GREECE IS | THESSALONIKI | 2016-2017

2016-2017 ISSUE

THE SSALONIKI

FIRST EDITION

ISSN: 2459-041X

THESSALONIKI

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2016 - 2017 ISSUE

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FIRST EDITION

experience culture, gastronomy & more

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Welco me

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What’s so special about this city?

Multi-layered and compact, timeless yet modern, charming and generous, Thessaloniki speaks to you, mystifies, surprises and rewards you at every turn. Let’s take a walk and you’ll see.

Vibrantly relevant throughout the centuries, Thessaloniki embraces its rich heritage of empires, religions and cultures; it’s also the ideal base for exploring the Kingdom of Macedon, which spawned Alexander the Great.

From the New Waterfront and the city center up to the old walls of its Upper Town, Thessaloniki is full of places worth visiting, from unknown uber-cool hangouts to neighborhoods where time seems to stand still.

A melting pot of influences, the city’s food scene will thrill the epicure inside you. Here, eating out is an essential part of the lifestyle. Just follow our tried-and-true guide and make sure to leave room for dessert.

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WE LCOME

Millennia in just minutes A B R I E F P E E K I N T O T H E S S A L O N I K I ’ S M E LT I N G P O T O F E R A S A N D C U LT U R E S

BY GIORGOS TSIROS E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F, G R E E C E I S

Then it’s across Dimitriou Gounari Street into Aghiou Georgiou, to a monument that encapsulates Thessaloniki’s turbulent history. The Rotunda was initially built as a royal tomb; it was then used as a cathedral, then as a mosque and then again as a Christian church. Now, it is a cultural venue and museum, with events and exhibitions being held under the silent gaze of the saints, angels and martyrs depicted in its splendid mosaics.

This melting pot of eras and cultures, the encounters between past and present, the revival of history on every corner, the “constant presence of the departed” – as is the title of one of the books by journalist and historian Christos Zafeiris, who has written our piece on the Jews of Thessaloniki – are the main characteristics of this city. These are the elements that will either draw you in or push you away. Many cities lay claim to such contrasts in order to make themselves more attractive, but few integrate them to such an extent that they exist practically unnoticed.

In this sense, a visit to Thessaloniki is a memorable adventure that keeps you hungry for more.

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Some fall in love with Thessaloniki within the first 24 hours; others take longer and yet still become lifetime fans. But to understand why this city is special only takes about three minutes: the length of time you need to walk the 270-odd meters from the Roman Arch of Galerius to the Rotunda. So, let’s follow the locals and meet at the arch, or Kamara as it’s known colloquially, under which the ancient Via Egnatia highway used to run.

Right, we’ve reached the arch, where today we hear the roar of cars and mopeds instead of the rattling wheels of horse-drawn carriages. Before we set off on our tiniest of tours, take a few snaps with your cellphone – the contrast between the ancient structure and the modern cement apartment blocks is quite striking and particularly photogenic – to send off to friends, or (even better) just spend a few moments perusing the ornate sculptures that depict Galerius’ victory over the Persians.

Okay, now let’s start walking. We’ll head past the spot where majestic columns give way to cafés, kiosks, graffiti-laden walls, parked cars and more apartment blocks.

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CONTENTS Greece Is - Thessaloniki, 2016-2017 Issue, First Edition

WELCOME 12. Password: Halara. Ιt means “take

58. The Jewels in the Crown: The

Exploring the Upper Town.

Archaeological Museum and its treasures.

108. Mixing It Up: Places and experiences

it easy” and it’s the best way to enjoy

64. Byzantine Pilgrimage: Ten centuries

suggested by our local correspondents.

Thessaloniki.

of Christian splendor.

120. Broaden Your Horizons: For that

16. Essentially: The city in a nutshell.

22. What I Like: Shortlists from local

72. The Rose of the Sultan:

special day out of town.

experts on art, architecture, style and

78. Rising from the Ashes: The city’s

contemporary music.

radical makeover after the 1917 fire.

TASTE 130. A Love Affair with Food: Eating in

30. What’s on: The season’s highlights.

34. In Pictures: Spot the landmark.

84. Mother of Israel: The Jewish

a culinary capital.

Thessaloniki’s Ottoman heritage.

landmarks tour.

136. Εat and Drink: An up-to-date guide to the city’s best restaurants and bars.

154. Keeping It Sweet: Family artisanal

DISCOVER 48. Milestones: The city’s timeline.

50. Timeless Macedonia: Connecting the

EXPLORE 92. Like Walking on Water: The New

shops that have outlasted market trends

Waterfront, through the eyes of its creators.

and changing times.

dots of a glorious past.

100. A Labyrinth of Memories:

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108 greece is - thessaloniki 2016 - 2017 issue, first edition

Published by: Exerevnitis - Explorer SA, Ethnarchou Makariou & 2 Falireos St, Athens, 18547, Greece ISSN: 2459-041X Editor-in-chief: Giorgos Tsiros (editor@greece-is.com) Commercial director: Natasha Bouterakou (sales@greece-is.com) Creative director: Thodoris Lalangas / www.youandi.gr Creative consultant: Costas Coutayar Deputy editor: Natasha Blatsiou Art director: Ria Staveri Editorial consultants: Dimitris Tsoumplekas, Vassilis Minakakis Translations/Editing: Don Domonkos, George Kolyvas, John Leonard, Damian Mac Con Uladh, Stephen Stafford, Danae Seemann, Christine Sturmey Proof-reading: Don Domonkos Photo editors: Maria Konstantopoulou, Marika Tsouderou Photoshop: Christos Maritsas, Michalis Tzannetakis, Stelios Vazourakis Advertising: Sophia Tsepa (stsepa@kathimerini.gr) Advertising department: Tel. (+30) 210.480.82.27 Š ILLUSTRATIONS DIMITRIS TSOUMPLEKAS

Head of public relations: Lefki Vardikou GREECE IS - THESSALONIKI is a yearly publication, distributed free of charge.

It is illegal to reproduce any part of this publication without the written permission of the publisher.

ON THE C OVER Š Illustration by Katerina Alivizatou.

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INSIGHT

PASSWORD: “HALARA”* A great way to get to know Thessaloniki is to just sit back and let the city come to you, in any way it sees fit.

B Y R i k a Z . Vay i a n n i

* Take it easy.

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through a divorce/separation/affair right now; nothing to worry about. The government stinks/the city is suffering/ we are being short-changed once again, don’t you think?” “Yep, right, Staff, I couldn’t agree more.” “So, where is your husband?”

After all, this is Thessaloniki. As friendly as it gets. Keeping a polite professional distance is futile. We all know each other, so why should we pretend otherwise?

Still, as a born-and-bred Athenian, I will always be an outsider. It does not matter that my home is just a half-hour flight away. I am not a “Thessalonikia.”

This is what matters, I am a “hamoutzou,” a southerner, forever the object of gentle ridicule among my many northern friends. I will never be able to master the few, but distinct, language differences between my city and theirs, and I will certainly never aspire to even mimic the lush, heavily spiced accent that gives away a true Greek of Thessaloniki, in any part of the world he or she chooses to set up camp. I will never be

a real Thessaloniki woman, a truly enchanting creature, with the appearance of an exceptionally well-groomed kitten and the heart of a roaring lioness; nor will I come to ever really know this city, no matter how much I work at it, how long I stay, how hard I study.

My advice? Don’t even try. Travel guides, specialist books and websites, as well as “distilled” editions such as the one you are presently perusing are very much needed. Mostly to take home with you and marvel at the multitude of things you did not even have time to read about, let alone explore.

A great way to get to know Thessaloniki is do nothing to “explore” the place, but instead just “be” there. Just relax. The word “halara” (take it easy), is so embedded in the city’s laid-back mentality, that its use is now all but frowned upon by the locals. However, those superficial platitudes that modern Thessalonians avoid like the plague when describing their city, are in fact, very real qualities any metropolis would kill to have. Apart from its unquestion-

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o I have a favorite spot in Thessaloniki? Yes, it is the vista from my room in the Makedonia Palace Hotel, on a misty afternoon, after a nap, watching the fog eating up the sunset over the Thermaic Gulf. I stand on the balcony, a potent double espresso just wheeled in by room service, amazed and amused by the fact that, after almost four decades of visiting, I still simply cannot get enough of this city. Whatever “this” city is.

My coffee is getting cold, as a consequence of the obligatory chat with any member of the immaculate staff that delivers the order. “Chat with staff” here is code for a short, but passionate discussion about politics, soccer – the local teams are revered almost to the point of a cult following – or the latest snippet of city gossip, as well as soul-baring disclosures about our personal lives.

“Are you with your husband? “No.” “I see” (wink). “Oh, come on, Staff, I am here on an assignment, those years are behind me.” “Yes, yes, of course, my daughter/sister/myself is/am going

A couple erupts into spontaneous dance beneath “Umbrellas”, the soaring sculture by the renowned Greek artist George Zongolopoulos.

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In Thessaloniki, there’s always time for a leisurely lunch with friends and family.

“Laid-back” is a very good attitude to choose on the waterfront.

ably “relaxed” mentality, the city has, at times being been branded as “erotic,” “lazy,” “magical” or “short-changed” (in comparison to the public funding and opportunities that are, more or less, reserved for the capital and its surrounding area). There is a core of truth inside each and every one of those tired clichés. Even if you don’t ever publicly utter the words, it does not hurt to take them into consideration.

Did I mention the word “magical?”

I am not very comfortable with the unproven, but I could swear that this place is a live, sentient being who acknowledges your presence, assesses your personality, your needs, and probes into your deepest thoughts. The city speaks to you and sometimes even sings to you. One of our most beloved Greek songs of the last 30 years (and one of a myriad that salute the city’s name) is titled “Looking for you in Thessaloniki” (“S’anazito sti Saloniki”). Another popular song, “Ladadika,” includes the cryptic lyrics “This is what I give / How much do you want? / They sell what you want in Ladadika.” The historical downtown quarter of Ladadika is a metaphor for the entire city. Be prepared to pay, not always in money. You also need to throw in some “soul currency” for the exchange to be complete.

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By all means, take action if you feel like it, but know that you are doing so at your own “risk.” I remember the night our Canadian friends, a delightful, cosmopolitan couple, dismissed our recommendation for dinner exactly 20 feet from their hotel entrance, as “too touristy.” Instead, armed with the latest trendy city guide they took us to a distant neighbourhood, to savor the legendary Pontic cuisine, the culinary heritage of the diaspora of the Pontic (Black Sea) Greeks. The four of us ended up gazing at our plates of cold mushy pasta, cold cream, and cold ham, all rolled up and served in one amorphous dish. Back at the hotel, close to midnight – our exhausted friends now asleep in their room – we decided to honor the original dinner reservation – albeit with two guests less and a three-hour delay. The manager did not flinch. Out of curiosity, he wanted to know where we had been.

“Pontic? I am Pontic,” he laughed loudly, “and so is half the city! If they wanted Pontic culture, they could have stayed at their hotel; the manager is Pontic, the staff is Pontic, even their breakfast is Pontic. Trust me, I know; the hotel belongs to my family.”

See my point? Do not feel guilty if you don’t go all out actively uncovering Thessaloniki’s “secrets.” It’s okay to feel

overwhelmed by everything the city has to offer. Breathe deeply. Stay put. Look around. Have a bite. Walk two blocks.

Chat with a complete stranger. Follow your group’s scheduled itinerary, or just stand on your balcony. Linger on a street corner. Try to feel the Thermaic Gulf breeze, or the frosty Vardaris wind on your face. Sip your coffee and listen.

This city speaks. Some of the things it says, or shows to you, will remain in your memory for a long, long time.

Some of them will perplex you, take you out of your comfort zone. But the city does speak.

And the first words you hear will always be “This is what I give / How much do you want? I sell what you want to buy.”

Thessaloniki is a live, sentient being who acknowledges your presence, assesses your personality and your needs, and probes your deepest thoughts.

MY CIT Y

ΕSSENTIALLY...

We asked Thessaloniki’s prolific writer to capture the spirit of the city – and he took us for a walk instead.

BY GIORGOS SK ABARDONIS

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In the area that runs from Aristotelous Square to the White Tower, along the coastal road and in the small streets leading into the center, there are hundreds of small bars, restaurants and beer and ouzo joints.

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n afternoon walk along Thessaloniki’s most fascinating promenade is a regular pastime for me; covering both the old and the new stretch of the waterfront, it’s an enchanting long walk that is, perhaps, among Europe’s loveliest. From the Thessaloniki Concert Hall to the old warehouses of the commercial port (an area once known as the Free Zone, established in 1914 in the wake of the Balkan Wars to facilitate tariff-free trade between Greece and its regional allies), there is an incessant flow of people all day long: runners, walkers and cyclists, all engrossed, lost in wonderful reverie. In the area that runs from Aristotelous Square to the White Tower, along the coastal road and in the small streets leading into the center, there are hundreds of small bars, restaurants and beer and ouzo joints where I hang out two or three times a week: they include On the Road, Eden and Thermaikos for drinks, or Agioli for a bite to eat. Locals and countless passersby lounge about, taking photo after photo of the magical view that stretches across the sea all the way to Mount Olympus and the outer fringes of Pelion.

Walking further along the waterfront, particularly in the late afternoon or early

evening, I invariably see crowds of people, mostly youngsters – teens and university students – coming together here at the port complex, renewed after its radical facelift several years ago. They are here to hang out, to make out or simply to enjoy what the spot has to offer: a panoramic view of the city, the soft murmur of the lapping waves and the warm invitation of the just-discernible lights of Skiathos and Tsangarada when the sky is scrubbed clean after a good bout of rain. Behind them, the old warehouses – which date from the Ottoman occupation – are now home to the Thessaloniki International Film and Documentary Festivals in the fall and spring, respectively, and to the Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, as well as home to great bars and restaurants right above the water, where it’s often hard to find a table. Kitchen Bar, on the corner, affords the sort of view only lighthouse keepers usually enjoy.

Thessalonians and visitors to the city like no luxury more than splashing out on a drink or a meal at the location-privileged bars and restaurants on Aristotelous Square – a spacious piazza flanked by elegant edifices in the Eclectic style that reaches all the way up to the Roman Agora. The square is a

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1. The seafront promenade at evening exerts a relaxing charm over residents and visitors.

2. There’s more than one way to enjoy the city’s engaging public spaces.

3. Shopping for fruit and vegetables at the Modiano Market.

4. Looking out over Aristotelous Square from the Electra Palace Hotel’s Orizontes Bar-Restaurant.

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MY CIT Y

These covered markets have, in recent years, attracted new establishments, including bars and ouzeris with live music.

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1. The author pauses during a stroll through the Kapani Market.

2. One of the quaint streets in the Valaoritou District.

3. On Sundays, Nikis Street is closed to motorized traffic, giving pedestrians and cyclists yet more room along the seafront.

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popular meeting spot and a crossroads that evokes the atmosphere of a bygone era.

Across the way from the excellent ouzo restaurant Aristotelous (known by locals as Le Pen, after the far-right French politician, who ate there during a visit to the city in 1984), two legendary markets – Kapani and Modiano – stand practically side-by-side.

Always a hive of activity, they were built in the late 19th and early 20th century and are where Thessalonians like myself go to buy fresh fish, meat, hard-to-find herbs and spices, pickled and cured snacks and sundry other delights ranging from salted flathead grey mullet from Lake Vistonida in Xanthi to authentic skipjack tuna filet from Istanbul. These covered markets have, in recent years, attracted new establishments, including bars and ouzeris with live music. I often grab a table at the historic Mirovolos Smyrni and enjoy spicy soutzoukakia (meatballs in tomato sauce) and an Anatolian band, while further along the strip, places like Ta Vomvidia, To Hontro Alati, Bazagiazi and other restaurants and tavernas heave with humanity. This is the place where the revelry never stops, which is why it is so popular with visitors as well.

Leaving the market area, I usually stop

by Kosmas, a grocery store/delicatessen famed for its excellent products, or at Pantopoleion on Komninon Street, which is perhaps the most famous in town for its choice cheeses, cold meats and delicacies from around the world.

Tsimiski and Egnatia Streets are Thessaloniki’s key thoroughfares and are also always buzzing with life. The former is more popular for its shops and boutiques repre-

MY CIT Y 4. Panellinion is a popular stop in the Ladadika District.

5. A break in the music for a quick sip.

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS, PERIKLES MERAKOS, YADID LEVY

6. On Nikis Street there’always time for one more coffee.

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senting all the major European brands, while Egnatia Street is somewhat more low-brow: its eateries and its shops tend to get cheaper the further you get from the downtown area.

To the southwest of Tsimiski Street, bordered on one side by Ionos Dragoumi Street, is the highly touristic Ladadika District, once the heart of Thessaloniki’s wholesale market in oil, spices and preserved meats and fish, as well as home to myriad small Jewish-owned shops. Today, it is the party district, with bars and clubs playing everything from hard rock to jazz (Thessaloniki has at least 80 jazz bands) and, of course, bouzouki joints like the classic Xefoto. The food scene here is just as rich, with dishes from all over Greece 20

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(including Cretan specialties) and Anatolia. It also boasts the wonderful Panellinion Restaurant, which has an excellent selection of ouzo, tsipouro and cheeses.

Many of my wanderings see me end up late at night in the old quarter of Ano Poli, known for its Ottoman streets and its restored houses sheltering inside the city’s old Byzantine walls. My favorite place here is Genti, an amazing taverna with live music that is located right beside the macabre Yedi Koule Prison, though there is a plethora of other eateries to choose from as well, including Makedonikon and Tsinari.

Walking around Ano Poli’s snaking streets, past its tiny houses with their nar-

row courtyards, I am transported back in time. I can smell the past and I can hear the city’s favorite composer and bard Vassilis Tsitsanis, who once owned an ouzeri here in the city, strumming his bouzouki, wandering among the ghosts and shadows of different ages.

A CITY BECOMING

Giorgos Skabardonis traces Thessaloniki’s history and lays bare its soul.

what i like

The Best in Contemporary Art

by E ir ini Pa pa kon s ta n t inou, Cur at or at t he S tat e Mu s eum of Con t emp or a ry A r t

“Thessaloniki has been a cultural melting pot since it was founded, and the weight, the gravity of history is visible everywhere. It is this juxtaposition between the historical and the contemporary, a contrast that is at the same time an alliance, which makes the art scene here so compelling.”

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The State Museum of Contemporary Art possesses the largest collection of Russian Avant-Garde works (The Costakis Collection) outside Russia while its independent branch, The Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki, focuses more on new and emerging art movements. The Museum also organizes the Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, a massive celebration that takes place throughout the city. (Moni Lazariston, 21 Kolokotroni; CACT: Warehouse B1, Navarchou Votsi) The neighborhood around the Roman Agora is home to artists’ studios, theater and dance workshops, and galleries. Nitra (51 Filippou, www.nitragallery.com) is a very active space representing established and emerging artists.

Container Art Cafe has a great view and also organizes exhibitions. (37 Filippou and Agnostou Stratiotou)

Les Yper Yper is an artist-run collective/space hosting contemporary art exhibitions, residencies, talks, workshops, performances and concerts. (4 Georgiou Stavrou, www.lesyperyper.com) Donopoulos International Fine Arts presents a range of Greek and international artists with diverse artistic philosophies and techniques. (3 Aghias Theodoras, www.donopoulos.gr) Avlaia (at the YMCA, ΧΑΝΘ Square, www.avlaiatheatre.gr) and Black Box (65 Vasilissis Olgas and 2 Fleming) are two of the most important theater spaces in town, bringing innovative plays from talented directors and writers.

Protos Orofos (20 Olympiou Diamanti) is where to get lost in the beauty of experimental and electronic music, while at the Residents Bar, you will be introduced to a range of wonderful musicians and bands. (4A Stratigou Kallari)

Info STAT E M US E U M OF C ONT E M P ORARY ART was founded in 1997 and maintains a collection of works by modern Greek and foreign artists, as well as the Costakis Collection • www.greekstatemuseum.com

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what i like

The Best in Architecture BY e r mi s a d a m a n t idi s & dominik i d a d at s i , “No t a Number A rchi t ec t s”

“What makes Thessaloniki architecturally unique is quite likely the fact that it succeeds in awakening memories. From its Roman roots to life in the present day along its proud new waterfront, everything that passed through here left deeply carved traces still visible to anyone with a desire to explore.”

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

Bey Hamam Also known as the “Baths of Paradise,” this Ottoman-era hamam, with the characteristic perforated dome and the impressive interior lighting this creates, has hosted cultural events from time to time, allowing rare access to the beautifully restored interior. (Egnatia and Mitropolitou Gennadiou) Casa Bianca This early 20th century mansion, which now functions as the Municipal Gallery, is one of the finest examples of the Eclectic style of architecture that was dominant during that period in the city.

(Vasilissis Olgas and Themistokli Sofouli) M2 Designed by Arata Isozaki in cooperation with Schema4 architects, the second structure of the Concert Hall stands in contrast to the adjacent gray

mass of building M1, with simple lines and cold materials that form a more abstract counterpoint. (25th Martiou, Tel. (+30) 2310.895.800, www.tch.gr) Pier A Its low-key interventionist nature has made it one of the most active public spaces in the city, creating an intriguing collage that encompasses the harbor’s various historical phases in a modern urban context. (Port of Thessaloniki) The Museum of Byzantine Culture Designed by Kyriakos Krokos and listed as both a historical monument and a work of art, the museum is marked by a lean style of construction which functions to stir the memory. (2 Stratou, Tel. (+30) 2313.306.400, www.mbp.gr)

Info N o t a N u m b e r A r c h i t ec t s ( N a NA ) is a cross-discipline architecture and design practice based in Thessaloniki and undertaking projects in diverse geographic and cultural environments such as Dubai, Milan, Shanghai, Bucharest and Brussels • www.nan-a.eu

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what i like

The Best in Ethical Style by s t y l i a nee pa r a s ch a , “ W h at E v e W e a rs” Ow ner / De s igner

“Thessaloniki’s long association with fashion and textiles, from the Ottoman era to the ‘golden age’ of the façon workshops, always inspires me. We have a strong history to build on, and a future in emphasizing quality, giving value to the “Made in Greece” brand. Sustainability – comprising an approach that is eco-friendly, toxic-free, cruelty-free and fair-trade, creating products that are handmade, local and organic – can play a large role in the future of the city’s fashion industry.”

© Sana Murad

MOB This brand-new café is a hub of creativity that hosts exhibitions and workshops. Check out this year’s Pillbox Fair (12-13 November), which celebrates local crafters, jewelers, and designers. (Ι. Dragoumi & 2 Papadopoulou) Stoa Karasso This amazing covered market, where you can find everything related to sewing, garment-making and alterations, reminds me of old Thessaloniki, when people used to have all their clothes made to measure. (18 Ermou) Clothes per Kilo Second-hand fashion is, in fact, the most sustainable that exists. So, first dig around in your mom’s and your grandma’s

closets and then, if there’s still nothing you can find, visit this great spot with selected garments for every style. (5 Zefxidos) Kitchen 29 A design studio with a passion for handmade objects, especially little purses, home décor items and much more. They welcome little ones, and they host cool events and food and design workshops. (6 Isavron) Thessaloniki Fashion Project An annual fashion show held each May that brings forward those “unseen heroes” who usually work behind the scenes, such as hair and make-up artists, designers, accessory makers and specialist DJs.

