the Kingdom of Thessalonica—became the largest fief of the Latin Empire. It also was ruled by the Despotate of Epirus between 1224 and 1246, and was a vassal state of the Second Bulgarian Empire between 1230 and 1246.

The city was recovered by the Byzantine Empire in 1246. In the 1340s, it was the scene of the anti-aristocratic Commune of the Zealots. In 1423, the Despot Andronicus, who was in charge of the city, ceded it to the Republic of Venice in the hope that it could be protected from the Ottomans (there is no evidence to support the oft-repeated story that he sold the city to them). The Venetians held Thessaloniki until it was captured by the Ottoman Sultan Murad II on 29 March 1430.^[13]

Murad II took Thessaloniki with a brutal massacre^[14] and enslavement of roughly one-fifth of the native inhabitants.^[15] Upon the capture and plunder of Thessaloniki, many of its inhabitants escaped,^[16] including intellectuals Theodorus Gaza “Thessalonicensis” and Andronicus Callistus.^[17]

During the Ottoman period, the city's Muslim and Jewish population grew. By 1478 Selânik (سلانیك) – as the city came to be known in Ottoman Turkish – had a population of 4,320 Muslims and 6,094 Greek Orthodox, as well as some Catholics, but no Jews. Soon after the turn of the century, nearly 20,000 Sephardic Jews had immigrated to Greece from Spain following the expulsion.^[14] By ca. 1500, the numbers had grown to 7,986 Greeks, 8,575 Muslims, and 3,770 Jews. By 1519, Sephardic Jews numbered 15,715, 54% of the city's population. Some historians consider the Ottoman regime's invitation to the Jews as strategy to prevent ethnic Greeks (Eastern Orthodox Christians) from dominating the city.^[18]

Selanik was a sanjak capital in Rumeli Eyaleti (Balkans) until 1826, and subsequently the capital of Selanik Vilayeti (between 1826 and 1864 Selanik Eyaleti). This consisted of the sanjaks of Selanik, Serres and Drama between 1826 and 1912.^{[citation needed]} Thessaloniki was also a Janissary stronghold where novice Janissaries were trained. In June 1826, regular Ottoman soldiers attacked and destroyed the Janissary bases, an event known as The Auspicious Incident in Ottoman history.

From 1870, driven by economic growth, the city's population expanded by 70%, reaching 135,000 in 1917.^{[citation needed]} During the First Balkan War, on 26 October 1912 (Old Style), the feast day of the city's patron saint, Saint Demetrius, the Greek Army accepted the surrender of the Ottoman garrison at Thessalonika, and occupied the city; after the Second Balkan War, Thessalonika was annexed to Greece by the Treaty of Bucharest (1913).

In 1915, during World War I, a large Allied expeditionary force established a base at Thessaloniki for operations against pro-German Bulgaria. This culminated in the establishment of the Macedonian or Salonika Front.^{[citation needed]} The city attracted refugees and was overcrowded. In 1916, pro-Venizelist Greek army officers, with the support of the Allies, launched the Movement of National Defence, creating a pro-Allied temporary government that controlled northern Greece and the Aegean, against the official government of the King in Athens. The city was dubbed by supporters as symprotévousa ("co-capital").^{[citation needed]}

Most of the old center of the city was destroyed by the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, started accidentally by an unattended kitchen fire on 18 August [O.S. 5 August] 1917,^{[citation needed]}. The fire swept through the center of the city, leaving 72,000 homeless; according to the Pallis Report, most of them were Jewish (50,000). So many businesses were destroyed that 70% of the population was unemployed, and numerous religious structures of the three major faiths were lost. Nearly one-quarter of the total population of approximately 271,157 was homeless. The government prohibited quick rebuilding, and had the center of the city redesigned according to a European-style urban plan by the French architect Ernest Hébrard. Because of their losses and unable to wait for the new plan, nearly half of the Jewish Greek population emigrated – to France, the United States and Palestine.

