Then as now it was an important city
Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC. Built by King Kassandros on the site of the small ancient town of Thermi. It was named after Kassandro's wife, Thessalonike, daughter of Phillip II, the father of Alexander the Great. Due to its strategic location and important port, Thessaloniki soon became one of the most important cities in Greece.
Under the Romans, around 168 BC. Around BC, the city flourished because it was on the important trade route from Rome to Byzantium. Thessaloniki was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. Around 50 AD the apostle Paul visited the city repeatedly and proclaimed Christianity here.
At the end of the 3rd century, Thessaloniki was appointed the center of the Eastern Roman Empire by Emperor Galerius. Even then, the cityscape was captivating with its magnificent, monumental buildings, many of which are still preserved today.
In Byzantine times, Thessaloniki was the second most important city in the empire and one of the most important economic centers. In 904 AD it was attacked by the Saracens and completely plundered. The same fate befell the city in 1185 when the Normans attacked it. From 1204 until its liberation in 1224 it was the capital of the Kingdom of Thessaloniki, founded by Crusaders. After 1224 the city belonged again to the Byzantine Empire. During this phase, numerous important church buildings were built that have been preserved to this day. In 1430 Thessaloniki was conquered by the Turks, from then on it belonged to the Ottoman Empire and continued to be an important trading center in the Balkans. In 1890 numerous buildings fell victim to a devastating fire, which also killed many people.
Only after almost 500 years of Ottoman rule was the city occupied by the Greek army in 1912 in the course of the Balkan War. As a result, during the Second Balkan War, there were fierce skirmishes with the advancing Bulgarian troops. It was not until 1913 that Thessaloniki was officially assigned to Greece.
In 1917, large parts of the southern center fell victim to a major fire in the flames. After the Asia Minor War between Greeks and Turks, Greek refugees poured into the city and settled here.
It is worth mentioning the large Jewish community with over 50.000 members that existed here until World War II. They descended from Spanish Jews who fled to the Ottoman Empire after 2 during the Reconquista (Christian conquest of the world). They brought their own language, Ladino (Jewish Spanish), with them. In 1492 most of them were deported to Auschwitz.
Today Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece, a modern coastal city with around 1,2 million inhabitants. With its university, the exhibition center, a lively art and cultural scene as well as a wide range of leisure and entertainment options, Thessaloniki, also known as Saloniki for short, is an interesting city in many ways that honors the legacy of its significant and eventful past.
The city is full of historical evidence: sights from antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Ottoman era. Numerous buildings can be found, especially from the Byzantine and Roman times. Many churches, including perhaps the most beautiful, Agia Sofia, also served as mosques at times. The city wall was flanked by various defense towers, of which the White Tower is still preserved and is today's landmark of the city.
It is a comparatively rich city, self-confident and modern, partly sophisticated, but at the same time typically Greek, with a sense of the traditional - that is what makes Thessaloniki so personable and lovable. Religion also plays a major role and the Orthodox priest is a natural part of the street scene.
In addition, Thessaloniki is a shopping paradise for every budget. The traditional, lively market hall awaits with typical Greek and regional products. Modern shops and boutiques offer an international range of goods as well as the latest design and fashion.
Even if you are looking for entertainment, you will not miss out here. Whether the popular promenade on the quayside with elegant restaurants, bars and street cafes, the quaint taverns in the market district or music bars, trendy bistros and kafenions in the newly created district around the old warehouses: There is something for every taste in Thessaloniki. And it stays lively here until the early hours of the morning.