Info W h at E v e W e a r s : An ethical and sustainable fashion startup with a social entrepreneurship business structure • www.whatevewears.com

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what i like

The City’s Soundtrack

by C AY E TANO, Comp o ser a nd mu s ic p roduce r

“Growing up in the 1980s in a city pulsating with rhythm and creativity, and in a home where music was a big part of daily life, I couldn’t help but follow that path. In terms of music, Thessaloniki continues to surprise us today, every so often presenting us with new acts that not only propagate a fine musical tradition but take it that critical step further.”

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

Nasa Funk For the past two decades or so, they’ve been treating us to some of our most “delinquent” and powerful nightlife experiences, performing funk and disco in a way that proves this band is made to play big venues. Don’t pass up any chance to see them live.

George Avramidis This amazing trumpet player writes his own music with as much artistry and passion as he brings to his stage performances. You’ll usually find him playing with other top musicians in gigs that include selections from his latest album, Voyager. For high-caliber Afro-Jazz with a Thessaloniki twist, this man is a definite must-see.

Eightball This is a venue that stands out from the rest for its high-quality sounds and radical guests. Here, you’ll see popular bands as well as acts that you’ve never even heard of. Either way, it’s always worth

dropping by, because a gig here will invariably make your night. (1 Pindou, Ladadika) Thermaikos This is a bar that’s been regarded as a pioneer on the music scene for years, the place to hear first those tracks that everyone will be talking about a few years down the line. (21 Nikis) Berlin Every night, deep into the wee hours, generations of discerning rock and alternative music fans have been earning their stripes here. Every star who’s ever visited the city, from Nick Cave and Iggy Pop to a whole lot more, have stopped by for a drink.

(10 Chrysostomou Smyrnis) Lotos This is a small university of music, hanging on here against the odds for years, with fresh new sounds being introduced to the public on a regular basis by its proprietor Prokopis. (7-9 Skra)

Info www.cayetanomusic.com • www.facebook.com/cayetanomusic • www.soundcloud.com/cayetano

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Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

© Georgii Litichevskii

AGENDA

State Museum of Contemporary Art

WHAT’S ON From a famous 19th century panorama to the 57th edition of the annual film fest, the city’s cultural calendar will liven up your visit.

BY xenia georgiadou

QUIETLY POWERFUL

RUSSIAN Heroes

From 4/11/2016 to 7/1/2017

From 9/11/2016 to 12/2/2017

The exhibition “Whispers” at the Thessaloniki Center of Contemporary Art brings together works by 24 female and one male artist from Greece, Europe and the United States that present their views on issues such as gender, identity and fear, as well as their conclusions with regards to taboos and social mores. Video art, installations, photographs, mixed-media works and sculptures address the big issues that are too often explored only in muted whispers.

• www.cact.gr

One of the most respected ambassadors of the Russian Conceptualist Movement, which developed in the 1970s and ‘80s and can be compared in terms of influence to the Russian Avant-Garde, is being showcased at the State Museum of Contemporary Art in the show “Georgy Litichevsky – Hypothetical dances.” Litichevsky developed his signature style using the esthetics of comic books and graffiti to address philosophical and social issues through depictions of imaginary heroes and iconic

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figures from Russia’s history.

• w w w.greekst atemuseum. com

Orthodox Engravings From 24/10 to 11/12/2016 “Greek Paper Icons – A Greek -Russian Communication Way’” constitutes a fascinating “dialogue” between the collections of the Thessaloniki Museum of Byzantine Culture and the State Museum of the History of Religion in St Petersburg. The exhibition, one of the events marking “Greece-Russia, Russia-Greece Year 2016,” comprises 71 exhibits dating from the 17th to the 20th century (65 etchings and lithographs, as

well as six copper plates). Taken together, they offer a comprehensive understanding of the art and technique of Orthodox Christian engravings and also underscore the cultural ties between the two countries.

• www.mbp.gr

Monuments Tell a Story to 31/1/2017 Thirty-seven stone monuments (reliefs, sculptures, architectural elements and inscriptions) reveal different facets of life in Eastern Thrace from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. These antiquities were collected from 1871 onwards by the Thracian Edu-

cational Society at Rhaidestos; a large part of that collection was donated to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki after the Greeks were expelled from the area in 1922, leaving hearth and home but taking whatever valuables they could carry with them. The exhibition “Rhaidestos-Thessaloniki: Antiquities in a Refugee Journey,” aims to show how the ancient past acquires different meanings in different eras. In the late 19th century, prominent Thracians tried to use these objects to show their connection to a glorious ancient past; in the 20th century, these same objects became mementos of a lost homeland.

• www.amth.gr

Historic Battle

© Eleni Lyra, My Body, 2012, © Collection of Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki, © Doris Papastratou Collection

to 31/1/2017 Henri Felix Emmanuel Philippoteaux’s panoramic depiction of the 1871 Siege of Paris – one of the central actions in the Fran-

co-Prussian War – is one of a handful of panoramas from the 19th century to have survived even in part. A valued item in the Teloglion Foundation of Art collection, it is currently being showcased in Thessaloniki, in an exhibition where its surviving sections are complemented with paintings from the Musee de l’Armee in Paris by eminent French artists of the era, as well as with other objects, including a 1920 Macedonian wooden panorama toy on loan from the Benaki Museum. The aim of the show is to illustrate the evolution of the panoramic painting as the precursor of modern cinema.

• www.teloglion.gr

Gyzis’ Drawings to 30/12/2016 A leading proponent of the 19th century art movement known as the Munich School, Nikolaos Gyzis was a major influence on Greek art as well as an important representa-

Thessaloniki International Film Festival

Thessaloniki Center of Contemporary Art

MUNICIPAL art GALLERY - casa bianca

tive for German 19th-century art. The exhibition “Nikolaos Gyzis: Drawings” at the Municipal Gallery of Thessaloniki, which is being held as part of the 51st Dimitria Festival, comprises 80 engravings, sketches and drawings that illustrate this Greek artist’s role in helping to shape poster art in Germany, along with impressions from trips he took to Greece, Asia Minor and Tyrol.

• www.dimitria.thessaloniki.gr

Magical World From 16 to 18/12/2016

The show “La fiesta escenica: Galtuk, the land of dreams” at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, mixes the magic of the circus with dance, pantomime and theater, as 25 artists from around the world take the audience on a phantasmagorical journey, with the help of special effects and imaginative sets, to a dream world inhabited by fairy-tale creatures.

• www.tch.gr

Teloglion Art Foundation

Celebrating Cinema From 3 to 13/11/2016

Refreshed with new thematic categories, the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival promises to be a thrilling event. The rich program of screenings in the Competition section includes entries from around the world, surprises from the Greek film industry (including 21 shorts shown at the 39th Short Film Festival of Drama), and tributes to esteemed filmmakers such as Zeki Demirkubuz, one of the pioneers of the new Turkish cinema. The Out of Competition program is equally fascinating, with entries by up-andcoming directors, as is the Round Midnight section, featuring classic cult fare such as Jean Rollins’ 1975 “Levres de sang.”

• www.filmfestival.gr

Thessaloniki Museum of Byzantine Culture

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

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© ROGER VIOLLET MUSEUM / HISTORY CENTER OF THESSALONIKI

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AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HISTORY OF THESSALONIKI The National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation (MIET)

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A DV E R TO R I A L

IET’s long-standing contribution to the arts and sciences has been significant and vigorously supported by the activities of its Cultural Center as well as the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive (“ELIA”) in Thessaloniki.

MIET was set up in 1966 as part of the Bank’s 125th anniversary celebrations, when the management of the Bank under Georgios Mavros decided to create a cultural foundation that would contribute to letters, fine arts and the sciences. Its activities, however, were interrupted by the military coup in 1967, though it commenced its work again in 1974 on the restoration of democracy, when Georgios Mavros, who in the meantime had been appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Greece, enacted legislation to this end.

As per its stated mission, the circa 300 publications produced by MIET aim primarily at meeting the teaching needs of universities and today many of them are used as textbooks in higher education.

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Currently, however, MIET has expanded in various areas, such as the collection of works of art and the organization of exhibitions. Apart from the Center in Thessaloniki, MIET manages two other major cultural centers in Athens and Patras. It has also set up the “Archive of Cartography of Greek Regions”, the “Historical and Palaeographical Archive” and the pilot “Paper Conservation Laboratory”, while it also manages the “Alexis Minotis Bequest in Memory of Katina Paxinou”.

THESSALONIKI CENTER NBG FOUNDATION

CULTURAL CULTURAL

The Center was established in 1989 as the NBG Cultural Center of Northern Greece. In 1997, it was subsumed under MIET. To date, the Thessaloniki Cultural Center of MIET has organized exhibitions jointly with the French Institute of Thessaloniki, the Goethe Institute, the Brit-

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Villa Kapandji as it stands today, viewed from Vasilissis Olgas Ave.

V I L L A K A PA N D J I 1. The Triumvirate (Pavlos Kountouriotis, Eleftherios Venizelos and Panagiotis Daglis) pictured on the front steps of Villa Kapandji with members of the caretaker government (27/9/1916). 2. Aerial view, dated 1962, of Vasilissis Olgas Ave. Villa Kapandji and Chateau Mon Bonheur can be seen. (Source: Ellinikos Vorras newspaper, from a feature marking the 50th anniversary of Thessaloniki’s liberation from Ottoman rule.) 3. A postcard showing customers at the seaside cafe “Chateau Mon Bonheur” with Villa Kapandji covered in scaffolding.

ish Council of Thessaloniki, “Christos Kalemkeris” Photography Museum in Kalamaria, the Thessaloniki Contemporary Art Center, the Benaki Museum, and the Albert-Kahn Museum (Paris).

Since early 2000, the Center has been running a bookshop which stocks all the currently available publications of the Foundation, National Bank of Greece and its Historical Archive.

ELIA-MIET The Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive (“ELIA”) – originally founded about 35 years ago in Athens – set up a branch in Thessaloniki

in 1997. It is today housed in MIET’s Cultural Center and contains archives, a library, a reading room and an exhibition area.

ELIA’s collection includes archives of historical, literary, economic and commercial interest. It has established and digitized a significant archive of oral testimonies from the period of the Greek Resistance and the Civil War, mainly from the region of Western Macedonia, while it also hosts a small museum area exhibiting household and personal belongings of Nikos-Alexis Aslanoglou, a Thessaloniki-born poet.

ELIA’s library in Thessaloniki includes over 10,000 volumes on subjects related mainly to ISSN: 2459-041X

© A. PAPAIOANNOU COLLECTION, ELIA/ΜΙΕΤ THESSALONIKI.

Currently MIET has expanded in areas such as the collection of works of art and the organization of exhibitions.

MIET’s Cultural Center in Thessaloniki, like ELIA, has the privilege of being housed in a building of unique historical value built in the early 20th century (at 108 Vasilissis Olgas Ave.). It is one of the few mansions to have remained from the old town of Thessaloniki and has been linked over the years with personalities and events that marked the history of the city. Its construction cost more than 40,000 gold sovereigns, a huge sum at the time, paid for by the Kapandji family, the original owners and a leading commercial family of the city since the late 18th century. Momentous historical events took place in the building, such as the signing of the Greek-Serbian Alliance in 1913. It was the residence of Eleftherios Venizelos during the period of the provisional government under the Triumvirate (1914-1917), while during the Greek-Italian conflict in the first part of the Second World War it was used as a military bakery. The mansion was later used to house schools, until it was eventually abandoned circa 1972. Ten years later, in 1982, the decision was taken to restore the building. Restoration work was completed in 1989, whereupon it served as NBG’s Cultural Center (until 1997), and thereafter, through to the present, as MIET’s Cultural Center.

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IN PICTURE S

SPOT THE LANDMARK The city’s entire history, from the Roman era until modern times, is encapsulated in seven of its most iconic sights.

BY VA S S I L I S M I N A K A K I S

It was in the late 15th century that the Turks, having conquered the city in 1430, decided to build a tower to protect what was a critical part of their empire. They raised it to 33.9m and gave it a diameter of 22.7m. Inside, they built a 120m stairway to connect its six stories.

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[ THE WHITE TOWER - 15th C. ]

From its battlements, the defenders of the city watched over the Thermaic Gulf and prepared to fight approaching invaders, as this iconic tower was part of the city’s southeastern seawardfacing fortifications. When those fortifications were demolished in 1868, the tower remained, eventually becoming Thessaloniki’s trademark monument. Today it houses the City Museum.

On 18 October, 1912, Lt. Nikolaos Votsis of the Greek Navy, in a daring undertaking, sank the Turkish battleship Feth-i Bulend, anchored in the port of Thessaloniki. The mast of the Turkish ship was used as a pole to raise the Greek flag at the top of the Tower after the city was liberated on October 26, 1912.

In 1890, a convict painted the tower white in exchange for his freedom. Since then, it has been known as the Lefkos Pyrgos, or the “White Tower.” Prior to this, it was called either the “Janissary Tower” or the “Tower of Blood” because it had served as a prison and was painted red with the blood of those executed by the Ottoman Janissaries.

THE WHITE TOWER On Nikis • Open daily 9:00-16:00 (Nov-Mar), 08:00-20:00 (Apr-Oct) • Tel. (+30) 2310.267.832

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

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[ ARISTOTELOUS SQUARE-EARLY 20th C. ]

The semi-circular facade of the Electra Palace Hotel is dominated by neo-Byzantine structural elements reminiscent of a period when Thessaloniki was the Byzantine Empire’s co-reigning city, together with Constantinople. Construction of the hotel began in the 1950s and was completed in 1972. Since its opening, the Electra Palace has remained one of the most luxurious hotels in the city.

Though the buildings lining both the square and Aristotelous Street exude the grandeur of Byzantium, their overall design, including the column-supported arches and the covered stoas, owes much to the influence of European architecture and is reminiscent of the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

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Rising out of the charred remains of the fire of 1917, this square was the inspiration of Ernest Hébrard. This talented French architect designed it to be a place for both recreation and commerce, to serve as the city’s opening onto the sea and to accentuate a departure from its Ottoman past and its Byzantine roots.

From the outside, the Olympion Theater could be the Electra Palace’s twin. It was also built in the 1950s and has hosted the Thessaloniki Film Festival since the 1960s.

According to Hebrard’s plan, the showpiece of Aristotelous Square was to be a monumental statue of Alexander the Great on horseback.

This never happened, but the space was graced with another statue, that of Alexander’s teacher, Aristotle, for whom the square is named. The great Greek philosopher was honored this year by UNESCO, which marked the 2,400th anniversary of his birth by proclaiming 2016 “The Year of Aristotle.”

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

The square was designed as a monumental axis that would connect the commercial sector with the existing square next to the area where the ancient agora is located and to City Hall, the courthouse and other public buildings. Hébrard’s plan was never fully implemented, but many elements of his initial ideas can be seen along today’s pedestrianized Aristotelous Street.

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[ KAMARA- EARLY 4th C. ]

Known by locals simply as Kamara, or Arch, this landmark was built in AD 305 to mark Galerius’ victory over the Persians. The Roman Emperor’s war against King Narseh of Persia began in AD 296 and ended a year later with a definitive Roman triumph.

The sculptures adorning the arch served a narrative as well as a decorative purpose. The 14 panels on the northern column depicted Galerius’ marches and battles against the Persians.

The southern columns lauded his military excellence and the political clout of the Tetrarchy, the system of governance put in place by Emperor Diocletian in AD 293.

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

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In its original form, the Arch of Galerius had four main pillars and another four supporting pillars on the sides, with eight gateways and as many arches, as well as a dome. Two central arches and one auxiliary one, connected by stone arches, survive today. The main arched gateway measures 9.70m in width and 12.50m in height, while the smallest has a width of 4.85m and a height of 6.50m.

The arch was a part of the Galerius Complex, a ceremonial passage linking the Rotunda to the north and the palace to the southwest that was once flanked by majestic columns on the left and right. The Via Regia, or the Royal Way, a key road of the Roman Empire, passed beneath the arch.

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[ THE ROTUNDA - EARLY 4th C. ]

Many years ago, a muezzin would climb the 129 steps inside the minaret to call the faithful to prayer. The conical roof and part of the highest section of the 35.85m minaret, shaped like a Doric column, were destroyed by the earthquake of 1987.

The circular wall of the Rotunda is 6.30m thick; in the interior of the building, it is broken up by eight rectangular niches. The southern niche was the main entrance to the building. The whole building is 29.8m tall and has a diameter of 24.5 meters. It was named the “Rotunda” by 18th and 19th century travelers, due to its round shape.

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

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During the period of the Tetrarchy under Roman rule, Galerius, Caesar of the East, built a circular structure in his administrative capital that resembled the Pantheon of Rome. When it was first built (about AD 306), it may have been intended as a temple to either Zeus or Kabeiros, or as Galerius’ own mausoleum, but by the end of the century, it was converted into a Christian church.

Quite a few changes were made when Theodosius converted the initial Roman structure into a Christian church in the late 4th century AD. One of these was the addition of a sanctuary in the eastern niche. Twelve centuries later, the Rotunda was made a mosque by Sheikh Suleyman Hortaji Effendi and a minaret was added onto it.

THE ROTUNDA Dimitri Gounari & Aghiou Georgiou • Open daily 08.00-17.00 (NovMar), 08:00-19:00 (Apr-Oct) • Tel. (+30) 2310.204.868

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[ THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY APOSTLES - EARLY 14th C. ]

Built between 1310 and 1314 by Patriarch Nephon and his pupil Hegumenos Paul, this church was originally the katholikon attached to a well-populated monastery.

The church’s large cistern was the reason that, when the building was converted to a mosque (1520-30) by the Turks, it was named the “Mosque of the Cold Water.”

The church was built from limestone and decorated with red brick, using a technique known as “cloisonne” construction. Its significance as a historic site, as well as the ornate frescoes adoring its walls, have earned it a spot among Thessaloniki’s 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

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The tall central dome rises above the middle of a square formed by four arches in the shape of a cross. This architectural form, a four-columned crossed-dome (inscribed cross), is one of the most elaborate church designs of the Byzantine period.

Although the church has a total of only five domes, in the 19th century it became associated with the Twelve Apostles, despite the popular belief that, for such an association to take place, a church should in fact be topped by 12 domes.

THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY APOSTLES Olympou & Paparigopoulou • Tel. (+30) 2310.537.915 • Open daily 07:30-12:00 & 17:30-19:00

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[ THESSALONIKI CONCERT HALL / M2 BUILDING - EARLY 21st C. ]

A true city landmark, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, or Megaro Mousikis (“Mansion of Music”) as it’s commonly known in Greek, is a contemporary venue of international standards with the capacity to host various cultural events, such as concerts, ballet, theater, opera and art exhibitions, as well as conferences. Inaugurated in 2000, today it includes two buildings, the original, larger M1 and the newer, eye-catching M2.

The M2 hosts an amphitheater, which can seat 500 people, and a hall which seats 300. The latter can be divided into three smaller rooms, making it suitable for a wide range of events. M2 also houses a music library and a museum of musical instruments and provides underground parking for more than 230 vehicles. Like M1, M2 is fitted with special elevators and seats for persons with disabilities.

© ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

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The M2, created by the renowned Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, has a very contemporary style. Geometrical lines, large glass surfaces and steel details make for an interesting contrast to its older red-brick neighbor M1. Inside, its foyer is a vast, sophisticated space that abounds in natural light and offers superb views of the sea.

THESSALONIKI CONCERT HALL 25th Martiou & Paralia • Tel. (+30) 2310.895.800 • www.tch.gr

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[ THE OTE TOWER - MID 20th C. ]

The four-story tower has a total height of 72.4m. 44.2m of that is the actual building, and 28.2m is the height of the surmounting metal frame.

The Tower belongs to TIF HELEXPO and is leased by the telecommunications company (OTE). It stands on the grounds of the Thessaloniki International Fair, one of the top trade fairs in southern Europe since its inaugural opening in 1926.

For a 360° view of the city, grab a table at the newly renovated rotating café, the only one in Greece, on the fourth floor. A complete rotation takes about an hour.

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

The ground floor of the tower, built in 1969, served as the pavillion for OTE, the Greek telecommunications company, at the 34th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). Within a year, the rest of the tower had been finished.

THE OTE TOWER 154 Εgnatias - HELEXPO • Tel. (+30) 2310.265.460

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discover GREECE IS

THE S S A LON I K I

THROUGH THE AGES Magnificent archaeological sites and awe-inspiring treasures testify to both Macedonia’s rich history and the timeless allure of its cosmopolitan capital. Š Portrait of the soldier-martyr Onesiphoros with his distinctive mane of luxurious hair, in the style of Alexander the Great. Taken from the book The Rotunda in Thessaloniki and its Mosaics, by Bente Kiilerich & Hjalmar Torp (Courtest Kapon Editions, www.kaponeditions.gr)

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MILE S TONE S

THE THREAD OF TIME 1387 The city falls to the Ottomans but reverts to the Byzantines in 1403, before being sold to the Republic of Venice in 1423.

1430

315 BC The city is founded by King Cassander of Macedon, who names it after his wife Thessalonike.

322 Emperor Constantine builds a new port outside the city walls.

Thessaloniki is captured by the Ottomans.

1492 Some 30,000 Jews settle in the city after being expelled from Spain.

168 BC The Kingdom of Macedon falls under Roman control. The city becomes capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and enjoys a period of prosperity, especially after construction of the Via Egnatia and expansion of the increasingly busy harbor.

380 Theodosius the Great is baptized in Thessaloniki and fortifies the city’s walls.

1688 Unsuccessful attempt by the Venetians to take Thessaloniki.

616 Unsuccessful attack by the Avars.

1821 The Greek War of Independence begins in the south of the country.

Thousands of Greeks are slaughtered in Thessaloniki.

1876 AD 50 Paul the Apostle visits the city and establishes the first Christian community.

904 The city is sacked by Saracen pirates. Thousands of inhabitants are massacred.

The Old Waterfront pier is constructed; it will be extended towards the sea in the 1890s.

(Illustration of the Sack of Thessaloniki by the Arab fleet in 904, from the Madrid Skylitzes, fol. 111v, detail.)

1185 The Normans occupy the city for three months. Š SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

293-305 Galerius, as caesar of one of the four districts of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy, makes Thessaloniki his administrative center and adorns the city with splendid public buildings.