After the defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War during the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, Greeks were expelled from Turkey and many refugees came to Thessaloniki. Nearly 100,000 ethnic Greeks resettled in the city, changing its demographics. After this, Jews made up about 20% of the city's population. During the interwar period, Greece granted Jews full civil rights, the same as all other Greek citizens.^[19]

During World War II, Thessaloniki fell to the forces of Nazi Germany on April 22, 1941, and remained under German occupation until October 30, 1944 when it was liberated by the Allies. The Nazis soon forced the Jews into a ghetto near the railroads and in 1943 began deportation to its death camps. They killed more than 95% of the city's Jewish population. They deported and killed 50,000 of the city's Jews in concentration camps, where most were murdered in the gas chambers.^[20] The Germans deported 11,000 Jews to forced labor camps, where most perished.^[20] The city suffered considerable damage from Allied bombing as they began to move against the Germans. Only 1200 Jews live in the city today.

After the war, Thessaloniki was rebuilt with large-scale development of new infrastructure and industry throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. On 20 June 1978, the city suffered a powerful earthquake, registering a moment magnitude of 6.5.^{[citation needed]} The tremor caused considerable damage to several buildings and ancient monuments; forty people were crushed to death when an apartment block collapsed in the central Hippodromio district.^{[citation needed]}

Many of its architectural treasures remain and Thessaloniki is a tourist destination. Several early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. Thessaloniki was celebrated as the European Capital of Culture in 1997, when it sponsored events across the city and region. In 2004 the city hosted a number of the football (soccer) events as part of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

[edit] Geology

Thessaloniki was hit by strong earthquakes in 620, 667, 700, 1677, 1759, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1932, and 1978. The event of 1978 measured a 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale.^[21]

[edit] Climate

Thessaloniki lies on the northern fringe of the Thermaic Gulf, on its western side. The city has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification "Csa") that borders on an semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification "BSk" or "BSh" depending on the system used) with annual average precipitation of 460 mm. Snowfalls are sporadic, but happen more or less every year.

The city lies in a transitional climatic zone, so its climate displays characteristics of continental and Mediterranean climates. Winters are relatively dry, with common morning frost. Snowfalls occur almost every year, but usually the snow does not stay for more than a few days. During the coldest winters, temperatures can drop to −10C°/14F (Record min. -14C°/7F).^{[citation needed]}

Thessaloniki's summers are hot with rather humid nights. Maximum temperatures usually rise above 30C°/86F, but rarely go over 40C°/104F (Record max. 44C).^{[citation needed]} Rain is seldom in summer, and mainly falls during thunderstorms.

Climate data for Thessaloniki Airport
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	8.9 (48)	10.6 (51)	13.9 (57)	18.3 (65)	23.9 (75)	28.9 (84)	31.1 (88)	30.6 (87)	26.7 (80)	21.1 (70)	14.4 (58)	10.6 (51)	20 (68)
Average low °C (°F)	1.1 (34)	2.2 (36)	5 (41)	7.8 (46)	12.2 (54)	16.7 (62)	18.9 (66)	18.3 (65)	15 (59)	11.1 (52)	6.7 (44)	2.8 (37)	10 (50)
Precipitation mm (inches)	40 (1.57)	30 (1.18)	40 (1.57)	30 (1.18)	40 (1.57)	30 (1.18)	20 (0.79)	20 (0.79)	20 (0.79)	40 (1.57)	50 (1.97)	50 (1.97)	460 (18.11)
Source: Weatherbase[22]

[edit] Government

Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece. It is an influential city in northern Greece and the capital of Central Macedonia Periphery, Thessaloniki Prefecture and at the head of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace is also based in the city.

[edit] Cityscape

Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Church of Panagia Chalkeon
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	456
Region**	Europe and North America
Coordinates	40°38′20″N 22°56′53″E / 40.63889°N 22.94806°E / 40.63889; 22.94806
Inscription history
Inscription	1988  (12th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Architecture in Thessaloniki is the direct result of the city's position at the centre of all historical developments in the Balkans. Aside from its commercial importance, Thessaloniki was also for many centuries, the military and administrative hub of the region, and beyond this the transportation link between Europe and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine).

