Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia. Formerly a co-reigning center of the Byzantine Empire alongside Constantinople, Thessaloniki is to the day a major port and political centre. Founded around 315 BC by King Cassandes of Macdedon, Thessaloniki has been in possession of the Venetian and the Ottoman Empire, much like many cities around the Adriatic and Aegean Sea.
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Thessaloniki is home to numerous Byzantine monuments, which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as to Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish monuments.
One such monument is the Church of Saint Demetrius. The basilica was reconstructed 7th century on the site of a former church and former Roman bath, in late Byzantine to early Romanesque transition. It is famous for sic extant mosaic panels depicting St. Demetrius. They are rare examples of art surviving from the Dark Age following the death of Emperor Justinian.
Aristotelus Square is one of the main squares of Thessaloniki, but don't feel bad if you only recognize it from the Absolut Vodka advertisement. This is the place where Christmas festivals are held, as well as a venue for music concerts and political speeches. Elegant cafes line the square on the ground floor of the tall Mediterranean, Art Nouveau and Neoclassical buildings.
Significant ancient monuments are the Roman Odeon in the Ancient Forum, the magnificent Arch and Tomb of Galerius, an 8 pillar gateway with a triple arch of masonry faced with brick and sculpted marble panels, depicting the wars of Galerius against the Persians, and the White Tower, an ottoman fortification which became a notorious prison and execution place, today housing a museum.
Another remarkable ancient monument is the Rotunda of Galerius, a round Byzantine structure built as a mausoleum, which after Galerius'death served as a Christian church and later as a mosque, housing beautiful mosaics.
The Thessaloniki music hall is noteworthy for being a modernist construction which still conveys the impression of a temple, grand, exotically brick-colored, with the sea washing up close to its walls.
Thessaloniki hosts an annual International trade fair and the International Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Documentary festival and the Dimitria Festival, focusing on music and dance performances.