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1204

1912

Thessaloniki is captured by the Fourth Crusade. The city is liberated in 1224 by the Despot of Epirus, Theodore Komnenos Doukas.

Outbreak of the First Balkan War. Thessaloniki is liberated by the Greek army. Within a year, its population reaches 158,000.

BY VA S S I L I S M I N A K A K I S

1989 UNESCO lists 15 of the city’s Early Christian and Byzantine monuments as World Heritage Sites.

1949 1917 The Great Thessaloniki Fire destroys half the city center. The reconstruction plan, drawn up by French architect Ernest Hébrard, includes the creation of a monumental axis beginning at what is now Aristotelous Square.

The Church of Aghios Dimitrios, the city’s patron saint, is reconsecrated after decades of restoration work.

1997 1960 The Film Festival opens for the first time; it becomes the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 1992.

[Snapshot from a reception in 1960. Seen are director Takis Kanellopoulos (center) and composer Mimis Plessas (dancing).]

Thessaloniki is designated European Capital of Culture. George Zongolopoulos’ sculpture “Umbrellas” is erected on the new waterfront and a number of important museums are founded.

1923 Mass influx of refugees to the city following the Greek defeats in Asia Minor and the subsequent Treaty of Lausanne providing for the compulsory exchange of populations.

The city’s Muslim inhabitants leave Thessaloniki.

2000 1962 Inauguration of the building that now houses the Archaeological Museum, where unique treasures of Macedonia are exhibited, including finds from the royal tombs of Vergina.

The Thessaloniki Concert Hall is inaugurated. The State Museum of Contemporary Art is enriched with Russian avant-garde works from the Costakis Collection.

1926 The first Thessaloniki International Fair is held.

1941 Thessaloniki is occupied by the Germans. During the occupation, which lasts until 1944, almost the entire Jewish community of the city is exterminated by the Nazis.

1970

2013

The Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) Tower is built within the grounds of the Thessaloniki International Fair.

The redevelopment of the Nea Paralia (“New Waterfront”) area, from the White Tower to the Concert Hall, is completed.

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ANCIENT GLORY

Timeless Macedonia Thessaloniki provides an ideal base from which to explore the history and archaeological sites of northern Greece.

© VISUALHELLAS.GR

BY JOHN LEONARD

(Above) Gold pendant depicting Philip II; Roman era (National Library, Paris). (Right) Alexander the Great at the Battle of Issus (2nd c BC).

Detail of a mosaic from the House of the Faun in Pompeii (National Archaeological Museum, Naples).

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VINIETA FYROM

Strymonas River Prespa Lake Amphipolis

Apsalos Florina

Pella

ALBANIA

THESSALONIKI Arethousa

Lefkadia (Mieza)

Kastoria Lake

Stageira

Vergina (ancient Aigai)

Dispilio

Petralona Cave Olynthos

Dion

Via Egnatia

© SHUTTERSTOCK

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herever you travel in this country of diverse regions, it seems you can always find something new, intriguing and worthy of note. This is especially true when you head north, away from the teeming megalopolis of Athens into the lush plains and rolling green hills of Macedonia. One enters a different world, marked first by the towering mass of Mount Olympus, which – along with Zeus’ statue-adorned sanctuary at Dion in its shadow – stands sentinel over the southern Macedonian borderlands.

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INSPIRING LAND OF ALEXANDER In the north, as elsewhere in Greece, an impressive landscape combines with history, archaeology and present-day culture to ensure a unique, unforgettable experience. Here, one also finds Vergina (ancient Aigai), the first capital of ancient Macedonia and the burial place of King Philip II, whose son, Alexander the Great, came to rule most of Greece and eventually a vast empire in the east. Alexander’s spirit seems ubiquitous in this central area of Macedonia – at nearby Pella, where he was born and grew up; at shady Mieza, where he continued his studies under the philosopher Aristotle; and at Amphipolis, about 100 km east of Thessaloniki, where in 334 BC he mustered his land and naval forces before departing across Thrace for Asia.

© SHUTTERSTOCK, CORBIS/SMART MAGNA

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BULGARIA

VINIETA

1. DISPILIO

Reconstruction of the prehistoric lake settlement at Dispilio.

2. APSALOS

Roman milestone from the Via Egnatia (Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki).

3. LEFK ADIA (MIEZ A)

Philippi

The “School of Aristotle,” a cave complex once equipped with colonnaded walkways and attended

by Alexander the Great.

4. VERGINA (ANCIENT AIGAI)

Cuirass of Philip II (Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai-Vergina).

5. DION

Bronze horse head from a couch in the Villa of Dionysus.

6. PELL A

Detail of the Lion Hunt mosaic, from the House of Dionysus, Pella.

7. PETR ALONA CAVE Fossilized cranium of Petralona Man.

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Northern Greece’s past, however, does not begin and end with Alexander, who, although unquestionably its greatest luminary, can today be recognized as one particularly bright star within a more extensive chronological constellation of influential figures – both ancient and modern – that have also left their mark on the region’s history. These important Macedonian characters range from the anonymous Petralona Man, whose 200,000-to-400,000-year-old cranium was discovered in 1960 deep in a cave in Halkidiki, to the late archaeologist Manolis Andronikos, who, in the 1970s, unearthed the ancient royal graves at Vergina – a major discovery for Greek archaeology, of similar magnitude to Heinrich Schliemann’s unveiling a century earlier of the Bronze Age kings of Mycenae.

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8. STAGEIR A

Statue of the philosopher Aristotle, who was born at Stageira and ultimately buried there in a monumental tomb.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

9. AMPHIPOLIS

The Lion of Amphipolis.

Read all about the greatest star in Macedonia’s constellation of important figures.

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10. PHILIPPI

Ruins of Basilica II (6th century AD).

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ANCIENT GLORY

The Macedonian Countryside C A M P S I T E S , P A L A C E S A N D E A R LY C H R I S T I A N B A S I L I C A S

Immigration is nothing new for Greece.

Thousands of years ago, just as it is again today, Greece was a preferred path for transient people streaming into Europe from the east. Macedonia, in particular, witnessed the passage of many travelers, some of whom stopped temporarily or settled down in more permanent villages. Near Apsalos in the prefecture of Pella, archaeologists have identified a 10,000-year-old campsite where Mesolithic people erected wooden shelters and used chipped-stone tools, but still lacked the knowhow to produce pottery.

The enormous span of Macedonia’s history is similarly attested by its many Neolithic settlements. At Dispilio, on the southern shore of Lake Kastoria (ca.

5600–3000 BC), timber, reed and clay houses on elevated wooden platforms (now partly reconstructed) once accommodated a community of fishermen who inscribed symbols on wooden tablets – perhaps to record their catches or to inventory other food supplies.

THE ANCIENT HEARTLAND The heart of ancient Macedonia lay southwest of Thessaloniki. This was the central stomping ground of Philip, Alexander and his ruthlessly supportive mother Olympias, who conceived the boy, legend held, after Zeus came to her bed disguised as a serpent. It was here that generations of Macedonian kings, beginning in the 7th century BC, based themselves at Aigai (Vergina) and later at Pella. It was from here that Philip and Alexander successively expanded their hegemony to the wild Epirote west; to the distant northern province that today grandly labels itself “Macedonia;” to eastern, mineral-rich Thrace; and to the revered southern realm of classical Greece. By consolidating and expand54

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ing on his father’s imperial conquests, Alexander brought Macedonia to an economic and cultural zenith, evident in the splendor of his capital at Pella, and set the stage for the rise of the Hellenistic world.

The wealth of ancient Macedonia is also apparent in the ornate chamber tombs of Lefkadia (Mieza) and at Archontiko, near Pella, where more than 1,000 now-excavated graves of late Geometric through Hellenistic date indicate a longlived settlement whose later residents possessed gold-trimmed bronze armor and lavish jewelry.

(Below) The partially reconstructed prehistoric lake community at Dispilio, where Neolithic fishermen and their families lived in elevated houses.

(Right) View of the coastline from the walls of the north hill at Stageira.

© EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES OF CHALKIDIKI AND MOUNT ATHOS/HELLENIC REPUBLIC, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS/ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND

THE NORTHWEST

Further east lie the coastal city of Stageira, birthplace of Aristotle, and the hilltop castle of Rentina, a control point for the Via Egnatia in Roman and Byzantine times...

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ANCIENT GLORY

DION

© ANA, REUTERS

Now a pleasant archaeological park with tree-shaded paths and partly flooded ancient temples, Dion was the most important religious sanctuary in ancient Macedonia, dedicated primarily to Olympian Zeus. This was a mythical spot, believed to be the birthplace of Macedon, Zeus’ son and the Macedonians’ eponymous forebear. Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Demeter and Isis also had shrines here.

With its strategic frontier location, Dion represented a stoutly walled key military base – a favorite haunt of Alexander, where he hosted lavish celebrations prior to his Asian campaign and, in 334 BC, commissioned a Lysippan sculptural monument to commemorate his fallen companions after the Battle of Granicus. Despite a devastating Aetolian attack in 219 BC, Dion quickly recovered, reaching new heights as a prosperous, much admired city and subsequently a long-flourishing Roman colony (founded by Octavius), with affluent villas, large public baths, theaters, basilicas and stone-paved streets. The luxury of private life at Roman Dion is revealed by the so-called Villa of Dionysus, with its elaborate baths, polychrome mosaics, Classically-inspired sculptures and nearly 100 m2 dining hall.

Dion’s many graceful statues now reside in the site’s museum, where visitors will also discover the earliest known example (1st cent. BC) of a hydraulis – an air-driven musical instrument with bronze pipes that represents the forerunner of the modern church organ. Outside, one can stroll down ancient avenues, dally beside the Vaphyras River, or take in a musical or dramatic performance at the city’s 2,500-year-old theater.

1. Mosaic depicting a deer hunt, from the House of the Abduction of Helen (325-300 BC, Archaeological Museum of Pella).

2. The sanctuary of Isis Lochias at Dion.

The narrow corridor leading to the sanctuary’s entrance was filled with water and symbolically represented the Nile River in Egypt.

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ANCIENT GLORY

HALKIDIKI

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Further historical and archaeological riches lie east of Thessaloniki in the three-fingered Halkidiki area, whose easternmost peninsula hosts Mount Athos, a Christian monastic enclave that has existed for at least twelve centuries. At Olynthos, Halkidiki’s political and cultural nucleus in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, visitors will find a modern-like orthogonally planned city, burned by Philip II in 348 BC, but notable today for its extensive array of classical houses and fine pebble-mosaic floors.

Further east lie the coastal city of Stageira, birthplace of Aristotle, and the hilltop castle of Rentina, a control point for the Via Egnatia, fortified in late Roman and Byzantine times. The adjoining city of Arethousa was infamous as the place where the playwright Euripides may have died (or at Pella) after being attacked by King Archelaos’ hunting dogs.

AMPHIPOLIS, PHILIPPI Traveling east across the Strymonas River, one comes to Amphipolis and eventually (166 km east of Thessaloniki) to Philippi, located at another strategic pass successively fortified and colonized by the Thracians, Romans and Byzantines.

Following St Paul’s visit circa AD 49, Philippi became a major Christian center and a target for pilgrims. Almost 2,000 years later, the city’s ruins encompass an agora, a reconstructed theater and numerous sanctuaries, churches, baths, shops, public buildings, common houses and sumptuous mosaic-floored bishops’ residences. From one end to the other, an archaeological journey through eternal northern Greece has much to offer.

Dion was a mythical spot, believed to be the birthplace of Macedon, Zeus’ son and the Macedonians’ eponymous forebear. Artemis, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Demeter and Isis also had shrines here...

3. The Abduction of Persephone by Pluto. From the decorative wall painting in the so-called “Tomb of Persephone” (350 BC) at Vergina, which may belong to Nikisipoli, one of Philip II’s wives and mother of Thessaloniki.

4. Two headless sphinxes above the entrance to the newly revealed Kasta Hill tomb at Amphipolis.

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ANCIENT GLORY

THE JEWELS IN THE CROWN Exploring the past at Thessaloniki’s Archaeological Museum.

BY JOHN LEONARD

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© THESSALONIKI ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM / MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS/ ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND, PHOTO: ORESTIS KOURAKIS

Gold myrtle wreath, from the tomb of Philip II at Vergina (Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki).

Thessaloniki itself, an age-old, refreshingly innovative city, is the jewel in the Macedonian crown, its urban history reflective of the successive waves of people and conquerors that often swept through the northern lands at the top of the Aegean. Today, in addition to its centrally located archaeological park that stretches along the axis of the early 4th-century AD palace of the Roman emperor Galerius, visitors can also catch a glimpse of the ancient city at the nearby Roman Agora; at exposed sites of lesser ruins nestled here and there among the modern

buildings; or by tracing on foot the city’s eastern fortification walls that rise and fall in preserved height as they ascend from the White Tower on the seafront to the prominent Trigonion Tower perched high in the picturesque Ano Poli (Upper Town).

To make better sense of Thessaloniki’s increasingly emerging ancient antiquities – the presentation of which is constantly being improved for visitors – the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (AMTH) should not be missed. Where once there existed a rather typical exhibition of archae-

ological artifacts, the completion of major renovations in 2006 marked the dawn of a new era for this extraordinary museum.

Today, visitors are treated to engaging, thematically arranged permanent displays and creative temporary exhibitions that cover movingly relevant modern topics as well.

Also offered is an annual array of workshops, seminars and recreational activities.

Most importantly, the museum’s displays, through their thoughtful organization, detailed information panels, original illustrations and historic photographs, tell a story

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Detail of a statue of Harpocrates (late 2nd century BC).

Statue of Roman Emperor Augustus (second quarter of the 1st century AD).

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which reveals the rich history and archaeological remains of Thessaloniki and its surrounding region.

The initial exhibits (Prehistoric Macedonia; Towards the birth of cities; and Macedonia from the 7th Century BC to Late Antiquity) provide a context within which visitors can more clearly comprehend and appreciate the individual displays. Subthemes include institution-administration-law; education; athletics; writing; economy and communication; agricultural and pottery production; family and private life; the symposium; Olympian gods; and arts and letters. In subsequent galleries, entitled Thessaloniki: Metropolis of Macedonia, visitors can acquaint themselves with the layout of the Hellenistic-Roman city, founded in 315 BC by Alexander’s successor Cassander. Artifacts of every variety attest to daily life and customs in Thessaloniki’s Roman Agora, administrative center (present-day Dioikitiriou Square), Galerian palace complex, Hippodrome, western and eastern cemeteries and sacred sanctuary area. The latter district, west of the Agora, was once the setting for an Archaic-era temple imported from outside the city during early Roman times and rebuilt – possibly as a shrine to Julius Caesar and intended as a peace-offering to his adopted son/heir Octavius (Augustus).

Thessaloniki also had a serapeum,

one of the Aegean’s oldest, most important sanctuaries dedicated to Egyptian divinities, founded perhaps in the 3rd century BC. Isis and Serapis were traditionally respected as the healers and patrons of seafarers, which likely explains their worship at this major seaport. A votive relief from the sanctuary depicting a human ear signified that the two gods listened to the prayers of their faithful.

An elaborate Roman bath complex (late 2nd/early 3rd century AD) on display at the AMTH is thought to have stood south of the Agora. Its two-story Corinthian colonnade featured an upper-level of pilasters adorned with sculpted figures, including Dionysus, Ariadne, Nike and Ganymede with Zeus.

Dubbed “Las Incantadas” (“The Enchanted Ones” in Sephardic Judeo-Spanish), they represented a beloved local landmark, but were sold in 1864 to the French consul by Thessaloniki’s Turkish governor, to the bitter consternation of the city’s inhabitants.

One of the AMTH’s newer displays involves a small, out-of-the-way collection of Roman-era statues in the hallway and

(Right) Detail of the Derveni Krater (330-320 BC), showing a maenad who decorates the bronze vessel’s shoulder, beside the handle.

© VANGELIS ZAVOS, THESSALONIKI ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM / MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS/ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECEIPTS FUND

An ornately carved Attic sarcophagus (AD 220-230), recovered from Thessaloniki’s ancient Western Cemetery and depicting scenes from the Amazonomachy (the mythical battle between Greeks and Amazons), stands just outside the entrance to the Archaeological Museum.

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

METRO EXCAVATIONS: A TRIUMPH FOR THESSALONIKI

stairwell behind the main reception desk.

Here, the imaginative spirit of the renewed museum is again demonstrated, as several of the statues stand pensively staring out of the windows, seemingly considering what life outside in the city of Cassander might be like these days. Or perhaps they are contemplating an escape to freedom!

Temporarily on show at the AMTH is a distinctive collection of antiquities (6th century BC to 4th century AD) once belonging to the Thracian Educational Society in Rhaidestos (present-day Tekirdag, Turkey), which were transferred to Greece in the 1922 exodus from eastern Thrace. The exhibition, “Rhaidestos–Thessaloniki: Antiquities in a Refugee Journey,” will remain open until January 31, 2017.

The museum’s offerings do not stop at the exit, but continue down the side and behind the building in the exhibition “Field House Garden Grave.” Here too, one must allow enough time to read the labels carefully. The importance of epigraphic evidence for local history cannot be overstated. The city’s gymnasium (somewhere

south of the Agora), for example, is today only attested through inscriptions.

Similarly, the inscription on an inconspicuous sarcophagus displayed outside the museum – identifying it as the tomb of Marcus Aurelius Jacob and his wife Anna – represents the only known epigraphic evidence for Thessaloniki’s Roman synagogue.

The city’s original Jewish community may have dated back to the 2nd or 3rd centuries BC. Later waves of European Jews arrived in the 14th and especially 15th centuries.

For more on this, turn to page 84.

The colors of night in a city that never sleeps: a view of the Palace of Galerius (early 4th century AD).

INFO A R C H A E O L O G I C A L M U S E U M O F T H E S S A L O N I K I : 6 Manoli Andronikou • Tel. (+30) 2313.310.201 • Open daily 09:00-16:00 (Nov-Apr), 08:00-20:00 (May-Oct) • Admission €8, reduced €4, combined ticket €15, valid for three days (with admission to the Museum of Byzantine Culture, the White Tower, the Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki and the Palace of Galerius) • www.amth.gr

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Nothing that is truly worth it comes easily. Never has this maxim been truer than for Thessaloniki’s new Metro. Launched in 2006, the project still remains incomplete, to the frustration of everyone who has to move around daily through the city center. However, the Metro excavations also represent an enormous triumph for Thessaloniki, a hard-won victory to preserve the city’s millennia-old and meters-thick urban history. From the project’s start, it was obvious antiquities would be found. What no one could have predicted was the extent to which ancient Thessaloniki continues to exist beneath the modern pavement. Now archaeologists and engineers have revealed a stratified urban landscape of the 4th-9th centuries AD. Most spectacular is a grid of wide and narrow stone-paved streets that inspired the alignment of the present city.

At future Venizelou and Aghias Sophias Stations, the main E-W ancient street, some 6m beneath today’s Egnatia Street, is lined with shops, workshops, a stoa (colonnaded walkway), city squares, monumental entranceways and entire Late Roman/Early Byzantine neighborhoods. Also found have been two early Christian churches, thousands of graves, a brick-vaulted/slab-covered sewer system, ceramic and lead water pipes, and over 100,000 artifacts that reflect daily life in ancient Thessaloniki. Venizelou Station will be an archaeological showcase, with Metro users walking on a glass floor that reveals the city’s fascinating past below. After much contention, it seems all lights are green in Thessaloniki for the harmonious co-existence between the Metro and what promises to be an extraordinary city landmark.

THE CHRIS TIAN E R A

Byzantine Pilgrimage

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From its numerous UNESCO-listed churches to its state-of-the-art Museum of Byzantine Culture, Thessaloniki carries with pride the relics of its glorious and turbulent Byzantine past.

BY John Leonard

A winged Nike/angel supports the sphere of the Cosmos with her hands; from the central medallion in the dome of the Rotunda.

(Taken from the award-winning book Mosaics of Thessaloniki, 4th-14th century (2012, Kapon Editions)

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THE CHRIS TIAN E R A

© ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

The Museum of Byzantine Culture possesses a splendid collection of Christian icons and ecclesiastical artifacts.

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hessaloniki is often thought of today as the “Byzantine capital” of Greece, a reputation based on more than the fact that the city boasts no less than a dozen Byzantine churches designated by UNESCO as World Heritage monuments, or that its Museum of Byzantine Culture is both richly presented and the recipient of a Council of Europe Award (2005) for “being a pioneer in the treatment of its exhibits, as well as in its activities and the high level of its provided services…” Historically, after AD 379, Thessaloniki was an important capital; the chief administrative center of the region of Illyricum, one of the Roman empire’s four Praetorian Prefectures. The emperor Galerius (who ruled AD 305-311) had already made the city one of his bases, beautifying it with a magnificent palace and other major constructions. He was an ardent anti-Christian, however, during whose tenure Saint Demetrius, a locally well-known and vocal advo-

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cate for Christian ways, was martyred (ca. AD 306), his body dropped down a well in a Roman bath complex now enshrined beneath the Church of Aghios (Saint) Dimitrios. A small chapel was originally built in the mid AD 320s on this site, after Constantine I defeated his pro-pagan rival Licinius and founded Byzantium/Constantinople.

The church evident today is a reconstruction (following Thessaloniki’s catastrophic fire of 1917) of a later 7th-century structure. In the years after his death, Dimitrios became the patron saint and protector of Thessaloniki, whose shrine attracted many pilgrims from across Christendom.

Constantine had considered Thessaloniki for the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, before finally deciding on Byzantium. Following the dedication of Constantinople in AD 330, Thessaloniki continued to play a key role in the economic, political and religious affairs of the Byzantine Em-

The Hospitality of Abraham and His Wife Sarah to the Three Angels (icon, 17th century).

Following the dedication of Constantinople in AD 330, Thessaloniki continued to play a key role in the Byzantine Empire, second only to the capital itself.

THE CHRIS TIAN E R A

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pire (AD 330-1453) as a major urban center and strategic seaport second only to Constantinople itself.

Thessaloniki also became an important focus of Byzantine art, where numerous churches adorned with polychromatic mosaics and frescoes were erected from the 5th through especially the 13th and 14th centuries. The city’s oldest Christian temple is the Church of the Asomati (later of Aghios Georgios) in the Rotunda (4th c. AD), followed by the Church of the Acheiropoietos (5th c.) and the delightfully secluded, iconographically notable Latomou Monas68

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tery/Church of Hosios David (6th c.), whose apse mosaic depicts a young, unbearded Christ and symbols representing the Evangelists. In the Rotunda’s cavernous interior, the stunning and now freshly conserved Late Roman/ Early Christian wall and ceiling mosaics are considered to be equal in splendor to those of Ravenna.

Before being officially annexed to Greece in 1913, Thessaloniki suffered a turbulent history, with great prosperity, bloody sieges, alternating authorities, political intrigue and repeated devastations that each time

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Thessaloniki also became an important focus of Byzantine art, where numerous churches adorned with polychromatic mosaics and frescoes were erected from the 5th through especially the 13th and 14th centuries.