Merchants, traders and refugees from all over Europe settled in the city. The early Byzantine walls were moved to allow extensions to the east and west along the coast. The need for commercial and public buildings in this new era of prosperity led to the construction of large edifices in the city centre. During this time, the city saw the building of banks, large hotels, theatres, warehouses, and factories. 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.^{[citation needed]}

The expansion of Eleftherias Square towards the sea completed the new commercial hub of the city. The western districts are considered as a working class section, near the factories and industrial activities; the middle and upper classes gradually moved from the city-centre to the eastern suburbs, leaving mainly businesses. In 1917, a devastating fire swept through the city and burned uncontrollably during 32 hours.^{[citation needed]} It destroyed the city's historic center and a large part of its architectural heritage.

A team of architects and urban planners including Thomas Mawson and 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 future population expansions and a street and road network that would be and still is sufficient today.^{[citation needed]} It contained sites for public buildings, and provided for the restoration of Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques. The whole Upper City, near the fortifications, was declared a heritage site. The plan also included a site for the campus of a future University of Thessaloniki, which has never been fully realised, although today's University campus incorporates some of Hebrard's ideas.

An important element of the plan was to achieve a fine balance between contemporary urban planning and architectural ideas, and the city's tradition and history. These plans have not been fully implemented, and the city still lacks of a full administrative district. 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.

[edit] Economy

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Thessaloníki is a major port city and an industrial and commercial centre. The city's industries centre around oil, steel, petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, flour, cement, pharmaceuticals, and liquor. As 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 south-eastern Europe, carrying, among other things, trade to and from the neighbouring countries. A considerable percentage of the city's working force is employed in small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as in the service and the public sectors.

In recent years, the city has suffered industrial restructuring and lost many jobs; it is moving toward a service-based economy. A spate of factory shut downs has occurred as companies take advantage of cheaper labour markets and more lax regulations in other areas. Among the largest companies to shut down factories are Goodyear,^[23] AVEZ (the first industrial factory in northern Greece, built in 1926),^[24] and VIAMIL (ΒΙΑΜΥΛ). Thessaloniki is a major business hub in the Balkans.

[edit] Demographics

Although the population of the Municipality of Thessaloniki has declined in the last two censuses, the metropolitan area's population is still growing. The city forms the base of the metropolitan area.

Year	Municipality population	Metro population
1981	406,413	–
1991	383,967[2]	–
2001	363,987[2]	1,057,825[2]

[edit] The Jews of Thessaloniki

The Jewish population in Greece was the oldest in mainland Europe, and was mostly Sephardic. Thessaloniki became the largest center of the Sephardic Jews, who nicknamed the city la madre de Israel (Israel's mother) because of this.^[25] It also included the historically significant and ancient Greek-speaking Romaniote community. During the Ottoman era, Thessaloniki's Sephardic community comprised more than half the city's population; the Jews were dominant in commerce until the ethnic Greek population increased after independence in 1912. By the 1680s, about 300 families of Sephardic Jews, followers of Sabbatai Zevi, had converted to Islam, becoming a sect known as the Dönmeh (convert), and migrated to Salonika, whose population was majority Jewish. They established an active community that thrived for about 250 years. Many of their descendants later became prominent in trade.^[26] Many Jewish inhabitants of Thessaloniki spoke Ladino, the Romance language of the Sephardic Jews.^[27]

The great fire of 1917 burned much of the center of the city and left 50,000 Jews homeless of the total of 72,000 residents who were burned out.^[19] Having lost homes and their businesses, many Jews emigrated: to the United States, Palestine, and Paris. They could not wait for the government to create a new urban plan for rebuilding, which was eventually done.^[28]

After the Greco-Turkish War in 1922 and the expulsion of Greeks from Turkey, many refugees came to Greece. Nearly 100,000 ethnic Greeks resettled in Thessaloniki, reducing the proportion of Jews in the total community. After this, Jews made up about 20% of the city's population. During the interwar period, Greece granted the Jews the same civil rights as other Greek citizens.^[19] In March 1926, Greece re-emphasized that all citizens of Greece enjoyed equal rights, and a considerable proportion of the city's Jews decided to stay.