THE CHRIS TIAN E R A

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required its resolute population to rebuild and carry on. It has witnessed many haunting demonstrations of both human strengths and weaknesses.

Theodosius I (who ruled AD 379-395), the great pro-Christian suppressor of paganism, was baptized in Thessaloniki in AD 380, the same year he made Christianity the official religion of the Roman state. A decade later, however, he took the decidedly un-Christian step of massacring about 7,000 Thessalonians in the city’s hippodrome, following public riots ignited by his garrison commander’s imprisonment of a pop-

ular charioteer. The famous early 17th century painting by Anthony van Dyke, “St. Ambrose Barring Theodosius I From Milan Cathedral” (1619-1620), portrays the moment sometime after this incident when the Bishop of Milan, because of his continuing grief over and condemnation of the Thessaloniki massacre, spurned the emperor.

Thessaloniki was also the point of departure for Cyril and Methodius in their quest to Christianize the Danubian Slavs in AD 863. Centuries later, it was home to Grigorios Palamas, the preeminent theologian of Greek Or-

1. At the Museum of Byzantine Culture, one finds an atmosphere rich in history together with fresh modern architectural and museological design.

2. The intricacy and vividness of Byzantine art, depicting landscapes, animals and saints, grip the attention of even the museum’s youngest visitors.

3. Brilliant icons and architectural relics trace the flourishing Christian culture of the Byzantine Empire.

4. A rare example of a fan-shaped marble pulpit, from the Early Christian Basilica C (6th c.) at Philippi.

5. Notus, god of the south wind; detail from an Early Byzantine floor mosaic (AD 400-450).

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c. AD wall paintings of saints (Cosmas, Damian) from the Agora; and an array of artifacts attesting to everyday life and occupations in Early Byzantine Thessaloniki. One information board reproduces an inscription commending Theodosius’ magistrate for his honest handling of public funds in the construction of fortifications: “With unsoiled hands Hormisdas built these impregnable walls and made the city great.” This intriguing brickwork dedication can still be seen today high on the city wall beside Deinarhou Street.

Exhibits at the Museum of Byzantine Culture are informative for students, specialists and lay visitors alike.

thodoxy’s mystical tradition of Hesychasm, who became the city’s archbishop in 1347.

Nowadays, in addition to Byzantine churches, visitors can also explore Thessaloniki’s preserved fortifications and its Byzantine Baths (ca. late 12th14th c.) in the Ano Poli (Upper Town).

Defenses were originally installed when Cassander established the city, but many later authorities, including the Byzantine emperors Theodosius I and Manuel II Palaeologos, expanded and augmented the walls. The Venetians are thought to have erected the Trigonion and White Towers, still standing today, sometime in the 15th century. At their peak, the city walls extended 8km, were nearly 5m thick and reached heights of 10-12m. The Baths, now a museum, can be found on Theotokopoulou Street amid quiet, narrow, winding streets and tradition-

ally styled houses that vividly recall the atmosphere of Byzantine and Ottoman Thessaloniki.

MUSEUM OF BUZANTINE CULTURE

One of the most impressive and satisfying strolls to be had in Thessaloniki, however, is through the Museum of Byzantine Culture. The subject of a 1913 government decree resolving to establish a Byzantine museum in Thessaloniki, and originally planned to be housed in the 1,500-year-old Acheiropoietos Church, the Museum finally opened its doors in 1994 in a newly constructed building designed by award-winning architect and painter Kyriakos Krokos.

Here one finds traces of the city’s Early Christian churches, including architectural and mosaic fragments from Aghios Dimitrios Church; a monolithic stepped ambo (pulpit) in white marble, from the Acheiropoietos Church; 6th

An ensuing series of thematic galleries presents: The Early Christian City and Dwelling; From the Elysian Fields to Christian Paradise; From Iconoclasm to the Splendor of the Macedonian and Komnenian Dynasties; The Dynasties of Byzantine Emperors; The Byzantine Castle; and The Twilight of Byzantium: 1204-1453. Local archaeological excavations are also featured, along with a diverse selection of artifacts that illustrate Middle and Late Byzantine life in both Thessaloniki and wider northern Greece. Bringing the past into clear view are art objects and abundant evidence of craftsmen and workshops: sculptures; religious icons; iron keys and agricultural implements; ceramic table wares, kitchen wares and storage vessels; and jewelry. Small barrel-vaulted tombs, finely painted inside with symbols and family figures, are beautifully displayed with internal spotlights. Further exhibits detail the custom of Byzantine pilgrimage, the rise of fortified towns and the introduction of new church types.

Perhaps most striking are the richly decorated icons, prints, wooden and copper engraved plates, ecclesiastical embroidery, liturgical books and objects of silver and gold. Here one glimpses the artistry of the later post-Byzantine and post-Ottoman eras.

Info M u s e u m o f B y z a n t i n e C u lt u r e : 2 Stratou • Tel (+30) 2310.267.832 • Open daily 09:00-16:00 (Nov-Apr), 08:00-20:00 (May-Oct) • Admission €8, reduced €4, combined ticket €15, valid for three days (with admission to the Museum of Byzantine Culture, The White Tower, the Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki and the Palace of Galerius) • www.mbp.gr

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THE ROSE OF THE SULTAN

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

An architectural tour takes us through centuries that defined Thessaloniki as a vital, thriving city of the Turkish Empire.

BY AMBER CHARMEI

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The Fountain of Holy Water and Myrrh, in the Church of Aghios Dimitrios, which was dedicated to Islam in 1493 and became the Kasimiye Mosque (left).

© THESSALONIKI HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVES

Hand-colored photograph of a woman in aristocratic Turkish dress (right).

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ust imagine the scene. It’s the year 1430 and Sultan Murat II has a dream in which God reaches out to him with a rose. The Sultan asks “Can I take it?” God answers “Yes.” This vision emboldens the Sultan. Thessaloniki – with its fortifications, its fertile plains by the Axios River, with the Bay of Thermaikos for a harbor and, just for show, Mount Olympus majestic in the distance – is the rose of his dream. He takes it.

Our tour “Selanik – The Rose of the Sultan” takes us through those centuries (1430-1912) when Thessaloniki was a vital, thriving Ottoman city. You can still taste it in the syrup pastries, the rich creams and the dishes that are zestier and spicier than elsewhere in Greece. You can hear it in the dish74

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es’ exotic names, too. Nothing distinguishes our lively spice markets from those of Istanbul but the language. The Ottoman presence lingers, especially in the upper town with its winding paths and traditional houses with their cantilevering upper stories. Water still flows from public fountains with Arabic inscriptions and, at the edge of a shady square, you may come upon a tourbe (tomb) of a Sufi holy man.

The Romans left stunning monuments – a triumphal arch, an Agora, a Rotunda. Then the Byzantines built a wealth of early Christian churches, and the walls of the upper city – now so picturesque – that ultimately failed to keep the Ottomans out. The Ottoman architectural presence is more subtle.

We start our tour near the city’s

sole minaret; travelers of earlier eras write of the city once being aglow with them “like fireflies from a distance.” It is tall and elegant, but dwarfed by the Rotunda it still graces. For Thessaloniki’s urban scale, the Rotunda is massive – 24,5m wide and 29,8m high. It’s easily likened to the slightly older (and larger) Roman Pantheon. Not long after Galerius had it built, the Rotunda became the Church of Aghios Georgios.

It stayed a Christian place of worship until 1591, when it was dedicated as the Mosque of Suleyman Hortaji Effendi (acquiring the minaret, the fountain for ritual cleansing outside the entrance, and a plaque in Arabic above the door).

As we enter the building, we’re all caught up in the sight of an unobstructed soaring space and in the gliterring

© THESSALONIKI HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVES

1. The Rotunda’s soaring interior.

2. The Panaghia Acheiropoietos.

3. The domes of the Aladja Imaret.

4. Dervishes photographed during the Campagne d’Orient, WW I.

Travelers of earlier eras write of the city being aglow with minarets “like fireflies from a distance.”

Today, only one remains.

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mosaics. Then our guide Tassos Papadopoulos passes around a portrait of a celebrity visitor – guesses abound, none of them correct. It turns out to be Herman Melville. Layers of history collapse on each other; the author of Moby Dick came in 1856 and later wrote of standing right here with stones in his trouser pockets, stones that had fallen from these very mosaics. We gaze up at that same ceiling. Thessaloniki has a way of making the past feel very close.

Why would the city have such scarce evidence of nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule? The Ottomans themselves were never in the majority – at times they accounted for only a quarter of the population. Their building needs, never very great to begin with, were largely met by what was already here. The Pa-

naghia Acheiropoietos (“Church of the Virgin Not Made by Human Hands”) became the “Old Friday Mosque,” named for the service of thanksgiving for victory. An inscription on one of the columns – legible still – commemorates the taking of the city by Murad II. This mosque continued to serve as the center of Islamic spiritual life.

Other great churches of Thessaloniki became mosques over the years, while small neighborhood mosques were also built by various benefactors. What remained of these after the Ottomans left was destroyed in the fire of 1917. However, two magnificent 15th-century mosques do remain, and we will be seeing them both.

One is the Aladja Imaret (1484) – a jewel-box hidden by the mid-20th cen-

tury apartment buildings surrounding it. Even if you came up on it by chance, you might keep walking – the broad porch is unremarkable, and except for the muqarnas above the door, there is little hint to the building’s character.

The splendor of the inside takes you entirely by surprise. Two domed chambers – the front one a meeting area, the back one a prayer hall – are filled with intricate niches and arabesques. Much of the original painting is gloriously intact, as are segments of inscriptions on the walls. The name evokes both the look and purpose of the structure. “Aladja” means many-colored and refers to the stones that adorned the minaret that once stood outside, a vestige of an ornate Persian architectural style unusual in this part of the Islamic world.

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What remained of the mosques after the Ottomans left was destroyed in the fire of 1917. Only two remain: the Aladja Imaret and the Hamza Bey Mosque – known as Alkazar.

An “Imaret” is a house of charity – the mosque served as school, soup kitchen and prayer hall. Now a space for exhibitions and performances, the mosque has known other uses as well: a man following the tour with us shared his own history of the Imaret – as a boy, he was entrusted with the key to the building, a great heavy thing of iron, he said.

He was given the key as head of his boy scout troop. The Imaret was to be their new den, and he recalled unlocking the door for the first time – after perhaps decades of disuse – and finding it much as we see it today, but with fully half a meter of undisturbed dust inside.

We come to a clearing with a fabulous vista – Aristotelous Square and the ruins of the Roman Agora, the shimmering bay and, beyond that, a trace of the white peaks of Mount Olympus.

The Church of Aghios Dimitrios, with its shrine to the city’s patron saint, is in a choice location. Sultan Byazid II dedicated it to Islam in 1493, and it became the Kasimiye Mosque. Kasimiye is the Muslim incarnation of St. Dimitrios.

His tomb was kept open for both faiths, and Christians continued to worship him here, with rituals performed by the Hodja.

This same neighborhood above the downtown area also has a site from the end of the Ottoman Empire – the boyhood home of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, father of the Republic of Turkey. It is now the Turkish Consulate and a muse76

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um, filled with artifacts from his daily life as well as biographical texts and a convincing life-sized wax likeness. The pomegranate tree planted by his father still grows in the walled garden. So many visitors from Turkey come here that a cafe across the street serves tea in delicate little glasses, with sugar cubes on the side, just like in Istanbul.

The Ottomans may have departed long ago, but traces of their daily life linger on. I once met a man who had been to the Bey Hamam (also known as Paradise Baths) for a steam bath when he was a boy – it was open right up until 1968. The baths are just west of “Old Friday,” – which was the city’s main mosque when Murad II built the baths in 1444 as a place for people to prepare for worship. The inside of the baths is closed to the public, but we hear it’s very grand – it was most recently used as the primary location for a period film set in an Algerian bath house. Happily, part of the structure operates as a cafe, with access to the roof. We take a break here for a coffee among the domes of the hamam – a particularly exotic, surreal slice of Thessaloniki.

Close to the Bey Hamam is the former town hall, which older residents still call Caravan Serai, meaning a hostelry for travelers arranged around an open courtyard for their animals. (Today’s less romantic counterpart is the parking area in the basement.) Directly in front of this building is the Hamza Bey Mosque, the city’s most prominent Islamic building, larger than the Aladja Imaret and right in the city’s center on Egnatia Street, the main commercial street of downtown Thessaloniki. In all likelihood the first mosque built in the city, it started as a simple prayer hall, or Mescid, built in honor of military commander named Hamza Bey by his daughter, Hafsa Hatoun, in 1468. It was augmented over the years, acquiring a large asymmetrical courtyard with a portico of borrowed Byzantine columns supporting graceful pointed arches.

The building was in use for years after the Ottomans left – small shops crowded into its exterior spaces. The grand

courtyard, covered then, was a cinema (at times an adult cinema) called the Alkazar. In fact, the mosque is still better known today by this new name (just as the Yeni Hamam – The New Baths – is called “Aigli” after its cinema) as is indeed this part of town; the bus stop, too, is “Alkazar”. Today, both the shops and the cinema have gone and the mosque is being restored for yet another role in the life of the city – it will be the most elegant of metro stations.

Across from the Hamza Bey Mosque on Egnatia Street is the “Bezesten,” another prominent Ottoman building that survived the 1917 fire, a grand six-domed market built by Bayazid II, a vizier of Mehmed the Conqueror (Mehmed was the son of Murad II, and was conqueror of Istanbul). The rents from this market were dedicated to the Hamza Bey Mosque, and when the Aghios Dimitrios Church became the Kasimiye Mosque, rents from these shops supported it as well. Today, the building functions much as it always has – Bezesten means fabric market. Just to the east is another market from the Ottoman era – the original structures are gone, but the Kapani (“Flour”) Market is still where dry goods, fresh produce and olives are sold.

A wonderful book by Mark Mazower, titled “Salonica, City of Ghosts,” covers the city’s Ottoman centuries.

In it, he quotes the 19th-century writer, diplomat and advocate of the Turkish bath David Urquhart: “Lost to our times and in our portion of the globe.… those habits of ancient days still live and breathe.” Among the olive bins and incense stores of the Kapani Market today, just as in the Bezesten, it seems very little has been lost – in Thessaloniki, habits born during the Ottoman empire are thriving today.

INFO “ S E L A N I K : T H E S U LTA N ’ S R O S E ” The tour is conducted regularly by Thessaloniki Walking Tours • Tel. (+30) 6978.186.900-1 • www.thessalonikiwalkingtours.com.

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1. A life-sized wax figure of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, in his childhood home – now the Ataturk Museum.

2. The Aladja Imaret hosts exhibitions and events, all celebrating the unique character and history of the space.

3. A waiter in a Turkish coffee house.

4. The characteristic domes of the Bey Hamam, which was built in 1444 as a place for people to prepare for worship.

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, GETTY IMAGES/IDEAL IMAGE, SHUTTERSTOCK

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TURNING POINT

Rising from the Ashes A devastating fire in 1917 razed much of Thessaloniki’s cultural legacy, but it also inspired a radical makeover.

BY ELEFTHERIA TR AIOU

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hessaloniki, August 5th, 1917. As the sun rose, the bustling northern Greek metropolis started about its daily business, unaware of the disaster that would strike later in the day: a fire that marked a turning point in the city’s history, razing the densely built historic center but also creating an opportunity for its architectural rebirth.

It was a day like any other. The port was filled with sailing ships from different countries and with fleets of smaller boats. The waterfront proudly displayed its modern façade of elegant white buildings, while behind these, in the old quarter, a buzz of humanity occupied the haphazard maze of cramped structures that comprised the city’s older neighborhoods. Here, in traditional inns that had been transformed into offices, shops, banks and hotels, was the heart of the city’s commercial

A reconstruction of Ernest Hebrard’s 1919 plan for rebuilding Thessaloniki’s historic center, designed by Aristotle University students under the supervision of Professor Alexandra Yerolymbos, on the basis of surviving sections of the original drawings as well as photographs.

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A view of Eleftherias Square before the 1917 fire from a postcard of that time. After the reconstruction, the square became a vibrant part of the city once more. (Foundation of the Museum for the Macedonian Struggle)

activity. And it was all about to be reduced to ashes.

Europe had just entered the fourth year of World War I, and Thessaloniki was at its most cosmopolitan: an international hub of commerce that also served as a major military and administrative center, a multinational and multicultural metropolis. According to the 1913 census, the population in the city center comprised 50,000 Jews, 38,000 Muslims and 21,000 Christians (the Christians were the majority in the newer quarters that had developed outside the city walls). By late 1915, the city’s overall population of 157,000 had swollen with the addition of 190,000 soldiers from the Eastern Expedition, 80

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formed in France by the Allies and sent to Thessaloniki to strengthen the Balkan front against the Central Powers.

Meanwhile, the city was also experiencing a massive influx of refugees from nearby war-torn countries.

The fire is said to have started from an errant spark in a makeshift refugee kitchen on the afternoon of August 5th (August 18th by the new calendar).

Within just 32 hours, it burnt through 120 hectares of the most significant part of the historic center. Several factors contributed to its rapid and uncontrollable spread: a strong northerly wind, the absence of an organized fire-fighting system, the dense construction and the narrow streets, a drought caused by an increase in demand for water by the allied troops and, ultimately, the unfortunate methods the soldiers used to contain the blaze. In order to build fire trenches, entire blocks were blown up, but this simply sparked more conflagrations.

Amazingly, there were no record-

The government’s priority was to apply the newest ideas and methods of urban planning so that the reconstruction would act as a catalyst for the city’s social, financial and structural modernization.

ed casualties from the fire, but the blaze did leave 70,000 people homeless and destroyed 9,500 structures, among them synagogues, mosques and churches. It also completely erased Thessaloniki’s “Oriental” character and traditional layout. A few years later, a new city emerged from the ashes, begging the question: how different would Thessaloniki be today if it hadn’t been razed by the fire?

The Greek government approached the complex challenge of rebuilding with surprising determination and an enterprising spirit. Their priority was to apply the newest ideas and methods of urban planning so that the reconstruction would act as a catalyst for the city’s social, financial and structural modernization. It was an ambitious endeavor capable of attracting international interest, as proven by the global makeup of the reconstruction committee set up by the government of Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos.

Ernest Hebrard (1875-1933), a dis-

tinguished French architect, city planner and archaeologist, was appointed chief of the International Planning Committee. Hebrard, who held the rank of sergeant, was in Thessaloniki with the Eastern Expedition’s archaeological service, taking part in the study of the city’s Roman and Byzantine monuments. Other eminent foreign experts such as British landscape architect Thomas Mawson were also invited to sit on the panel, alongside the Greek architects Emmanouil Zachos and Konstantinos Kitsikis, as well as other specialists, including surveyors and experts on harbor construction, law and finance.

The committee members began drawing up soon after the fire what would become known as the “Hebrard Plan” for the reconstruction and expansion of Thessaloniki. The plan was eventually approved in 1921. Even though it was never fully implemented, the committee’s work was instrumental in changing the entire city’s countenance by introducing, among other initiatives,

Panoramic view of downtown Thessaloniki after the fire that razed 9,500 structures in 32 hours, leaving 70,000 people homeless; photograph from the French magazine “Le Miroir,” September 16, 1917. (Foundation of the Museum for the Macedonian Struggle)

classical urban divisions along features such as axes and diagonals; a structured road network; a rational division of activities; and the preservation of certain “picturesque” neighborhoods.

The most important axis was that formed by Aristotelous Street and Aristotelous Square, endowing the heart of the city with a concentration of new monumental buildings whose architectural designs were to adhere to the “neo-Byzantine” style. Aristotelous Square, which Hebrard likened in terms of location to Venice’s Piazzetta, was designed to open to the sea, offering an unobstructed and imposing view stretching all the way to Mount Olympus.

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Another excellent idea that was implemented in the same area was the axis leading off Aristotelous Street that was dedicated to traditional trades. Behind the lofty facades flanking that central thoroughfare, the experts planned spaces for workshops, tavernas, liquor stores and small shops selling sundry staples, which together would create the energy of a traditional bazaar. The plan dictated that the frontages of the buildings here would also have to be similar in style so as to maintain architectural continuity. This decision, which allowed the humbler, more mundane yet vital activities of the citizenry to exist side-by-side with the central monumental structures of the city, is still applauded today.

The Hebrard Plan introduced a dynamic intervention in another area as well; in the projection and protection of the city’s monuments, which it foresaw as being useful focal points in a new network of public spaces (squares, promenades and tree-lined streets), finally giving the city the open space it so sorely lacked in the past. Examples of this would include the line connecting the Rotunda to the Arch of Galerius, a line which crosses Navarinou Square and heads down to the coast, forming an archaeological walk through a busy business and residential area.

If Aristotelous Square were laid out like a street, as it appears in this 1997 panoramic photo

by Yiorgis Yerolymbos for the international architectural competition “Redesigning Thessaloniki’s Monumental Axis,” the uniform style of its buildings would perhaps be even more striking.

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French architect, urban planner, archaeologist and chief of the International Planning Committee for Thessaloniki Ernest Hebrard. (Haris Giakoumis Collection, from “Ernest Hebrard, 1875-1933,” Potamos Publications, Athens 2001)

The International Planning Committee for Thessaloniki and other important figures at a dinner in 1918. (From “Ernest Hebrard, 1875-1933”, Potamos Publications, Athens 2001). Below, Aristotelous Square, as Hebrard envisioned it.

The International Planning Committee made many more inventive and innovative recommendations. The design of the university campus, for instance, was truly revolutionary for its time. Expanding the port to the west rather than towards the White Tower was another visionary solution that allowed activity related to the port to evolve in an area that had hitherto been problematic, while leaving the historic center an open vista onto the sea. The pioneering nature of this move is evident from the fact that other coastal cities of the Mediterranean, including

Barcelona, Marseilles and Genoa, did not liberate their seafronts from port activities and facilities until the late 20th century, and incurred significantly higher infrastructure costs by doing so at this later date.

Another idea was for a green zone around the city that would strategically penetrate the historic center, separating the city into three parts. Like many other interesting proposals, this was never fully implemented. Nevertheless, it is thanks to this idea that Thessaloniki now has the Sheikh Sou Forest and the green areas around the White Tower, the

Aristotelous Square, which Hebrard likened in terms of location to Venice’s Piazzetta, was designed to open to the sea, offering an unobstructed and imposing view stretching all the way to Mount Olympus.

fairground and the campus of Aristotle University. Last but not least, in the old quarter of Ano Poli (the Upper Town), the experts wanted to maintain the local architectural style and the tradition of a walled neighborhood in juxtaposition to the city’s new European character.