World War II brought disaster for Jewish Greeks. In 1941 the Germans occupied Greece and began actions against the Jewish population. Greeks of the Resistance and Italian forces (before 1943) tried to protect the Jews and managed to save some.^[25] By the 1940s, the great majority of the Jewish Greek community firmly identified as both Greek and Jewish. According to Misha Glenny, such Greek Jews had largely not encountered "anti-Semitism as in its North European form."^[29] The Jewish Greek community did not understand their risk and did not try to escape early enough.

In 1943 the Nazis began actions against the Jews in Thessaloniki, forcing them into a ghetto near the railroad lines and beginning deportation to concentration and labor camps. They deported and exterminated approximately 96% of Thessaloniki's Jews of all ages during the Holocaust.^[25] Today, a community of around 1200 remains in the city.^[25] Communities of descendants of Thessaloniki Jews – both Sephardic and Romaniote – live in other areas, mainly the United States and Israel.^[25]

Israeli singer Yehuda Poliker recorded a song about the Jews of Thessaloniki, called "Wait for me, Thessaloniki".

Year	Total population	Jewish population	Jewish percentage	Source[19]
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	271,157	52,000	19%	[30]
1943		50,000
2000	363,987[2]	1,000	0.27%

[edit] Historical 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 (Muslim) Population	Greek Population	Bulgarian Population	Roma Population	Other groups
1890[31]	118,000	55,000	26,000	16,000	10,000	2,500	8,500
around 1913[10]	157,889	61,439	45,889	39,956	6,263	2,721	1,621

[edit] Culture

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The Opera of Thessaloniki was founded when the city was the European Capital of Culture in 1997^[32] It is an independent section of the National Theatre of Northern Greece.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Festivals

Thessaloniki is home of a number of festivals and events, including the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair which has been hosted at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre. Over 300,000 visitors attended in 2007. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival is established as one of the most important film festivals in Southern Europe, with a number of notable film makers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, Irene Papas and Fatih Akın taking part. The Documentary Festival, founded in 1999, has focused on documentaries that explore global social and cultural developments, with many of the films presented being candidates for FIPRESCI and Audience Awards. The Dimitria festival, founded in 1966 and named after the city's patron saint of St. Demetrius, has focused on a wide range of events including music, theatre, dance, local happenings, and exhibitions. The "DMC DJ Championship" has been hosted at the International Trade Fair of Thessaloniki and has become a worldwide event for aspiring DJs and turntablists. The "International Festival of Photography" has taken place every February to mid-April. Exhibitions for the event are sited in museums, heritage landmarks, galleries, bookshops and cafés. It also hold an annual Thessaloniki International Book Fair.^[33]

[edit] Sports

The main football stadiums in the city are Toumba Stadium, Kleanthis Vikelides Stadium and the national Kaftanzoglio Stadium, home fields of PAOK, Aris and Iraklis respectively, all of whom are founding members of the Greek league. Thessaloniki's major indoor arenas are the state-owned Alexandreio Melathron, PAOK Sports Arena and the YMCA indoor hall. Other sporting clubs in the city include Apollon based in the borough of Kalamaria, Agrotikos Asteras based in Evosmos and YMCA. Thessaloniki has a rich sporting history with its teams winning the first ever panhellenic football,^[34] basketball,^[35] and water polo^[36] tournaments.

The city played a major role in the development of basketball in Greece. The local YMCA was the first to introduce the sport to the country while Iraklis won the first Greek championship.^[35] From 1982 to 1993 Aris dominated the league, regularly finishing in first place. In that period Aris won a total of 9 championships, 7 cups and one European Cup Winners' Cup. In volleyball, Iraklis has emerged since 2000 as one of the most successful teams in Greece^[37] and Europe^[38][39] alike with several domestic and international successes. In October 2007, the first Southeastern European Games were organized in Thessaloniki.^[40]

The finish point of the annual Alexander The Great Marathon is within Thessaloniki's city centre, in recognition of its Ancient Macedonian heritage.^[41]

Club	Founded
Iraklis	1908
Aris	1914
Ch.A.N.Th.	1921
V.A.O.	1926
Apollon	1926
M.E.N.T.	1926
P.A.O.K.	1926
Makedonikos	1928
Agrotikos Asteras	1932

[edit] Media

The city of Thessaloniki owns the television network TV100 and radio stations FM100, FM101 and FM 100.6. TV100 was the first non-state-owned TV station in Greece and opened in 1988. ERT3, a channel of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) broadcasts nationwide from Thessaloniki. One of the main newspapers in Greece, Makedonia, was first published in Thessaloniki in 1911. Agelioforos, another major Greek newspaper, was founded in the city. A large number of radio stations also broadcast from the city.