It is thanks to these forward-thinking individuals that we now have this modern and functional city, whose creation was unique in the history of modern Greece in both scope and ambition, particularly as this endeavor was undertaken during the straitened times of the inter-war years.

AC K NOWLE DGE ME NT We would like to thank Alexandra KarademouYerolymbos, Professor Emeritus of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and author of the book “The Reconstruction of Thessaloniki after the Fire of 1917,” University Studio Press, 1995.

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© ARIS PAPADOPOULOS, THESSALONIKI HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVES, FUND OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND EXPROPRIATIONS, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

THE ‘MOTHER OF ISRAEL’

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hessaloniki, the second largest city of Greece and the second urban center of two powerful empires, the Byzantine and the Ottoman, was the most important religious and ideological center of Judaism for the European diaspora. This led to the city earning the nicknames the “Mother of Israel” (Madre de Israel) and “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” After their expulsion from Spain in 1492, thousands of 84

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Sephardic Jews (that is, Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages and their descendants) found a welcoming new home in Thessaloniki, making it the religious, legislative and intellectual center for all of Judaism.

The Jews of Thessaloniki, with periods of prosperity (particularly in the 16th century) and decline over the years, lived in harmony with the other two large communities of the city

(Greeks and Turks) for almost four centuries. Indeed, from the 16th to early 20th centuries, the Jewish community was the city’s largest. With skills in typography, craft industry and administrative organization as well as in languages and with the commercial experience they had acquired, the Jews contributed significantly to the city’s economic and cultural development and helped turn Thessaloniki into a

Monuments and buildings are here to remind us of a glorious 2,000-year-old history that was brutally erased in World War II.

THE OLD RAILWAY STATION

Below, scene from a remembrance ceremony at the city’s Old Railway Station, where the last act in the Jewish tragedy of Thessaloniki took place between March 15 and August 2, 1943: Jews were forced into livestock carriages and sent off to the extermination camps at AuschwitzBirkenau and Bergen-Belsen. [Stathmou St., new west entrance] At left, Jewish men in traditional garb gather to read the newspaper in 1916.

BY CHRISTOS ZAFEIRIS

vibrant center of trade in the eastern Mediterranean.

After Thessaloniki became part of the Greek state in 1912, the Jewish community lost its primacy, its numbers falling on account of emigration to other European countries, the USA and Palestine. But it wasn’t until 1943 that the city’s Jews were decimated by the occupying Germans who destroyed their synagogues and sent 50,000

Greek Jews to their death in extermination camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Today, the few remaining Jewish inhabitants (approximately 2,000) strive to revive their centuries-old cultural presence in the “Mother of Israel.”

The surviving buildings, Holocaust memorials and the Jewish Museum, as well as the planned Holocaust Museum, are here to keep alive the memories of Thessaloniki’s splendid Jewish past.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Christos Zafeiris is a journalist and author of history books about Thessaloniki, including the guidebook “Jewish Thessaloniki,” soon to be published in English (Epikentro Publications.)

He has worked on newspapers and in radio and has been involved in historical documentaries as a researcher and scriptwriter. He currently runs the website thessmemory.wordpress.com

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THE JEWISH MUSEUM OF THESSALONIKI

Representing the historic center of Thessaloniki’s Jewish community, this museum serves to acquaint the public with the city’s Jewish historic and cultural heritage. Founded in 2001, it is housed in a listed building dating back to 1906. In the early 20th century, it housed the Bank of Athens and the French-language Jewish newspaper “L’ Independant.” The museum’s permanent exhibition features headstones from the old Jewish cemetery destroyed by the Nazis during the Occupation, family and religious heirlooms, as well as old Jewish newspapers and costumes. The Holocaust Room, an emotionally charged space, includes items from the Nazi crematoriums, yellow stars worn by Jews in the ghettos and the authentic metal press used to make these.

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THE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

The Jewish Holocaust Memorial, established in remembrance of the 50,000 Greek Jews exterminated at Nazi concentration camps, is located at the southeastern corner of Eleftheria (Freedom) Square, nowadays a parking facility. Nazi forces had rounded up Jewish men here on July 11, 1942 for processing procedures prior to their deportation to concentration camps. The captives were tortured in broad daylight. The bronze sculpture of a seven-branched menorah, a Jewish symbol, whose flames are wrapped around human bodies in demise, was created by Nandor Glid, a Professor of Applied Arts in Belgrade, and his son. It was unveiled in 1997 and, since 2006, has stood in the parking lot opposite the port at the beginning of Nikis Avenue. The Thessaloniki Municipality plans to revamp the square to further highlight its association with the city’s Jewish heritage.

I N F O : Eleftherias Square, Nikis & Eleftherios Venizelou

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THE HIRSCH HOSPITAL

The main building of the Ippokrateio, today Thessaloniki’s largest and most modern hospital, was built between 1905 and 1908, based on plans by the architect Pierro Arrigoni. Originally serving as a hospital for the city’s Jewish community, it was created thanks to a donation from the Baroness Clara de Hirsch, the wife of Austrian-Jewish philanthropist Maurice de Hirsch, an investor who, among other things, developed the Balkan railways. The two-level hospital, which was equipped with 98 beds, was initially known as the Hirsch Hospital. During both world wars, it was used as a military hospital by the Allies. Between 1944 and 1950, it covered the medical needs of British military bases. In 1950, the Jewish community transferred the hospital’s ownership to the Greek State. Nowadays the building houses the hospital’s administrative offices. A wall script in Hebrew, listing the names of the hospital’s first board members, may be seen in the corridor of the second Pathology Unit.

I N F O : Ippokrateio Hospital, 49 Konstantinoupoleos

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© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, ARIS GEORGIOU, THESSALONIKI HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVES, FUND OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND EXPROPRIATIONS, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

I N F O : 13 Aghiou Mina • Tel. (+30) 2310.250.406 • Mon- Fri: 10:0015:00, Wed: 10:00-15:00 and 17:00-20:00, Sun: 10:00-14:00, Sat: closed • www.jmth.gr

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MONASTIRIOTON SYNAGOGUE

The official Thessaloniki synagogue – and the only one that remains in its pre-Holocaust state, the Monastirioton synagogue was not destroyed by Nazi German forces during the occupation of Greece, as it was used as a warehouse by the Red Cross.

Built between 1925 and 1927, it served as a religious center for Jewish refugees arriving from the city of Monastiri – nowadays located in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and named Bitola – and was initally used by the Nazi forces as a ghetto center in the densely populated Jewish Syngrou area before the eventual deportations of 1943.

I N F O : 35 Syngrou • Tel (+30)2310.275.701 • Mon- Fri: 10:00-15:00, Wed: 10:00-15:00 and 17:00-20:00, Sun: 10:00-14:00, Sat: closed • www.jmth.gr • www.jct.gr/synag_monastir.php

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CASA BIANCA

One of the city’s most renowned mansions, it was built in 1912 by Italian architect Pierro Arrigoni, owned by Dino Fernandez Diaz, a Jewish entrepreneur of Spanish heritage, and named after his wife. This building is not only famous for its unique architectural style, featuring Renaissance and Art Nouveau elements, but also because it is the location where a romance developed between Alini, the owner’s daughter, and Spyros Alibertis, a second lieutenant in the Greek army. The couple discarded the era’s social and religious taboos, married and survived the Holocaust. The mansion was sold in 1965. In the ensuing years it housed a kindergarten and a school. Following a strong earthquake in 1978, it was expropriated by the Greek State and restored to its original form in an exemplary fashion. Since 2013, Casa Bianca has been home to Thessaloniki’s Municipal Art Gallery.

I N F O : 180 Vas. Olgas & Themistokli Sofouli • Τel. (+30) 2310.427.555, Tue.- Sat.: 10:00-17:00, Thu.: 10:00-20:00

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© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, GETTY IMAGE/IDEAL IMAGE, SHUTTERSTOCK, THESSALONIKI HISTORY CENTER ARCHIVES, GIANNIS GIANNELOS, FUND OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND EXPROPRIATIONS, MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS, ANTIQUITIES OF THESSALONIKI

JEWISH HE RITAGE

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THE MODIANO MARKET

Thessaloniki’s largest covered market, designed by Jewish architect Eli Modiano and built over the ashes of Kadi, a Jewish district that burned in the fire of 1917, officially opened in 1930.

This rectangular building, featuring a glass roof and divided into four galleries, is home to many charming tavernas and food shops.

The company One Outlet recently bought the market and plans to revamp it.

I N F O : 24 Ermou & Vas. Irakleiou & Komninon

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THE OLD JEWISH CEMETERY MEMORIAL

The oldest Jewish necropolis in the Mediterranean, located on an expanse of land that nowadays belongs to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, had existed from the early Roman era and included over 300,000 tombs; few gravestones survived the 1941 Nazi assault. In 2014, as a remembrance of the destroyed Jewish cemetery, the Aristotle University and the Jewish community erected a simple monument in the form of a bronze sculpture of a seven-branched menorah, as well as a memorial comprised of marble plaques from the desecrated tombs, created by architect Konstantinos Lentaris.

I N F O : University Campus (Panepistimioupoli), Observatory (Asteroskopio) Park (central gate entrance).

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STOA MALAKOPIS

The old La Banque de Salonique (Bank of Thessaloniki) building, at Hrimatistiriou Square, currently operates as a shopping gallery named Stoa Malakopis. The building, constructed in 1907, was designed by renowned architect Vitaliano Poselli, while the bank was founded by the entrepreneurial Italian-Jewish Allatini family. The clock at the top of the building’s façade is stopped at 11:07, signaling the time when a major earthquake struck Thessaloniki on June 20, 1978, devastating many buildings and leaving 45 dead.

I N F O : Stoa Malakopis Gallery, 7 Syngrou

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TH ES S A L O N I K I

URBAN DELIGHTS From waterfront to hilltop, Thessaloniki offers countless memorable experiences for those willing to wear down their shoes exploring. To make things easier, our local correspondents picked out some of their favorite spots. © Thessaloniki Overground, a poster designed by the local design studio Red Creative to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s oldest free publication, Parallaxi. Art direction: Simos Saltiel; illustration: Elina Steletari.

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Š Heinz Troll

The Garden of the Afternoon Sun offers one of the most poetic settings in the city.

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SE A & THE CIT Y

Like Walking on Water In just three years since its completion, the “Nea Paralia” (New Waterfront) has become Thessaloniki’s most beloved feature.

The architect Prodromos Nikiforidis who, along with his associate Bernard Cuomo, is responsible for this impressive undertaking, tells us all about it.

BY M AT O U L A KO U S T E N I

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Prodromos Nikiforidis (right) and Bernard Cuomo have received numerous awards for their New Waterfront Project, including the 2014 UIA - International Union of Architects Prize for “Friendly spaces accessible to all�

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© Sakis Gioumpasis

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hessaloniki’s bond with its waterfront has always been special.

Long established as a cosmopolitan hub of commerce, the city had the sea to thank for bringing the world to its docks. What’s more, few cities enjoy the stunning views that Thessaloniki’s seafront can offer. Mount Olympus, home of the gods, rises majestically over the city’s southwestern horizon, visible from most spots along the shorefront. For decades, however, this amazing urban asset remained neglected and under-appreciated. A few haphazard interventions were made, but with little if any foresight. Cracked sidewalks, broken benches, inadequate public lighting and large undeveloped stretches that functioned as makeshift parking lots presented a perfect picture of urban decay.

Fast-forward to the present: almost three years after the completion of the final phase of its makeover, Thessaloniki’s “Nea Paralia” (New Waterfront) is the city’s biggest, most vibrant and most warmly embraced public space. The activity along this 3.5km boardwalk that stretches from the White Tower to the Thessaloniki Concert Hall never stops.

Rushing cyclists zip past tourists snapping photos of Umbrellas, the iconic open-air sculpture by acclaimed Greek artist George Zongolopoulos (19032004). Kids dash around the fountains while amateur athletes sweat through their daily workout nearby. Clusters of pensioners amble alongside young parents pushing strollers, students bent over their laptops get ready for class and teens on skateboards show off their latest tricks.

What makes the waterfront so attractive to residents and visitors alike?

Interactive elements like the water jet fountains, a distinct separation between land and sea, an open horizon, well-tended themed pocket parks and the clean line that connects the two ends of the city; all of these play a part.

So, too, do the bicycle paths, the unobstructed connection between the promenade user and the sea, and the open-

ness that people feel in this new space.

At the same time, the well-designed lighting and the high-quality materials used in construction add something, too. The design, which boasts rest areas and shaded spots as well as open spaces, strikes a charming balance between the stability of the boardwalk and the fluidity of the water. All these aspects have earned the new waterfront numerous awards and distinctions as a paradigm of public space planning.

“The most important thing for us was not to abolish everything that had been done thus far; we didn’t want to erase the memory of the past or alter day-to-day life,” says architect Prodromos Nikiforidis who, together with his associate Bernard Cuomo – a friend since their student days in the 1970s at France’s Toulouse University School of Architecture – created the design for the renovation that they submitted as part of the public tender process.

To find out more, we asked him to explain a bit more about this happy transformation.

What was your main concern in undertaking this project?

We didn’t want to radically shake things up, but to improve whatever we could. The key aim was to showcase the marine environment and the relationship between the solid and fluid elements. We are true believers in maintaining a boundary between the city and the sea, which is why we are concerned by any talk about pleasure boats, sea transport, marinas or any other development that could transform the project into a parking lot for boats, something that would obstruct the sense of proximity to the water.”

Was there anything in the chaos that prevailed in the area before that you didn’t want to touch?

The cobbled promenade. We wanted to keep it clean, without any major structures along the length of the waterfront so that it would give you this sense of an open horizon. Instead, we

enhanced the green element by creating an arbor with 660 umbrella pines, to help people cope with the midday sun.

Did you model the design after some other city?

Everyone had Barcelona in mind, but we’ve always insisted that the Spanish city does not have the advantage of our unobstructed view of the sea and of Mount Olympus. We proceeded with the notion that the sea was our greatest strength.

What did the experience teach you about our relationship with public space in Greece?

That we haven’t learned to live with it yet and that where it does exist, it’s usually abused and vandalized, rendered unenticing. This is a fact. So, beyond the actual project, we also needed to make sure that citizens were educated so they could develop an affinity with communal spaces. They needed to understand that public space belongs to them. As far as human behavior is concerned, what determines our interactions with our environment is our understanding of it or, lacking that, our prevailing sense of impunity. You can’t, for example, allow motorcycles to trespass on the promenade while the police simply look on indifferently.

“We are true believers in maintaining a boundary between the city and the sea, which is why we are concerned by any plan that could transform the project into a parking lot for boats and obstruct the sense of proximity to the water.”

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sea & the city

The New Waterfront is an absolutely democratic space, where the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the athletic and the physically disabled can all coexist.

AT A GLANCE Thessaloniki’s New Waterfront stretches from the White Tower to the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, a single, 3.5-km strip that is 70-150m wide along most of its length. The first section of the revamp was completed in 2008 and the second in 2013. All along its length, there is both a bicycle lane and a tactile paving path for visually impaired people. Pockets of greenery have been placed strategically along the boardwalk, with the umbrella pine arbor being one of its most distinctive features. Here and there, you’ll find refreshment stands, exercise areas, playgrounds with access for the disabled, sculptures by well-known Greek artists (most famously George Zongolopoulos’ “Umbrellas” and Evangelos Moustakas’ statue of Alexander the Great), a driver’s education park, fountains, soft-floor play areas and 12 little parks or gardens dedicated to the following themes: Alexander the Great; The Mediterranean; Afternoon Sun; Sand; Seasons; Odysseus Fokas; Sculptures; Sound; Roses; Memory; Water; and Music.

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You’ve said that the project began at a time when many Thessalonians were leaving the city to live elsewhere. Has the situation changed since then?

Yes, and I believe that the beauty of public space, the attraction exercised on you by the city you live in, the facilities it provides that come at no cost and that improve day-to-day life are all reasons why you tune out those voices calling on you to leave. The New Waterfront is an absolutely democratic space, where the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the athletic and the physically disabled can all coexist.

Apart from the areas near the seafront, have the benefits of the renovation been felt by the residents of more distant suburbs?

Of course. Residents from all of the surrounding areas and towns visit the waterfront because they see it as an excursion that costs them nothing but affords them the opportunity to take a walk, put their troubles behind them and draw on the familiarity of the space. We mustn’t forget that the Thessalonians’ bond with the waterfront runs deep, that it’s been a part of their day-to-day life for decades. Personally, when I come down to the waterfront – and I do so frequently – I always get a really good feeling. I often hear people talking about or commenting on the project, revealing things that we hadn’t even considered. An architect friend of mine, for example, told me once that, when she was on the boardwalk, she felt like she “was walking on the water.”

The most emotionally charged moment in the long course of this project was opening day. After years of anxiety at the construction site, I finally felt as though I were leaving something to my fellow Thessalonians. I remember a kid telling his dad that night: “This is like Paris.” There are all sorts of indications of the benefits of the changes. You can see it in the surge in the number of bicycles and school visits, or in how people from psychiatric clinics and rehabilitation programs are asking to tour the facilities. You can see it in all the tourists

who have made the waterfront part of their itinerary, in the refugee children we bussed down in the summer to play in the water jets, in the people we see bringing their pets down for a walk, and in the hundreds of photographs flooding social media.

Yet, this jewel often falls victim to vandalism. Don’t you find that odd?

Unfortunately, up until a few months ago, there was no oversight by the municipal authority. Whatever care was given was thanks to private initiative. Acts of vandalism need to be dealt with in an aggressive manner. If you allow a graffiti tag to stay there a day or two, you pander to the vandal’s ego, and the result is an upsurge in similar acts.

The taggers leave their signature or some message that they want people to see. If you erase it immediately, they’ll try one or two more times, but then they’ll stop. As far as the overall state of things is concerned, we continue to be surprised by how clean the waterfront is. When we were designing it, we couldn’t believe that people wouldn’t just throw their cigarettes down on the ground, yet if you look around, you won’t see any discarded butts.

Which other public spaces in Thessaloniki would you like to tackle?

The restoration of the Aristotelous axis has always been a pet project.

Generally, we are interested in seeing ancient monuments incorporated into day-to-day life in a more effective manner. It’s an amazing thing to build a connection between the city’s memory and its contemporary life. Archaeological sites and cemeteries are the first places we visit wherever we go. It’s a shame to disregard the past and act as though it never existed. In Thessaloniki, for example, how many people know about the Ottoman bath-house in the flower market? How many have visited the Bey Hamam on Egnatia Street?

Showcasing such landmarks is the only way to strengthen the bond that residents have with their city and to bolster their respect for public space.

Evening on the New Waterfront: a magical marriage of light and water

The rider and the skater: a dance of silhouettes, co-starring the imposing statue of Alexander the Great.

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

Τhe much-photographed “Umbrellas” by sculptor George Zongolopoulos, which appeared at the 1995 Venice Biennale, seems like it was created with the Nea Paralia in mind.

Just don’t get wet: The accessible water fountains create an impressive visual effect as the light changes.

A stroll along the New Waterfront while the sun sets is a genuine Thessaloniki delight for city residents and visitors alike.

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ΤΗΕ ARCHITECTS’ FAVORITE SPOTS

The wooden deck across from the Makedonia Palace Hotel, seen from above.

This particular spot on the waterfront is one of the city’s most tranquil, even during rush hour.

The Garden of the Afternoon Sun, a small sloping triangular-shaped park is located between the Makedonia Palace Hotel and the old power company building. Along the paths in the park, blocks that resemble boulders offer seating.

The Garden of Seasons is designed to resemble a meadow, affording visitors an escape from the urban environment. Here, wildflowers, bushes, herbs and rare native plants make a stand in the city, and there’s a small open-air amphitheater, too.

The Garden of Water, a local favorite. Ιt is available for open-air exhibitions and also has a skate-park at its center.

The main attraction here is the pond, planted with water lilies and reeds.

© Sakis Gioumpasis

WHAT’S NEXT? FLOATING POOLS! Wooden decks, pools inside the sea, swimming areas just a stone’s throw from where the city goes about its regular business: the ambitious new plan from the Nikiforidis-Cuomo team goes further than ever in bringing the city’s residents together with the water that surrounds them. “Ideally, the pools would be filled with seawater and located at just one or two points in the Thermaic Gulf,” say the architects. “It’s a construction that acts like an extension of the city and gives people the sense that they’re swimming in the sea. They can be free of charge, of course. Operating regulations will have to be very strict, because there’s always the question of hygiene. Many cities have already implemented such initiatives. Paris is a very successful, very vibrant example, while right now, New York is in the process of building such pools.”

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UPPE R TOWN

A Labyrinth of Memories Get lost in the enchanting maze of alleys, discover notable Muslim and Christian monuments and find the soul of Ano Poli - the district of retsina, raki and rebetiko.

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The charm of Thessaloniki’s most colorful neighborhood is in its hidden corners. Even the locals say that the cobblestone alleys of the Upper Town lead you where they like, revealing churches, gardens, and ouzeris along the way.

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ven if you know what you’re looking for, when you stumble across Thessaloniki’s late 15th-century Aladja Imaret, in its courtyard surrounded by 1960s apartment buildings, you feel like you’ve made a discovery.

A little rough on the outside, the dusty muqarnas over the doorway may give a clue to its identity but not to its fabulously ornate interior. When people enter for the first time, they gasp in amazement at the arabesques ceilings, the trompe l’oeil drapery and the silhouettes of forgotten forests framed above the arches.

Apart from its beauty, what is so remarkable about the mosque – its name translates as “multicolored house of charity” – is how it has stayed relevant.

Thessaloniki’s Municipal Art Gallery holds exhibitions, installations and events here, incorporating the history and character of the unique site in moving ways. Recently, the film Techniques of the Body by Constantine Giannaris and historian Mark Mazower (author of Salonica: City of Ghosts) was projected on the Imaret’s walls. Exploring the memory of war, exile and mass

population movements, the film resonates deeply with Thessaloniki’s past and Greece’s present. It also resonated with the very walls of this structure.

The past is richly and poignantly alive in Thessaloniki’s present, more than in most other cities. This is especially true in Ano Poli, the city’s upper town that has kept its Ottoman character.

Aladja Imaret, Koule Kafe, Sheikh Sou, Kipos tou Pasha, Yedi Koule, Yeni Hamam, the Tourbes of Musa Baba; each exotic-sounding name testifies to the fact that, during the Ottoman period, the Ano Poli district, with its vistas and fresh breezes, was the Turkish quarter. Today, it is the most cohesive and most iconic of Thessaloniki’s neighborhoods – its modern, international other can be found further down the hill. Just as its Byzantine walls guarded the city, Ano Poli guards Thessaloniki’s authentic and timeless self.

Situated just inside the walls and high above the main part of town, Ano Poli escaped the devastating fire of 1917, remaining the same enchanting labyrinth that it has been for centuries.