[edit] Notable Thessalonians

Throughout its history, Thessaloniki has been home to a number of politicians, artists, craftsmen, sportsmen, clergy and singers among others. It is the birthplace of various Saints.

[edit] Transportation

Public transport in Thessaloniki is by buses. The bus company operating in the city is called Organismos Astikon Sygkoinonion Thessalonikis (OASTH), or Thessaloniki Urban Transportation Organization.

[edit] Thessaloniki Metro

The construction of the Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway began in 2006 and is scheduled for completion in late 2012.^[42] The line is set to extend over 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and include 13 stations,^[43] and it is expected that the Metro will eventually serve 250,000 passengers daily.^[42] Some stations of the Thessaloniki Metro will house a number of archaeological finds.^[44]

Discussions are underway on future expansion, in order to connect the underground with the major transport hubs for the city, the Makedonia Central Bus Station, the Railway Station and Macedonia International Airport. Expansions to Kalamaria, the southeast borough of Thessaloniki, and to Efkarpia to the north, are part of the initial construction phase. Expansion plans include the western borough of Evosmos.

[edit] Railways

The city is a railway hub for the Balkans, with direct connections to Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade, Moscow, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul, alongside Athens and other destinations in Greece. It is the most important railway hub of Greece and the biggest marshalling yard of the country. Commuter rail services have recently been established between Thessaloniki and Larissa with 11 stations, covering the journey in an 1 hour 33 min.

[edit] Airport

Air traffic to and from the city is served by International Airport Macedonia, for international and domestic flights. The short length of the airport's two runways means that it does not currently support intercontinental flights, although there is a major expansion under construction, extending one of its runways into the Gulf, despite considerable opposition from local environmentalist groups.

[edit] Motorways

The city is bypassed by its C-shaped ring road. The western end of the route is at the junction with the A1/A2 motorways in Lachanagora District. Clockwise it heads northeast by the city's forest park Seich Sou to southeast borough Kalamaria where the road ends in junction with ΕΟ67. This route is labeled as the Esoteriki Peripheriaki Odos (inner ring road) of Thessaloniki and is generally accepted as the boundary between the city proper and its suburbs. The speed limit is 90 km/h and provides three traffic lanes for each direction but does not feature an emergency lane. An outer ring (Exoteriki Peripheriaki) is planed, with its west part already built and running as part of the A1/A2 motorways.

• Motorways:
  • A1/E75 W (Republic of Macedonia, Athens, Larissa)
  • A2/E90 N (Turkey, Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Xanthi, Igoumenitsa, Ioannina, Kozani)

• National Roads:
  • ΕΟ12/Ε79 Ν (Serres, Drama)
  • ΕΟ16, SW (Polygyros, Ouranopolis)
  • ΕΟ65, Ν (Kilkis, Doirani)
  • ΕΟ67, S (Airport, Nea Moudania)

[edit] Twin towns — sister cities

Thessaloniki is twinned with:^[45]

[edit] See also

• History of Greece
• Macedonians (Greeks)
• Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thessaloniki

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

[edit] Government

• Municipality of Thessaloniki
• Thessaloniki Port Authority
• ΟΑΣΘ – Organisation of Urban Transport of Thessaloniki (Greek & English)
• Thessaloniki – Photo Archive Documents 1900–1980