Examples of Ottoman vernacular archi-

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

BY AMBER CHARMEI

UPPE R TOWn

tecture – charming, partially timbered houses with cantilevering upper stories – have been beautifully restored. Those in ruins are just as picturesque, albeit overgrown and often covered with elaborate street art. Newer buildings incorporate the same architectural elements and scale to maintain the character of the historical streetscape. The locals preserve the local character, too – some upper-story balconies are still equipped with pulleys, which residents use to lower baskets down to the street for their bread and newspapers.

The texture of everyday life remains as true to Ano Poli’s heritage as the architecture. This is a neighborhood of retsina and raki, not trendy cocktails.

Your order of giaourtlou (spiced meat patties with a thick yogurt sauce) will not come on a fancy square plate, and neither will the bougiourdi (a rough fondue of feta slices and searing hot peppers) or kazan dibi (caramelized rice flour pudding). Turkish dishes such as these aren’t going anywhere, and that’s part of why the cuisine of Thessaloniki is so highly praised. Rebetika – the old beloved music genre of Asia Minor (not dissimilar in its philosophy to blues) played on traditional instruments like the bouzouki and the baglamas – drifts from open windows. Ano Poli gives a contemporary relevance to its deep cultural roots.

Many of those roots go deeper than the Ottoman era: Ano Poli is also rich in splendors of Byzantium. The 5th-century church of Hosios David (Latomou Monastery) contains Thessaloniki’s most splendid mosaic (an astounding rendering of Ezekiel’s vision), as well as walls covered in Byzantine frescoes and a rare mood of hushed reverence.

The 14th-century Koule Kafe is the city’s only surviving baths of the Byzantine era – it served the neighborhood

The glow from the Trigonio Tower at dusk dazzles almost as much as the view of Mount Olympus across the bay. Students, bringing guitars and perhaps some retsina, climb over a fence to watch the sunset from the tops of the city walls.

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© ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS, Fund of Archaeological Resources and Expropriations, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Antiquities of Thessaloniki

As much as the winding paths and alleys reward unplanned rambling, there are many must-see monuments from both the city’s Muslim and Christian heritages.

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1. The palette of the Cycladic islands looks right at home in Thessaloniki’s most traditional neighborhood.

2. Ottoman-style houses with their cantilevering upper stories line the steep alleys. Bring a camera and wear walking shoes.

3. Tsinari, with its classic ouzeris and contemporary cafes, is one of the Upper Town’s most popular destinations.

INSIDER

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Author Isidoros Zourgos writes about his favorite part of the city

continuously until 1940 and is now undergoing restoration. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as is the 14th-century Church of Aghios Nikolaos Orphanou with its walled garden, and the Vlatadon Monastery up the hill.

This untamed area of the city, although densely built and with few parks or squares, is also its greenest – nature thrives with tenacity in every unplanned corner. The air is rich with the scent of fig trees and jasmine on summer nights, and wet leaves and wood-smoke in winter. Its many paths and steps are inhospitable to cars (only a few main thoroughfares can accommodate them) so there is no smog or traffic noise – just birdsong by day, the 104

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strains of bouzouki from tavernas by night, and lively conversations between upper balconies across the alleyways at all hours. (Those looking for more nature can explore the 170k of hiking trails in the Sheikh Sou Forest that borders Ano Poli’s northeastern edge.)

Standing tall above all this are two of Thessaloniki’s defining monuments – splendidly illuminated by night, they give the city its characteristic silhouette from below.

The Yedi Koule (also called the Eptapyrgio, literally “Seven-tower fortress”) has crowned the hill since the 15th century. It later became a prison of some repute, immortalized in many a rebetika song and in use until 1989.

Just east of this, near the beginning of Eptapyrgiou Street, the Byzantine city walls of the north and the east join in a crenellated fairytale of a tower, formerly an artillery emplacement but now the city’s breathtakingly romantic postcard: the Trigonion (added in the 14th-15th centuries), site of two of the old city gates. Here, the whole city stretches out before you, as well as the Thermaic Gulf and snowcapped Mount Olympus. This spot is as popular with locals as with tourists – every evening before sunset, students climb through the not-so-serious fence, bringing with them guitars and retsina to spend the evening under the stars.

STOPS

Ezekiel’s vision, vividly rendered in the mosaic of this early Christian (5th-6th century) chapel, is glorious.

In the center is a rare depiction of Christ as an adolescent. There are also beautiful, Byzantine-era frescoes in fine condition.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this intimate sunken chapel at the end of a winding uphill path feels like a secret. It’s actually not hard to find if you follow the signs from Akropoleos Street near the Taxiarchis bus stop (No. 23 bus). Well worth seeking out; from the small courtyard, the whole city shimmers below.

• 7 Timotheou, Tel. (+30) 2310.221.506 • Open Tue-Sat 11:0017:00, Sun 11:00-14:00.

Koule Kafe Byzantine Baths

Tourbes of Musa Baba

In the lower part of Ano Poli, near the start of Akropoleos Street and across from the bus stop of the same name, are the Koule Kafe, a rare example of Byzantine baths in Greece.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is undergoing restoration, but from the outside you can discern the domes of the various – cool, warm and hot – chambers.

This building served the neighborhood for seven uninterrupted centuries, operating until 1940.

It stands in a small block bordered by Theotokopoulou, Krispou, Aghias Sofias and Chrysostomou Streets.

Take the No. 23 bus to the Koule Kafe stop; the baths are right across the street.

• 2-12 Chrisostomou

As late as the 1930s, people in the neighborhood claimed to have seen the spirit of the Muslim holy man Musa Baba wandering the streets near his Tourbes, or mausoleum. No one found it at all alarming: Christians lit candles at the mausoleum and prayed regularly for his intervention, believing him not to be a Muslim, but the transformed incarnation of St George – an expression of the neighborhood’s rich spiritual undercurrent.

• Terpsithea Square

Ataturk Museum The founder of the modern Turkish state was born in 1881 in this Ottoman-style house at Ano Poli’s southern edge. The house, beautifully preserved, is now the site of both the Turkish Consulate and the Kemal Ataturk Museum, which displays many of his personal effects and photographs from various stages of his life. A very popular destination, especially among Turkish visitors.

• 75 Apostolou Pavlou, Tel. (+30) 2310.965.070 • Open daily 10:00-17.00, except Mondays.

AghioS NikolaoS OrphanoS The lush walled garden and storybook murals of this 14th century church are beautiful; it’s especially popular for the Anastasi (Easter Resurrection) service, weddings and baptisms.

Weekdays are another matter – you may wander the peaceful garden entirely alone, except for the birds in the trees.

• Apostolou Pavlou & Irodotou, Tel. (+30) 2310.209.913 • Open daily 9:00-15:00

AlaDJa Imaret Truly a beautiful and contemplative space, this 15th century mosque retains much of its original opulence. It is now used for exhibitions. • 91 Cassandrou, Tel. (+30) 2310.278.587 • Open Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00

REFUELLING STOPS Igglis

Tsinari

HILLTOP VIEW

To Spiti tou Pasha

Ever-popular and extremely casual, it’s one of the area’s several classic tavernas and mezedopolia (the Greek version of a tapas bar), offering the dishes and rebetika that characterize the neighborhood.

• 32 Irodotou, Tel. (+30) 2313.011.967

The most photographed restaurant in Thessaloniki? Possibly. Tsinari, in the area of the same name, stands on the most picturesque corner of Ano Poli. The eatery takes its name from the Turkish word (çinar) for a much-admired massive plane tree that once grew here.

• 72 Alexandras Papadopoulou, Tel. (+30) 2310.284.028

Just west of the Church of Aghios Pavlos and next to the Byzantine wall ascending from the lower part of the city is what local cabbies aptly call “The Balcony of Thessaloniki.” There are several coffee shops and tavernas here that afford spectacular views. The sunset is dazzling.

Very near to both the Ataturk Museum and Aghios Nikolaos Orphanoς, this tsipouradiko (serving simple dishes to enjoy with tsipouro, a local pomace brandy) is set in the courtyard and main rooms of a classic Ottoman-style house.

Lively mood, reasonable prices.

• 35 Apostolou Pavlou, Tel. (+30) 697.097.5100 • Open daily, 18:00-02:00

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© VISUALHELLAS.GR, KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS, Fund of Archaeological Resources and Expropriations, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Antiquities of Thessaloniki

Ossios David

DOWNTOWN

MIXING IT UP

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From stylish cafes to shopping hotspots, our Thessaloniki correspondents show us some of the places that make this city so cool.

By KOSTIS ZAFEIR AKIS AND AMBER CHARMEI

The Old Post Office, a building with a great deal of ambience, houses the TOMS Flagship Store and Café, as well as the Pelosof Arcade, which often hosts cultural events for children and adults.

On the lower floor, which also features a small garden, you’ll find delicious concoctions and tasty Sunday brunches, and a refuge in which to work, chat, flirt or just hide from the world. The old-fashioned picture frames on the vintage walls, the hanging plants, the school desks instead of tables, and some rare paperbacks all help you escape the everyday while you read Fernando Pessoa or something a little lighter.

TOMS Flagship Store: 22 Tsimiski • Tel. (+30) 2310.234.222

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© DIMITRIS VLAIKOS

UBER-CHIC HIDEAWAY

With Caravan, George Kourtidis and his friends brought 21stcentury sensibility and convenience (with a Greek twist) to the hospitality experience. The lobby, a playful pastiche of eras, is like someone’s home. “Our favorite pieces – like some of the armchairs and nightstands in the rooms – are from our grandmothers’ homes,” Kourtidis says. And since Greek hospitality is really about food, the owners’ mothers contribute, walnut cakes, kormo (refrigerator cake with biscuits and chocolate cream) or chocolate pies. “Thessaloniki can be such an intimate city,” George says. “It takes you where it wants, it reveals another aspect of itself each time. We want to help everyone enjoy his own personal version of Thessaloniki.”

Caravan B&B: 1 Rebelou & Vamvaka • Tel. (+30) 2313.062.780

FEELS LIKE HOME student life © KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS, SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

Melenikou is “the” student street – with photocopy shops, book stalls, eateries advertising “like-motherused-to-make” food and corner stores selling cheap drinks. This is where you’ll find the bright minds of the university when they’re not in class. They’ll be on the slogan-covered benches or flirting, chatting and drinking coffee at Apothiki (No.17).

Otherwise, follow the clacking sound of backgammon pieces

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to the Diethnes (No.13) or the Effe Café (No.19), or the blasting volume of the TV sets to Seven17teen (No.17) whenever there’s a big game on. Melenikou, which extends over the remains of the city’s Byzantine walls, is where students experience the excitement that the city so generously offers, creating memories of those “incredible university years.” At one time, the neighborhood around the eastern wall and opposite the Aristotle University’s

Lessons in Greek botany Alkiviadis Grigoriadis has been a nature lover all his life and has a deep appreciation for its gifts. “That’s why I became a botanist,” he explains. His workshop is in Litochoro, at the foot of Mount Olympus, and his store, Votanopoleio, is in the center of Thessaloniki. Every visit here is a lesson in herbs and essential oils: thyme, peppermint, cedar, spearmint, lavender and countless others. You can find spices, plant-based cosmetics and the potable oregano oil that he makes himself, as well as beverages from blends of other herbs.

Alkiviadis closely follows scientific research: “Even though it is an old discipline, I continually learn, evaluate and process new ideas from my colleagues on the use of plants.” Votanopoleio: 18 Aghiou Mina & Venizelou

FILM FLAGSHIP

School of Philosophy was called “Tampia,” which means “Fortification” or “Bastion.”

Nowadays, Tabya (No.14) is the name of a trendy café located in a historical manor house that is worth a visit. The street is also known for an imposing piece of graffiti art stretching across the vertical rise of a seven-story apartment building at Rotunda Park. The work depicts a Gulliver-sized student who, instead of a head, has a light-bulb in the shape of a globe.

Housed in one of the city’s iconic buildings on Aristotelous Square, the Olympion Cinema was built in 1950 from a design by Jacques Mosset, the architect of many important structures in post-war Thessaloniki. It has two screening rooms – the main one and the smaller “Pavlos Zannas” – that belong to the Europa Cinemas network and show mostly European films. Every fall, the place is packed with crowds attending the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and every spring it fills with the patrons of the Documentary Festival. Cinema is naturally the main topic of conversation at the two café-bars in the building: the Green Room and, on the fifth floor, the Room With A View, from where the vista over Aristotelous Square and the Thermaikos Gulf is breathtaking.

Olympion: On Aristotelous Square • Tel. (+30) 2310.378.404

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THE COSMOPOLITAN STRIP Downtown’s elegant, tree-lined Tsimiski Street is Thessaloniki’s global strip – all the major chains and brands have outposts here. It’s a nice mix of cosmopolitan vibe and the intimacy of a medium-sized city – you’ll find everything you need in the space of a few blocks.

The shopping may be international, but the street is all Thessaloniki – look up to enjoy the Beaux-Arts and Art Deco facades, and stop along pedestrianized Iktinou Street for a coffee at one of the many outdoor cafes. Ground zero is the intersection of Tsimiski and Aristotelous Square. You won’t need a map – the heavenly smell of Terkenlis’ famous tsoureki (a brioche-type bread) will lure you to the chain’s bakery at No. 30. The street also has some nice shopping surprises (like the handmade notebooks at Tsimiski & Paleon Patron Germanou).

GOIN’ nuts Iraklis Karafoulidis opened his first fruit and nut store in 1939 and was the first to bring papaya and other exotic dried fruit to Thessaloniki. He claimed his place in history as the master of dried nuts, particularly roasted chick peas. His sons – Takis, Yannis and Gavriil – continue the tradition at their store. If you ask, they will be happy to explain how, following an arduous and time-consuming process, we get from the raw chick pea to the roasted version called stragali. These days, you can find any of the world’s dried nuts or fruits at Iraklis’ store, but no goji berry can measure up to a freshly roasted hazelnut, the aroma of which will grab you by your olfactory senses and pull you straight in off the sidewalk.

© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

Iraklis: 39 Olympou

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Making the cut since 1928

The Barber Shop has always been exclusively for men. Opened in 1928 by 17-year-old Panayotis Polychroniadis, it achieved fame and glory by catering to actors and politicians; even Eleftherios Venizelos, seven times Prime Minister of Greece, would come here to get clipped. It is still worth dropping in for a taste of a bygone era. The barbershop is now run by Maria and Eva, who started off as apprentices. Despite renovations, it retains much of the bitter-sweet dust of time in the ancient barber chairs imported at some point from America, the straight razors for the perfect shave, and the scent of rosewater that has seeped into the walls.

Barber Shop: 4 Aghias Sofias

EMBRACE THE OLD Fans of Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco will love a stroll around the old elegant neighborhood above Egnatia Street. The buildings grow less grand but no less charming as we reach the Bit Bazaar, a square surrounded entirely by buildings from the 1920s, built by immigrants from Asia Minor, many of whom lived above their shops. Today, these shops sell antiques, with a mood more flea market than antique boutique; a few of the stores have become ouzeris, very popular in the evening, especially with the

student crowd. Enter from Tositsa Street, which is also a nice place to browse. Be sure to check out the vintage postcards, especially the black-and-whites of Greece’s antiquities (most are just a euro). Thessaloniki, with all its historic eras mashed up with each other, is such an effortless mix of the timeless and the cosmopolitan. Want to dress the part?

Nana at Vaudeville Room captures the mood perfectly, with fine vintage fashions from London that look right at home. If you want to go further back in time, just

turn left when you leave her shop: the ancient Roman Agora is right at the end of the short pedestrian street. A.C. Bit Bazaar: The block surrounded by Venizelou, Olympou, Tositsa, and Filippou Streets (main entrance on Tositsa) • Monday-Saturday, 9:00-15:00 (and evenings too for the ouzeris) • Vaudeville Room: 3 Garbola • Roman Agora: Surrounded by Makedonikis Amynis, Olympou, Agnostou Stratiotou (main entrance) and Filippou Streets • Tuesday-Sunday, 8:0015:00 (open-air; you can see plenty even when it’s closed)

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BESPOKE SHOPPING

URBAN EXPLORERS What do locals do for recreation? They go on historic walking tours of their own city. The Thessaloniki Walking Tours team uses historic facts like composers use instruments – to weave a cohesive narrative that takes you somewhere you could never have imagined. Journalist Evi Karkiti started the company with a group of friends – among them archaeologists, historians and architects – to explore the city with an innovative approach: “Thessaloniki is a literally inexhaustible source of fascination. It’s filled with secret corners, like the details of Vitaliano Poselli’s Yeni Tzami or the two ladies of stone in the garden of the Music Conservatory. We follow the threads of history and see where they take us, hoping to provide a fresh perspective.” They offer many tours, like the rebetiko tour that explores the Greek blues (music included), or a bracing sailing tour for vignettes of history from the bay. All are available in English.

© JESSICA MORFIS, ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS, KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

• Tel. (+30) 6978.186.900 • www.thessalonikiwalkingtours.com

A NEW DELI CONCEPT Thomas and George Douzis of Ergon focus on the Greek tradition of quality, sourcing the finest products from independent farmers and producers. They branded their first product in 2008 and have kept growing since, three years later opening the first Ergon deli – a contemporary space showcasing the gourmet treasures of Greece.

Now the store features a casual restaurant, where chef Dimitris Skarmoutsos has reinvented the classic meze. This contemporary gastronomic landmark is also a successful business model: Ergon spreads the message of Greek quality through 300 retailers in Greece and abroad, and Ergon deli-restaurants can now be found in London, Brussels and two Florida locations.

Ergon: 42 Pavlou Mela • Tel. (+30) 2310.288.008 • Open daily, 9:00-01:00 114

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More exclusive and intimate than Tsimiski, the quiet, narrow street of Proxenou Koromila and the neighborhood around it provide a more bespoke shopping experience. Here you’ll find showrooms of local designers and jewelers, boutiques where the proprietors share their individual sartorial visions, and, interspersed with sidewalk cafes, antique shops with real treasures. These are at the neighborhood’s western end: visit Corda for Parisian sparkle, Christofle, Baccarat and St. Louis. More packable are the fine engravings of Arcadian landscapes and archaeological scenes – beautiful examples of 19th-century Gallic philhellenism. Era Antica specializes in fine Art Deco and Biedermeier pieces – furnishings, lighting, and objects both decorative and functional. Stop by tailor/designer Merkos Manolopoulos to ogle his stunning array of fabrics, or pick out a tie from a great selection. Across the street is My Ring, which offers fanciful jewelry made of plexiglass. Affordable fun and flash from Thessaloniki designer Iraklis Pantsios is available at Terra Toscana.

For chic, playful and accessibly priced women’s wear, try Lou, and if you have an occasion coming up, visit local designer Penny Sabbado for something glamorously wearable. The street ends at the Margoni jewelry shop where the elegant yet rustic designs by local artisans in fine metals and semi-precious stones express a laid-back but still cultured sensibility that is decidedly Greek.

Time for lunch? Head over to Clochard, whose warm service and luxurious interpretations of classic French and Greek dishes have made this a favorite spot for locals, visiting politicians and celebrities.

Corda: 8 Morgentaou & 2 Lori Margariti • Era Antica: 4 Mitropoleos Iosif • Merkos Manolopoulos: 6 Chrysostomou Smyrnis • My Ring: 9 Chrysostomou Smyrnis • Terra Toscana: 28 Proxenou Koromila • Lou: 13 Proxenou Koromila • Penny Sabbado: 50 Mitropoleos • Margoni: 1 Proxenou Koromila • Clochard: 4 Proxenou Koromila • Tel. (+30) 2310.239.805

terra toscana

My Ring

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The freshest bars A new industrial-minimal but warm and funky bar, Gorilla, in the Ano Ladadika district, features handcrafted décor detailing, plays music ranging from electronica to rock ‘n’ roll, and serves an extensive range of drinks and signature cocktails. The establishment’s motto offers words to live by: “Fine Drinking & Fun.” The same team operates the mobile bar Pig Nose, the first “van bar” in Greece, which is basically a transformed 1971 Citroen HY that traveled here from Belgium. You might catch it at parties around the city.

Gorilla: 3 Verias • Pig Nose: www.pignose.com

LOST IN MUSIC Stereodisc is a record store in the old sense of the word – the kind you go into and forget to leave.

Instead, you’re held prisoner by the music, by the conversation and by Ziggy, the famous coal-black mutt who keeps his dog-bowl here. Mema and Kosmas used to come here as kids; now, the store is theirs. First opened in 1968, “Stereodisc is still here because, aside from us, there are lots of people who love music, and who devote time to it,” Mema says. “With the revival of vinyl, it’s a joy to hear young kids saying it’s their first time listening to music with all of their senses.” Here, you’ll find all genres of music, including rare records, or you can follow the recommendations of the owners.

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REVAMPED VINTAGE Take a fresh look at the city through Nikos Iosif’s eyes: “With an urban landscape that literally spans centuries, modernism is sometimes overlooked. But in magazines, or in Finos Film Studios’ movies of the 1950s and 1960s, we see how Greece embraced modern design with verve. When we started seeing gorgeous examples of our mid-century design heritage ending up on street corners, we simply had to save them.” These avant-garde preservationists are geniuses at finding the modern in the moderne. Come to their retro-chic space, 2 Concept Store, to rediscover the beauty and the definitive cool of the mid-century. It also hosts art and design exhibitions and has a spacious cafébar furnished with their own pieces. “Objects have their own energy, and they speak to you,” says Iosif. “They take meaning, and they give meaning.”

2 Concept Store: 6 Ioustinianou

THE GOOD STUFF Entering the family-owned deli Salami, Feta & Krasi, you are welcomed by folk songs and clarinet tunes. Vassilis, Katerina and their children have created a business selling their own products and those made by small producers around Greece: grandma’s dolmades, soutzoukakia done Constantinople-style, goat’s cheese from Vlasti and pickled cabbage marinated in red wine. You’ll also find excellent wines, such as their own, award-winning Melangas or the Liastos Siatistas, made with black grapes that grow among rocks. Edodimon is a brand-new grocery store created with loving care in the tradition of the old shops of Thessaloniki. Tasting before buying is encouraged: try the “San Michali” cheese from Syros; mileiko hard cheese from Milos; pork louza from Mykonos; jams from Chios; and deli meats from Drama. And there are more eclectic items, too, such as ostrich eggs, donkey’s milk and pepper caviar. The list of selected tsipouro, wines and other distillates is nearly endless. Make sure to try the hand-made “Laurence” chocolates before leaving. For something different, try Ragian, where all the goodies are homemade according to Pontic (Black Sea region) recipes. The name of the store comes from a village in the Kilkis region, where a farm belonging to Theofilos and Lena, Ragian’s owners, is located. They are both advocates of an organic way of life, as learned from their grandmothers. You’ll certainly want to try their dairy products, as well as their pastas and sweets.

Salami, Feta & Krasi: 33 Ermou • Edodimon: 26 Vasileos Irakliou • Ragian: 13 Balanou

The Palermo Coffee Shop, located on the first floor of an elegant building, is well hidden on the city’s busiest square. Customers are treated to excellent jazz and soul music, delicious coffee, select teas and tasty snacks, in an environment that resembles a museum of vintage objects, with its old-fashioned typewriters and cameras, radios, stained-glass panels, chandeliers and other artful lighting fixtures. At the Loux Cafe, with its high ceilings, black-and-white vintage floor tiles and modern finesse, patrons include students and pensioners, groups of artsy types, loners, travelers, late-night party animals and espresso lovers.

The music is subtle and sweet, and the view of the Roman Agora is simply amazing.

palermo

Palermo: 8 Aristotelous • Loux Cafe: 83 Olympou

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© KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

noteS of nostalgia

BOHEMIAN HOTBED

BEST BETS FOR BRUNCH

At Navarinou Square, Thessaloniki is at its liveliest.

The ruins of Galerius’ imperial complex share Navarinou Square and Dimitriou Gounari Street with musicians, playful neighborhood dogs, students and pretty much everyone else. Bookstores with stalls out front alternate with cafes and record stores. There’s plenty of street fashion, and fresh design. Skitso captures the mood with its handmade light fixtures, dolls and small furnishings. After a browse, sleek and popular Baus is nearby for good drinks with a view of Galerius’ ancient palace, and maybe a little Billie Holiday. Next to the university, the square is also the perfect street-food destination. Have dessert first.

Franco Florentino serves bliss in a cone at Gelato e Amore. If he has chestnut, get it. Then stroll up to the Arch of Galerius, the centuries-old rendezvous spot for Saturday night dates.

Morning has come and gone and you still haven’t eaten a thing. It’s time for that perfect midday meal and Estrella is one of the best places in town to enjoy it. Its signature recipe is the bougatsan, a croissant stuffed with the smooth semolina custard that’s used in the traditional bougatsa pie; this innovation is best served with a topping of fresh fruit or icing sugar and cinnamon. Savory dishes prepared by the well-traveled proprietor Dimitris Koparanis include bagels with fried eggs, a spicy burger with feta and savory pancakes. Alternatively, head to Canteen; with a Western European ambience and large windows that let in natural light and afford pleasant views, this is simply one of the best spots in town. The delicious brunch menu includes all sorts of omelets and other egg dishes, and it also features popular sweets, such as their impressive pavlova, that are always well executed.

Try the Greek-style French toast with honey and cinnamon, or the pancakes with ricotta, honey and fruit.

Skitso: 11 Grigoriou Palama • Baus: 5 Navarino Square • Gelato e Amore: 44 Alexandrou Svolou

Estrella: 48 Pavlou Mela • Tel. (+30) 2310.272.045 • Canteen: 7 Dimitriou Gounari • Tel. (+30) 2310.228.520

© ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS, PERIKLES MERAKOS, KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

ESTRELLA

canteen

DIGITAL INSPIRATION Christos Kalos and Klio Tantalidou are two radical figures on Thessaloniki’s visual arts scene, whose success lies in the way they approach their primary medium, the internet. They create their works with the visual information they select, borrowing from Pop Art and Dadaism.

Their studio-gallery hosts seminars and exhibitions featuring works of other artists, as well as art-book presentations and art workshops.

Kalos&Klio Showroom: 96 Tsimiski • www.kalosklio.com

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To market, to market...

The FABRIC OF TIME Even though most city visitors don’t even know it’s there, the Bezesteni Market is an outstanding example of Ottoman architecture in the heart of Thessaloniki. Built in the late 15th century

by Sultan Bayezid II and duly noted by the celebrated 17th-century Turkish explorer Evliya Celebi, this covered market was one of the grandest in the Balkans. The name comes from the Turkish word “bezesten,” which means “fabric market.” Nowadays, the Bezesteni is a place of remembrance, protected by the Greek Archaeological Authority, but it also contains a market that, while lacking its former glory, still features fabric and sewing-good stores, plastic flower shops and, in one of its four corners, an old print shop. Here, Agapios Chatzilaris and Takis Sileloglou, experts at offset printing, are keeping traditional printing alive; you can see them in the mornings crouched over the presses, their hands black with ink. “This German Heidelberg has made 120,000,000 impressions and another 50,000,000 blanks for cleaning,” they state proudly. “Do you know any computer that has worked non-stop since 1965?”

Bezesteni Market: 33 Eleftheriou Venizelou

Thessaloniki’s two central food markets express the duality of the city’s psyche – atmospheric, contemplative nostalgia wedded to a vibrant Mediterranean pulse. Jewish Architect Eli Modiano designed the Modiano Market in 1922.

It served as the city’s main market between the wars, but now it seems to be situated between eras, with just a few shops and ouzeris gathered around its edges, waiting for its new owners to give it a complete makeover. Until then, this is still a popular lunchtime destination. Enjoy the tranquility as you walk through the central aisle, which is in contrast to the raucous atmosphere of the Ottoman-era market just across Ermou Street, a little to the right. Officially called the Vlali Market, its nickname, Kapani, means “flour” in Turkish. You’ll be greeted first by lots of glistening fish (and their boisterous mongers), then by great sides of meat swinging from hooks. Turning left at the covered market’s second intersection, strolling by piles of spices, vegetables and dry goods, you’ll arrive at the open-air market – the best place to shop for edible souvenirs. Kapani, in the central pavilion, will vacuum-pack your choice of olives from a dazzling selection. Kyria Sofia sells things you thought they didn’t make anymore – like novelty bottles of kumquat liqueur and hard candies scented with roses or ouzo – at the delightfully retro Thessaloniki store. Try I Pigi, right across the way, for dried herbs, wild teas with healing properties and spices in bulk.

The outdoor tables at Modigliani, across from the olives and next to the sponges and mops, are perfect for a coffee or for ouzo and meze right amid the bustle. For a more relaxed lunch, you can stroll back to To Meteoro Vima tis Garidas (“The Suspended Step of the Shrimp,” a play on the title of a Theo Angelopoulos film) in Modiano’s central arcade. Some shops are open in the evenings, but for the best atmosphere, go during market hours: Monday-Saturday, 7:00-15:00.

Modiano Market: Vasileos Irakleiou & Komninon • Kapani: Central Pavilion on Kydoniatou • Thessaloniki: 5 Kydoniatou • I Pigi: Ermou & 2 Kydoniatou • Modigliani: 12 Kydoniatou & Vlali • Tel. (+30) 2310.225.925 • To Meteoro Vima tis Garidas: 33 Vasileos Irakliou (central Modiano arcade) • Tel. (+30) 2310.279.867

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OUT OF TOWN

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS Don’t balk at the idea of leaving the city, because there’s so much more to see just a 30-minute drive away.

© GIANNIS GIANNELOS

BY Amber Charmei

Birds of a feather flock together: an impressive flamboyance of flamingoes on the Axios Delta, one of the most important eco-systems in Southern Europe, just a halfhour drive from Thessaloniki.

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Oenophiles’ Choice domaine gerovassiliou

gins. Significant commissions of sculpture, by renowned Greek artists such as Kostas Tsoklis and Costas Varotsos, adorn the property, while a proper fullscale museum explores the history of wine through the ages.

The tools of the trade, collected by Gerovassiliou over the past 40 years, introduce every aspect of the wine-growing and bottling process. His collection is comprehensive and illustrates a compelling narrative of the life of wine.

The story starts in ancient Greece, with amphorae found by divers off the coast near the vineyard, and an explanation of the preparing and drinking of wine at the symposia of ancient Greece, complete with the very drinking vessels themselves. Perhaps the most photographed display is that of the corkscrews – there are at least 2,600 in the collection, one of the world’s largest.

They are displayed in groupings that ex-

The Gerovassiliou Museum features a collection of rare items that illustrate the history of wine through the ages.

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K t i m a G e r o v a s s i l i o u is a 20-minute drive from Thessaloniki. You can also take Bus no. 2, 3, or 8 to Ikea to change for Bus 69 to Epanomi and then get a taxi. The winery is just 2km away.

Admission: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00-16:00 • Wednesday 13:0019:00 • Saturday: closed • Sunday 11:00-17:00 • Tours on the hour, every hour, until one hour before closing.

• Τel. (+30) 2392.044.567 • Email: ktima@gerovassiliou.com • www.gerovassiliou.com

plore consumer habits, trends in leisure and luxury, and artistic movements.

Delightful homages to the role of wine in our lives as expressed in various film clips complete the exhibition.

With your palate primed from the tour, you’ll welcome some wine-tasting, in an open space amid the vines, like a ship happily adrift on a green sea. Along with the local Assyrtiko and Malagousia whites are Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The reds are the Greek Mavroudi, Mavrotragano, and Limnio (a grape with an ancient pedigree), joined by Syrah and Merlot.

Don’t miss the fragrant, sweet Malagousia dessert wine made from overripe grapes. There is also a full menu of wine-friendly dishes. The winery also hosts educational events, performances and concerts throughout the year.

© ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS, HEINZ TROLL

F

or some visitors, Thessaloniki is simply a gateway to the region’s wineries and vineyards: Macedonia is a rich wine tourism destination, with over 30 wineries cultivating indigenous and international grape varieties. A perfect introduction to the experience is the internationally renowned Ktima Gerovassiliou, which explores the beauty of wine in all its aspects.

This is a fabulous destination for an afternoon trip, for both the oenophile and the novice, and also for lovers of history and of contemporary art. Vangelis Gerovassiliou began reviving his small family vineyard (then 2.5 hectares) in 1981, cultivating a long-forgotten grape he rescued from near oblivion – the now-popular Malagousia. Both the domaine and Gerovassiliou’s vision have expanded steadily since then.

The vineyard has grown to 62 hectares around the winery, where the tour be-

The collection of corkscrews, more than 2,600, is one of the largest of its kind anywhere.

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Where the King Rests

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acedonia’s ancient royal capital is not far from its contemporary one. Ancient Aigai, now called Vergina, makes an unforgettable day trip. This is the site of the royal tomb of Philip II; it is the most thrilling and intimate archaeological experience you can have, short of actually becoming an archaeologist.

This is a profoundly moving place.

It’s not an archaeological site with an adjoining museum. Rather, it consists of the actual royal tombs, together with the beautiful objects that were found here, thus creating an experience that is greater than the sum of its (glorious) parts: in situ, these tombs and their treasures have a magic that no museum visit can match. The atmosphere of sacred reverence is palpable.

The fact that the site was forgotten for centuries, only to be located again in 1977, adds to the fascinating sense of discovery. The architecture makes the very most of that sense: instead of entering a contemporary building in a conventional way, you follow a corridor into a hushed darkness beneath a grassy mound. The

light is low, and voices are hushed. Significant artifacts glow in their showcases, splendid objects of compelling beauty, including the delicate gold wreath of myrtle leaves that belonged to Meda, Philip’s fifth wife and an exquisite rendering of the king in ivory. Most moving of all – and one of the most precious objects of the ancient world to have survived – is the golden larnax that held the bones and ashes of Philip. The tombs themselves inspire contemplation. One features a fresco of the abduction of Persephone: the face of Pluto is all drama and strength, while a female companion of Persephone is a study in fear itself.

But the main reason we are here is Philip’s tomb. This is someone whose story we know: Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. The history of ancient Greece is overwhelming; significant figures can fall into relative obscurity in all but the minds of the most dedicated historians. But Philip is not one of those. He is a figure who lives on in our imaginations, together with his son. Visiting his tomb transcends cultural experience: paying

your respects here is surprisingly and profoundly moving.

As you leave, make sure to read what archaeologist Manolis Andronikos felt at that very moment of discovery; your heart will skip a beat.

Gold disk with the hallmark star of the Temenid Dynasty; from the royal tombs at Aigai.

(5th c. BC, Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai-Vergina)

Gold earrings of the “Mistress of Aigai,” wife of Amyntas I. (5th c. BC, Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai-Vergina)

Gold disk with a gorgon, once a decoration on the burial garment of a queen at Aigai. (470 BC, Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai-Vergina)

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V e r g i n a is just southeast of the city of Veria. There are several train and bus services between Thessaloniki and Veria, and bus services between Veria and Vergina every day. Alternatively, Vergina is a pleasant half-hour’s drive from Thessaloniki.

• Tel. (+30) 2331.092.347 • Monday 12:00-20:00, Tuesday-Sunday 8:00-20:00 • www.aigai.gr

© Royal Tombs Museum, Museum Polycentric Vergina, Imathia Antiquities, Ministry of Culture and Sport

THE vergina ROYAL tombs

The facade of the “Tomb of the Prince” at Vergina. It had double marble doors, blue capitals and two shields rendered in plaster relief. Left page: The golden larnax bearing the Macedonian Star in which were placed the remains of Philip II. (Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai-Vergina)

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Birdwatchers’ Dream

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ot half an hour from Thessaloniki is a verdant, wild paradise – the Axios Delta National Park, a haven for wildlife and a dream for birders. In a wetland complex of 340 square kilometers, the deltas of the rivers Axios and Aliakmon, the estuaries of the Gallikos and Loudias rivers, and the wetlands of Nea Agathoupoli and Alyki Kitrous create the perfect setting for broad biodiversity. A great variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and, very notably, birds thrive there amid 350 species of plants.

Birders can head straight for the Nea Agathoupoli bird-watching tower where they can observe (through telescopes and binoculars) some of the 295 species of birds that live or migrate through here. The halophytic (‘thriving in saline water’) vegetation provides the ideal environment for many species,

some of which, such as the Dalmatian pelican and the glossy ibis, are rare. A great array of duck species (including Eurasian wigeons, mallards and northern pintails) winter here by the thousands. (The glamorous flamingoes, however, prefer to winter in the brackish waters of Kalohori.) There’s even a chance you might catch a glimpse of a white-tailed sea eagle – there are only a few pairs living in Greece.

Of all the mammals that have made the delta their home, it is the wild horses that make the greatest impression.

Seen frolicking in the meadows and islands around the delta, these horses have an inspiring tale – they are the free and fortunate descendants of horses abandoned to the land with the advent of tractors and farm machinery in the 1960s. They sought out the lushness of the delta, where they thrived

The protected Delta region supplies drinking and irrigation water, protects inhabited and agricultural areas from flooding, helps regulate the climate, and provides food for both the wildlife and the local populace, as well as acting as a site for research, education and recreation.

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I n f o r m at i o n C e n t e r Admission: Monday – Saturday, 10:0015:00 • Τel.: (+30) 2310.794.811 • axiosdelta.gr • 25km from Thessaloniki – from the National Road heading south, take the turn off for Halastra, and consult your GPS or a helpful passerby.

O b s e r v at i o n T o w e r Admission: Wednesday – Saturday, 10:00-14:00 • No telephone.

50km from Thessaloniki – from the National Road heading south, turn off at the junction for Methoni and consult your GPS.

and bred – there are now several herds of them, integrated beautifully into the ecosystem.

These horses are one of 40 mammal species that make their homes in the park. Ground squirrels are another.

There are also 18 reptile species – notably Europe’s largest population of Mediterranean tortoises – and nine species of amphibians.

The full splendor and diversity of the delta is by no means obvious from the highway. To get the most out of your visit, it’s best to start at the Axios Delta Information Center for a virtual tour as well as for maps and all kinds of useful information from the extremely helpful staff there. Areas of the park are included in the Natura 2000 network of European ecological regions and are also protected by the Ramsar Convention.

© Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas Delta National Park/LIA PAPADRAGA, MARKOS MARKOUDIS, ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

THE AXIOS DELTA national park

A European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), one of the approximately 295 species of birds documented in the area.

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TH ES S A L O N I K I

ENJOYING LIFE, BITE BY BITE From street food to creative cuisine and from meze to heavenly desserts, eating out in Thessaloniki is a 24-hour attraction, crucial to the full city experience. Just take your pick from our up-to-date foodie guide. © The Neighborhood Taverna, an original illustration by Farida El Gazzar for Greece Is.

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A LOVE AFFAIR WITH FOOD This is a city where eating is an essential part of the lifestyle and every dish is prepared with pride.

© Jessica Morfis

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

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Εating is a serious matter in Thessaloniki

Almost all the city’s residents, be they impeccably manicured ladies, scruffy dockworkers, bearded intellectuals, suited businessmen or tattooed students, are epicures, and you will often find them patronizing the same restaurants and tavernas. No matter where you go – from the humblest family-run meze hole-in-the-wall to the trendiest restaurant – you’ll find that a meal is not something to be rushed, but rather relished and savored.

Getting creative: Eel from Arta served with beetroot cream, almond chips and olive oil pebbles at Thria.

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Photo: George Drakopoulos - Styling: Tina Webb

Typical local meze dishes: Melted cheese with spicy peppers and chili flakes; fried peppers with yogurt and sumac; spicy mussel “saganaki” with peppers, feta and chili flakes; leek-and-ground-beef patties, and the famous Thessalonian “koulouri.”

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History reflected on a table

Trends may come and go, establishments may open or close following the tide of opinion, but Thessaloniki’s cuisine has always reflected the city’s multiethnic and inclusive history. As the second city of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, it accommodated conquerors and traders, settlers and itinerant merchants, from Sephardic Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition to Armenian and Arab traders, Slavs and Greeks from poorer rural areas, refugees from Asia Minor, Greeks from the Black Sea and migrants from everywhere in the Balkans.

Each of these groups has added their own ingredients, recipes and influences to the city’s gastronomic “melting pot.”

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© Perikles Merakos

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The bounties of nature

Thessaloniki’s spot on the map brings with it the bounties of nature. The Thermaic Gulf and the sea around the Halkidiki peninsula provide fish and seafood, while the river delta offers a nutrient-rich environment in which shellfish flourish. The city is surrounded by farmland and grazing pastures, so quality meat and dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables don’t have to travel hours to reach market and plate. It’s now up to a new, well-traveled and ambitious generation of chefs and restaurateurs to make the most of this abundance, raise the quality bar and strive for originality.

The Thermaic Gulf produces around 80-90% of Greece’s mussels. In Thessaloniki, you can enjoy them steamed with garlic and lemon, or done in all sorts of other delicious ways.

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E AT & DRINK

Shaking Up the Food Scene Imaginative entrepreneurs and chefs are filling the gaps in Thessaloniki’s rich restaurant map.

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he business of reviving the Thessaloniki food scene is being carried out mainly among friends. Τalented young people with culinary know-how, a shared enthusiasm and fresh ideas gleaned from travel pin-pointed what was missing from the restaurant map and brought a breath of fresh air to a city that loves its food.

Our story begins in the Ladadika District in 2012, with the opening of Sebriko.

Today, under new ownership, the restaurant still showcases Greek products, putting the emphasis on meze, among which the spicy soutzouk sausage and the fava split-pea paste are favorites. Its signature dish is the rib-eye, usually done medium-well, while other good selections include the chicken with eggplant puree, an alternative version of the Anatolian hun-

kiar beyendi (usually prepared with veal).

Extravaganza, the creation of three friends who met while doing their military service, has been in operation for three years now, in an arcade near the Roman Agora. The owners took over an abandoned space, introduced a simple yet stylish decorative theme and opened a bar-restaurant where they create new recipes, such as the burger made with beef kavourma (slow-roasted meat) that they prepare themselves. You should also try the graviera goat cheese in an almond crust, served with chili marmalade. The wine list is small, but reasonably priced and of good quality.

In 2015, in an old warehouse on Verias Street, another city lane that had fallen in disuse, three friends from the northeastern town of Komotini created Maitr & Mar-

Talented young people with culinary know-how, a shared enthusiasm and fresh ideas pinpointed what was missing and brought a breath of fresh air to a city that loves its food.

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garita. They have been making magic here ever since, offering crispy filo pies stuffed with lamb mince and kefir (fermented milk solids); a risotto-style dish made with wheat and oxtail, dry anthotyro cheese and white truffle; and tangy Messinian sfela cheese fried in a crust of Komotini chickpeas and served with a honey-raisin sauce – all excellent dishes to go with your wine.

The wine list itself contains labels from small producers.

Radikal in Ano Poli is the epitome of team work. A dozen partners, each talented in his or her own way, came together and opened this elegant restaurant in a quiet and leafy neighborhood near Kastra. A dining hall decorated mostly in white tones, a separate area for private functions of up to 12 people and a gorgeous glass-walled wine room in the basement all work to create a memorable setting. The menu can be described as neo-Mediterranean, but without any single specific country dominating.

The dishes include sautéed liver in a grape sauce; oxtail served with fried gnocchi and a cream cheese sauce; and Japanese-inspired pork pancetta kebabs. All of the wines here can be ordered by the glass.

Also in Ano Poli, in an old café with a courtyard in the Tsinari neighborhood, the experienced cooperative behind Rediviva Cucina Povera has created a completely unpretentious eatery that draws you right RADIKAL in – thanks in part to the amazing aro-

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NEA FOLIA

INFO EXTRAVAGANZA 29A Stoa Ptolemaion & Amvrosiou, Ano Poli • Tel. (+30) 2310.529.791

IGGLIS 32 Irodoutou, Kastra • Tel. (+30) 2313.011.967

MAITR & MARGARITA •

2 Verias, Kastra Tel. (+30) 2314.007.586

NEA FOLIA 4 Aristomenous • Tel. (+30) 2310.960.383

RADIKAL 61 Polydorou Stergiou • Tel. (+30) 2310.202.007

REDIVIVA CUCINA POVERA 70 Alexandras Papadopoulou, Tsinari • Tel. (+30) 2313.067.400

SEBRIKO 2 Frangon, Ladadika • Tel. (+30) 2310.557.513

© JESSICA MORFIS, ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS

REDIVIVA CUCINA POVERA

mas wafting from the kitchen – and keeps you coming back with its wonderful “ad-lib” dishes, made with fresh ingredients (many picked from the group’s own garden). Fresh wild mushrooms are fried or pickled, and wild legumes, seasonal fruits and vegetables are made into pies, marmalades and chutneys (some of which are also available for purchase). Try as many meze as possible, including one or two of the dishes of the day, but be sure not to miss the sun-dried fish or the hahles pasta from the island of Lesvos, served with feta cheese.

Igglis in Kastra, with a history dating back almost 100 years, has been an instrumental force on the Thessaloniki food scene for decades and, as such,w does not belong to the new generation of restaurants. However, the current owners have endowed the menu with a wonderful mix of retro and “right now,” marrying traditional Greek

SEBRIKO

techniques (such as cooking stews in clay pots) to the food spirit of the East, using old recipes and ingredients that have fallen out of fashion but infusing all their dishes with inspiration and freshness. If the weather is fine, look for a table under the vine-covered pergola outside.