[edit] Cultural

• Thessaloniki Concert Hall Organisation
• Thessaloniki Film Festival
• Thessaloniki – Old postcards
• Thessaloniki Info & Links
• Thessaloniki360 Virtual City Guide
• Thessaloniki Tsimiski.gr street

v · d · eMunicipalities of the Thessaloniki Prefecture Agios Athanasios · Agios Georgios · Agios Pavlos · Ampelokipoi · Apollonia · Arethousa · Assiros · Axios · Chalastra · Chalkidona · Chortiatis · Echedoros · Efkarpia · Egnatia · Eleftherio-Kordelio · Epanomi · Evosmos · Kalamaria · Kallindoia · Kallithea · Koroneia · Koufalia · Lachanas · Langadas · Madytos · Menemeni · Michaniona · Mikra · Mygdonia · Neapoli · Oraiokastro · Panorama · Pefka · Polichni · Pylaia · Rentina · Sochos · Stavroupoli · Sykies · Thermaikos · Thermi · Thessaloniki · Triandria · Vasilika · Vertiskos

v · d · eEuropean Capitals of Culture 1985 Athens · 1986 Florence · 1987 Amsterdam · 1988 West Berlin · 1989 Paris · 1990 Glasgow · 1991 Dublin · 1992 Madrid · 1993 Antwerp · 1994 Lisbon · 1995 Luxembourg City · 1996 Copenhagen · 1997 Thessaloniki · 1998 Stockholm · 1999 Weimar · 2000 Reykjavík · Bergen · Helsinki · Brussels · Prague · Kraków · Santiago de Compostela · Avignon · Bologna · 2001 Rotterdam · Porto · 2002 Bruges · Salamanca · 2003 Graz · 2004 Genoa · Lille · 2005 Cork · 2006 Patras · 2007 Luxembourg City and Greater Region · Sibiu · 2008 Liverpool · Stavanger · 2009 Linz · Vilnius · 2010 Essen · Istanbul · Pécs · 2011 Turku · Tallinn · 2012 Maribor · Guimarães · 2013 Košice  · Marseille

v · d · eWorld Heritage Sites in Greece North Aigai · Mount Athos · Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonica: (Hagios Demetrios, Arch and Tomb of Galerius, Hagia Sophia, Church of Panagia Chalkeon, Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos, Church of the Holy Apostles, Church of the Acheiropoietos, Monastery of Latomos, Church of Saint Panteleimon) Central Delphi · Epidaurus · Hosios Loukas · Meteora · Mycenae and Tiryns · Mystras · Old Town of Corfu · Olympia · Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae Attica Acropolis of Athens · Daphni Monastery Aegean Islands and Crete Delos · Medieval city of Rhodes · Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse · Nea Moni of Chios · Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos

v · d · e   Prefectural Capitals of Greece Agios Nikolaos • Alexandroupoli • Amfissa • Argostoli • Arta • Athens • Chalcis • Chania • Chios • Corfu • Corinth • Drama • Edessa • Eleusina • Ermoupoli • Florina • Grevena • Heraklion • Igoumenitsa • Ioannina • Kalamata • Karditsa • Karpenisi • Kastoria • Katerini • Kavala • Kilkis • Komotini • Kozani • Lamia • Larissa • Lefkada • Livadeia • Messolonghi • Mytilene • Nafplion • Pallini • Patras • Piraeus • Polygyros • Preveza • Pyrgos • Rethymno • Rhodes • Serres • Sparta • Thessaloniki • Trikala • Tripoli • Vathy • Veria • Volos • Xanthi • Zakynthos

v · d · e   Capitals of Peripheries of Greece Athens (Attica) • Corfu (Ionian Islands) • Heraklion (Crete) • Ioannina (Epirus) • Komotini (East Macedonia and Thrace) • Kozani (West Macedonia) • Lamia (Central Greece) • Larissa (Thessaly) • Mytilene (North Aegean) • Patras (West Greece) • Ermoupoli (South Aegean) • Thessaloniki (Central Macedonia) • Tripoli (Peloponnese)

v · d · eSecond Journey of Paul the Apostle 1. Cilicia · 2. Derbe · 3. Lystra · 4. Phrygia · 5.Galatia · 6. Mysia (Alexandria Troas) · 7. Samothrace · 8. Neapolis · 9. Philippi · 9. Amphipolis · 10. Apollonia · 11. Thessalonica · 12. Beroea · 13. Athens · 14. Corinth · 15. Cenchreae · 16. Ephesus · 17. Syria · 18. Caesarea · 19. Jerusalem 20. Antioch