Over the years, Folia (now known as Nea Folia, or “New Nest”), has evolved from a kafeneio/ cheap wine boozery into a real gem. The food is rich northern Greek fare with exciting touches, like the mustard leaves, anise and ginger that go into the classic lemon pork, or the tarragon and raspberry vinegar in the rabbit stew. Try the beef sausage stew with leeks, celeriac and dried fruits, and d0n’t miss some of the amazing cheeses from other parts of Greece – the melicholoro and kaskavali from Lesvos, the xinotyri from Ios or the fennel-scented cheese from Andros. Dessert is on the house.

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The Daily Catch A quick guide on where to find fish and other seafood fresh from the net.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

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ubbed the “Bride of the Thermaic Gulf,” Thessaloniki is endowed with excellent fish and other seafood. The waters off the Pieria region to the west and the Halkidiki peninsula to the east supply the city’s restaurants and tavernas with outstanding raw materials to demonstrate their exceptional skill in high-quality cooking.

Mavri Thalassa first opened in 1926 as a neighborhood café in Kato Toumba, serving meze and ouzo to locals. It has since evolved into a luxury restaurant in the district of Kalamaria, thanks to the efforts of Alexandros Tokidis, the original owner’s grandson.

Standouts include creamy taramosalata (fish roe paste), a special crab salad, and boiled fresh fish in a thick sauce made with olive oil, lemon and fish stock, a treasured recipe from the eatery’s early days. The wine list comprises 68 whites, several of which are available in magnum bottles.

Also located in Kalamaria, though much different in style, Atlantis is a family-run taverna that remains a well-kept secret shared among locals. Here, it’s all about fresh fish, without any unnecessary frills: the kakavia (fish stew; must be ordered in advance), mussels, raw shellfish and other delectable seafood meze are all must-tries, as is the fava (split-pea paste). The service is friendly and the prices affordable.

In the suburb of Pylaia, Glykanisos is a respectable, low-key taverna off the main street, with simple décor, modern food and extra-friendly service. From the meze list, try the marinated fish, the carpaccio made with the catch of the day, or the vermicelli with either bottarga or clams. Reservations are necessary, as the place is a popular choice for hosting large social and business events.

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In the city center, Grada Nuevo is located on pedestrianized Kalapothaki Street and boasts the “comme il faut” ambiance of classic luxury, which is also reflected in their food. The menu changes twice a year, with the exception of a few iconic dishes that are always available, including their bonito carpaccio with roasted marinated oysters and caviar tartare (a dish first served in 1996 and considered one of the restaurant’s stars). The dusky grouper filet in a wine sauce is quite an elegant dish, in contrast to the extremely rustic yet equally delicious red snapper cheeks fricasseed with chard and served with the foam from an egg-lemon sauce. The wine list (put together by owner Apostolos Rigas) features more than 80 labels. Right next door, Epta Thalasses serves Mediterranean seafood cuisine centered on shellfish, carpaccio dishes, risottos and Greek-style sushi, all made with quality ingredients.

If you’re looking for a diamond in the rough, Mourga resembles a traditional city kafeneio, with marble-topped tables and wooden chairs. The menu is prepared according to what inspires the cooks and what’s available at the fish market, which is probably why it’s written on a piece of grease-proof paper. Try the roast swordfish filet with caponata vegetable stew, the roast bonito with cranberry beans and seasonal legumes, or the monkfish liver with grape must and rapeseed marmalade: the last of these is their exclusive specialty and an excellent example of how a fish “scrap” can be elevated into a majestic meze. All of the ingredients (except the fish) are organic. There is no wine list, unfortunately, so you’ll have to settle for tsipouro, which holds its own beside the high-quality dishes.

INFO ATLANTIS 19 Atlantidos, Kalamaria • Tel. (+30) 2310.444.679

EPTA THALASSES •

10 Kalapothaki Tel. (+30) 2310.233.173

GLYKANISOS 46 Mega Alexandrou, Pylaia • Tel. (+30) 2310.302.882

GRADA NUEVO •

14 Kalapothaki Tel. (+30) 2310.271.074

MAVRI THALASSA 3 Nikolaou Plastira, Kalamaria • Tel. (+30) 2310.932.542

MOURGA 12 Athanasiou Christopoulou • Tel. (+30) 2310.268.826

MAVRI THALASSA

MOURGA

EPTA THALASSES

GLYKANISOS

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Flavors of a worldly city As great as Greek food may be, sometimes your taste buds just need something different; here are five of the city’s best ethnic restaurants.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

meni with ground beef but no herbs. She also serves peinirli, pirozhki, borscht soup and a salad of boiled vegetables and pickles. Have some vodka, some kvass (made from barley bread) or some mors (a fruit drink of berries and sugar). A meal here will cost you about 12 euros.

Massaya means “twilight” in Syrian.

The family operating the restaurant of that name in the Botsari district has been involved in gastronomy for years, even while back in Syria. The kitchen, run by Mariam and her father, produces selections such as kebab on the spit using two-year-old mutton and herbs; delicious falafel; and maqluba, made with layers of meat, rice and eggplant.

Back home, this last choice would be a holiday dish, but here it is served daily. Enjoy it with a glass of arak, the Arabic version of double-distilled tsipouro with anise.

Though there is no active Indian community in the city, the Indian restaurant Nargis, which takes its name from Bollywood star Nargis Dutt, has been in operation for 12 years, hidden down one of the small side streets off Alexandrou Svolou Street. The

This kind of cooking is not about impeccable gourmet dining or refined flavors; it’s about dishes hearty enough to satisfy an entire family and to fill holiday tables.

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INFO AYHAN 21 Kolokotroni, Stavroupoli • Tel. (+30) 2310.647.524

EREBUNI 16 Grigoriou Palama • Tel. (+30) 2310.274.744

MASSAYA 22 Heimarras • Tel. (+30) 2310.904.202

NARGIS 18 Kapetan Patriki • Tel. (+30) 2310.228.502

SIBERIA PELMENI •

12 Ioustinianou Tel. (+30) 2313.006.216

© Jessica Morfis

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owadays, the city enjoys a vibrant ethnic gastronomic scene with a rapidly growing fan base. This kind of cooking is not about impeccable gourmet dining or refined flavors; it’s about dishes hearty enough to satisfy an entire family and to fill holiday tables with meze from the kitchens of workers and with pies and pasta that fill and thrill. In short, it’s all about food that tells a story about the culture of those who live and eat in this city.

Galini from Georgia cooks for five small tables that barely fit in the brightly colored dining room of Siberia Pelmeni. The cuisine is home-style, the furniture and the tableware are not uniform, the flatware comes in a plastic basket and she serves her customers herself. Each one of the 35 dishes (Georgian, Ukrainian and Russian, including specialties from Siberia, where she lived for a time), is prepared just as it would be in its homeland. Try one of her handmade filled dumplings: the Georgian khinkali with ground beef, fresh herbs and hot pepper, eaten by hand; the Ukrainian vareniki with a sweet or savory filling; or the Russian pel-

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setting will immediately put you in the mood to explore, and the cook, though Bangladeshi, will guide you through the length and breadth of the Indian peninsula: we recommend the korma curry from the north, masala from the south, and the tandoori chicken or lamb prepared in a tandoor oven with a very spicy sauce whose heat only the lassi (yogurt drink) can dampen. As a side dish, try the lemon rice with cardamom and onion. There are plenty of halal dishes to choose from, too.

The trademark of Turkish cuisine, kebabs have pride of place at Ayhan Restaurant at Moni Lazariston. Spicy Adana skewers, giaourtlou with grilled tomatoes, and kebab made of chicken or mixed ground meat wrapped in pita bread are all prepared by chef Ayhan Ekinci, along with the more refined hunkar begendi, a beef dish with pureed eggplant. Don’t leave without dessert – our favorites are the chocolate fritters and the buttery kiounefe, with crispy shredded filo pastry and syrup.

There is also live music twice a week.

Try another type of kebab at the Armenian restaurant Erebuni. A family-style place – with the mother and grandmother of the Tsatinian clan in the kitchen, the father manning the grill and the son serving tables – it earns full points for its excellent food.

All the meats are marinated in herbs and spices and cooked to order. The kebab is formed right on the long skewer and masterfully roasted to seal in all the juices – no side dish needed. The surprise selection is manti, traditional dumplings measuring no more than 2cm, made by hand and stuffed with ground meat. They are baked and then boiled, making them soft and crispy at the same time, and are served with butter and yogurt – poetry for the palate. Try the pastourmali, a pocket pie with kaseri cheese, tomato and green pepper, and air-dried beef pastourma brought from Armenia; or the eggplant with walnut cream, based on a Caucasian recipe – the perfect meze for pomegranate wine, which can also be enjoyed with dinner.

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The Pantopoleio - Thessaloniki’s General Store 12 Komninon St., 54624 Thessaloniki • Tel.: (+30) 2310.244.684 • Fax: (+30) 2310.244.687 pantopoliothessa@yahoo.gr • www.to-pantopolio.gr

E AT & DRINK

TAKE IT UP A NOTCH Explore the cutting edge of the gourmet food scene.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

F

or many years, Thessaloniki’s good reputation as a destination for foodies was not due to innovative recipes, consummate techniques, impeccable service or anything else associated with the concept of haute cuisine. Nonetheless, visitors to the city usually had at least one memorable dining experience, which was not on account of the food per se, but rather a combination of different factors: from the quick, friendly service and a complimentary dessert or digestif to … free parking and – of course – the bill. In a word, the city offered that most precious commodity: value for money. In recent years, progress has also been made on the culinary front: as quality has improved, the food has become more gourmet and service more professional, with prices remaining at reasonable levels.

A good representative of the new era is Ioanna Theodorakaki, a young, utterly unpretentious chef with the grace of a traditional hostess. Her cuisine, difficult to label, could be called French-Mediterranean with twists of fusion, creative yet traditional, without snobbish hang-ups.

Her restaurant, Duck Private Cheffing, may remind you of a country retreat – you’ll need a GPS to find it! For a special dinner, try the rooster with noodles, the fish soup, the baked oysters, the ravioli with braised oxtail in pumpkin sauce or the calf’s head with oven-baked potatoes, followed by fresh French cheese. The extensive wine list features mainly Greek selections, along with a few good foreign labels. The restaurant is available for special occasions as well.

In the Kalamaria district, you will find Anassa, with its modern classic style, which is also good for special celebrations.

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Textures, foams, styling and subtle flavors come together in dishes such as greater amberjack with crispy rice, or eye of round steak cooked in port with mashed potato and truffle oil.

On the New Waterfront, Thria is something different on the local culinary scene and is already Thessaloniki’s new gourmet hotspot. The style is Scandinavian, with natural light and clean architectural lines which allow the food to take the lead role. A glass partition permits diners to see their food being prepared in the kitchen. Try the octopus with pan-fried baby potatoes in a creamy sujuk sauce – a particularly interesting use of cured meat as a condiment. Other stand-out dishes include the eel with beetroot cream, almond chips and olive oil, as well as the filet steak with potato gnocchi, gooseberry sauce and mushrooms, with onion chips. For bolder diners, we recommend the shrimp risotto with cinnamon and milk froth, a very tasty seafood … cappuccino! The wine list is very reasonably priced.

Close by is Opsopoion Manganeiai, which loosely translates as “Cooks’ Magic,” with an almost mystical character and just a few tables cozily close together. The feeling here is that the proprietors are simply preparing food for demanding friends. The cuisine is down-to-earth and full-flavored, as exemplified by the hand-rolled gnocchi and the roasted meats. It is worth choosing a prime piece of meat – there are different cuts, matured as well as imported – accompanied by a complex Greek red from the wine list. There are daily specials and the menu changes frequently; however, the quality remains high and the service discreet, making it ideal for romantic dinners.

INFO ANASSA 26 Sofouli, Kalamaria • Tel. (+30) 2311.821.360

DUCK PRIVATE CHEFFING 3 Halkis, Patriarchika Pyleas • Tel. (+30) 2315.519.333

OPSOPOION Manganeiai 5 Aimiliou Riadi • Tel. (+30) 2310.889.699

THRIA 1 Marias Kallas • Tel. (+30) 2310.821.120

ANASSA

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OH, SUGAR Sugar Thessaloniki is renowned for its confectionery and has an almost inexhaustible supply of bakeries and patisseries from which to choose.

Here are some of our favorites.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

O

ne smell that inevitably assails your senses on Aristotelous Square is that of freshly-baked desserts, and no doubt you’ll be surprised, as you move throughout the city, by the number and variety of bakeries and patisseries that you find, each catering to a different aspect of the wide-ranging tastes of sweet-toothed Thessalonians.

Emmanouil Bezes is renowned not only for its meringue cookies, known as beze in Greek, but also for other delectable items such as baked quince or the meringue-and-crème-Chantilly dessert served in a glass. Mourouzis is an old-school bakery that makes delicious traditional diples (fritters) and other syrup-soaked delights, while Deligiorgakis on Aghias Sofias Street prepares excellent baklava enriched with chocolate, as well as loukoum delights scented with bergamot or rose water. Over on Ionos Dragoumi Street, the Papadopoulos family has been churning out delicious loukoum for the past 50 years; the version that’s prepared with butter biscuits is its top seller.

Blé is a classic French-style boulangerie with contemporary patisserie creations on

offer at two outlets. The treats here are capable of bending the will of even the staunchest weight-watcher; the colors, textures and shapes alone will draw you in. Admit defeat and try the caramelized Belgian chocolate with Madagascar vanilla or the meringue balls with mango glaze.

For a cup of coffee and a sweet, we recommend the romantic Sugar Angel, which calls out to passersby with its seductive cakefilled display window. Sit down and enjoy a slice of red velvet cake, or try Copabanana cake made with chocolate mousse, caramel and banana. If you’re not that hungry, opt for a simple cup of java with a delicious butter biscuit. The bakery also specializes in custom-made cakes, which you can design together with pastry chef Angeliki Meimari.

Another great establishment, Choureal, is the result of the synergy between biologist Aliki and chemical engineer Miles, who created what is basically a choux boutique.

They bake fresh choux every hour of the day and make their profiterole on the spot, using either cream or their own ice cream along with different types of chocolate for the sauce. Try, too, the chocolate éclairs or the Paris-Brest stuffed with cream.

INFO BLÉ 19 Aghias Sofias • Tel. (+30) 2310.231.200 and 138 Egnatia • Tel. (+30) 2310.279.060

CHOUREAL 7 Paleon Patron Germanou • Tel. (+30) 2310.252.766

DELIGIORGAKIS •

58 Aghias Sofias Tel. (+30) 2310.272.792

EMMANOUIL BEZES 117 Constantinou Karamanli, Botsari • Tel. (+30) 2310.323.247

MOUROUZIS •

95 Mitropoleos Tel. (+30) 2310.269.712

PAPADOPOULOS •

49 Ionos Dragoumi Tel. (+30) 2310.544.040

SUGAR ANGEL •

The treats on offer in Blé are capable of bending the will of even the staunchest weight-watcher; the colors, textures and shapes alone will draw you in.

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1 Lassani Tel. (+30) 2310.225.575

CHOUREAL

EMMANOUIL BEZES

SUGAR ANGEL

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No Last Orders As a major student town, Thessaloniki is renowned for its nightlife, but it’s certainly not all cheap booze and mindless frivolity.

BY NENA DIMITRIOU

SINATRA

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he city’s nightlife is basically centered around two streets, Proxenou Koromila and Valaoritou, but we’re starting this bar-hopping tour at one of the exceptions: Chilai, an all-day wine bar that’s a hit with all age groups. The décor, heavy on the greenery, is best described as sophisticated colonial. The wine list, with plenty of detailed information included on each choice, consists of 104 labels; it can be perused on tablets handed out by the establishment.

The tiny Souel Wine Concept Bar is warm and friendly, with a circular bar in the middle that invites socializing among patrons. It is another

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great recommendation for wine fans, thanks to its up-to-date list and large range of by-the-glass selections. If, on the other hand, you want to buy a bottle to take home, visit the new wine store Bientôt, where owner and oenologist Maria Samou brings together “emotive wines” from small producers and frequently organizes tastings and events.

For something stronger but just as special, Spinte on Aristotelous Square is the city’s only whisky bar, and it boasts an excellent selection.

If you want to mingle with the hip crowd, then the Proxenou Koromila strip is your best bet. Apallou, open from early in the morning, is among the

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INFO APALLOU 51 Mitropoleos • Tel. (+30) 2310.228.898

ART HOUSE •

3 Verias Tel. (+30) 694.491.0631

BIENTOT 5 Morgentau • Tel. (+30) 2310.253.781

BORD DE L’EAU VOGATSIKOU 3

APALLOU

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45 Egnatia Tel. (+30) 2310.541.237

CAFÉ BALKAN 3 Proxenou Koromila • Tel. (+30) 2310.233.992

SPINTE

CHILAI 4 Aghiou Mina • Tel. (+30) 2313.05.45.50

COCKTAIL BAR •

17A Polytechniou Tel. (+30) 2310.524.242

GORILLA © Jessica Morfis

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3 Verias Tel. (+30) 697.759.0306

LA DOZE 1 Vilara & Syngrou • Tel. (+30) 2310.922.247

MON FRÉRE most popular watering holes here and a great place for people-watching. The elegant café-bar Mon Frére exudes the air of a French bistro and is ideal for an aperitif, while Café Balkan is more of your typical bar, with great music that doesn’t overwhelm conversation, unlike Sinatra, which is always loud and always full at night. Vogatsikou 3 is worth jotting down as the only official non-smoking bar in the city; it also has a good selection of spirits and interesting cocktails.

For more intensity, follow the party crowd towards Valaoritou Street, where the volume tends to go up as patrons’ ages go down. You won’t find too many fancy bars here; just unpretentious establishments looking to offer a good 152

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time to everyone in a city filled with students and 30-somethings who make a point of going out as often as possible.

At the self-service Cocktail Bar, wellknown DJs explore the electro scene, as they do at La Dose, where the dancing goes on until the wee hours. The “fine-drinking” bar in the area is Gorilla, a new arrival with funky décor, fun music from the ‘80s right up to the present and drinks made from premium spirits. The cocktails here are truly inspired, with concoctions such as the “Diddy Kong”: house brand rum, lime juice, homemade passion fruit syrup and falernum. If the music is your main criterion, and you enjoy the electronic scene, head for Art House or Bord de l’eau.

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6 Karolou Dil Tel. (+30) 2310.240.058

SINATRA 20 Mitropoleos & Komninon • Tel. (+30) 2310.223.739

SOUEL WINE CONCEPT BAR •

16 Pavlou Mela Tel. (+30) 2310.262.827

SPINTE 5 Aristotelous Square • Tel. (+30) 2310.230.248

VOGATSIKOU 3 •

3 Vogatsikou Tel. (+30) 2310.222.899

APALLOU

© PERIKLES MERAKOS

Handmade fresh from the oven, Bantis’ bougatsa is worth getting up early for. Or just stay out late,Thessaloniki style – he opens at dawn.

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KEEPING IT SWEET

BY amber charmei

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

Trends in food may come and go, but some family-run institutions have been building on success for generations.

© JESSICA MORFIS, KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS

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CHATZIS

The cream always rises

When the Chatzis family opened their first shop, the street that it’s still on today was called Sabri Pasha. Fotis Chatzis, the patriarch of this remarkable family, is a guardian of memory – this is where you come to find out what the city used to taste like. “This was the center of everything. Everyone wanted to be here – Greeks, Slavs, Jews, all the Balkan people. It was a nice mix. My great-grandfather, Suleiman Suleimanovits, came here in 1888. He sold boza , (a drink of fermented millet) out of a stamna (a clay vessel) strapped to his back.” It was the next generation that opened the store, in 1908, selling mainly creamery products and a few syrup pastries. Today, the street is called 156

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Eleftheriou Venizelou, but the recipes are the same.

Their cream is made from buffalo milk – the family has their own herd on the shores of Lake Kerkini, just so they can make things they way they used to. When asked about this, Fotis shrugs. “You’ve got to have ekmek (cream so thick you can slice it with a knife), because kazan dibi (a sweet similar to crème brulee) is just not the same without it. So what are you going to do?” They make all the politika desserts, the heavier Constantinople-style siropiasta (syrup pastries), that are hard to find anywhere else. Hanoum bourek, for instance, is custard in a golden, tender filo rich with egg yolks. Another favorite is taouk yiouksou, a sweet cream simmered with ground chicken breast – you can actually taste the chicken in it, and it’s delicious.

Fotis Chatzis passed away a few weeks after sharing these memories. The store is still run by the family.

INFO C H AT Z I s • 50 Eleftheriou Venizelou. • Tel. (+30) 2310.279.058 • 73 Themistokli Sofouli & Argonafton, Kalamaria, Tel. (+30) 2310.417.808 • Open daily: 7:00-24:00

© SAKIS GIOUMPASIS

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The Gavalinis cousins and Dorkada Partners with nature

The Gavalinis cousins are the second generation of their family to be making sheep’s milk yogurt in this small shop on Kassandrou Street. Their uncle, Taxiarchis Tomaras, started the business in Tsinari, just up the hill, in 1957, and moved here four years later.

Dorkada is also a pastry shop, but it’s the sheep’s-milk yogurt that they are famous for. “What they now call ‘Greek yogurt’ is cow’s-milk yogurt, strained,” the cousins explain. “But the original, classic Greek yogurt is made from sheep’s milk, with a nice thick petza (skin) of cream on top. Cows were expensive – most people didn’t have them. Sheep’s milk, with 8% to 9% fat, is ideal for yogurt-making. Even with

fat content now regulated by law to a ceiling of 6.5%, it still makes a remarkably thick yogurt. But before that regulation, you could cut our yogurt with a knife. Our customers came in with their own containers and we served it out in scoops, it was so thick.” Sheep’s milk, rich in calcium and easy to digest, is as pure as source material gets. The sheep graze on wild herbs and shrubs, topped up by high quality grains.

“Sheep are picky,” say the cousins. “If it’s not the freshest, the absolute best, they just turn their nose up at it.”

Today, sheep’s milk is getting increasingly hard to find. Herding is not popular work anymore, and most milk goes straight to feta cheese manufacturers.

Dorkada has one trusted long-time supplier. At 6:30 every morning, the milk is delivered. They simmer it, and add a starter; the traditional starter is old yogurt. “By touching the outside of

the pot, we can tell when to add it. The yogurt sets in about three hours in the winter, a little quicker in the summer.

You can’t get anything fresher – today it’s yogurt, yesterday it was in a sheep.

Fresh yogurt tastes sweet and mild, and gets tangier over time. Some customers like it that way and let it ripen at home. All our yogurt is fresh daily, with just a few from the day before for early-morning customers.” This is an artisanal product from a premium quality ingredient, but that’s not reflected in the cost. “We price it so everyone can buy it. That’s how the last generation did it; that’s how we do it.”

INFO D o r k a d a : 91 Kassandrou • Tel. (+30) 2310.234.675 • Monday – Saturday, 6:30-23:00, Sunday 9:00-14:00 and 17:30-22:30

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Papageorgiou

Keep it simply scrumptious

Lazaros Papageorgiou is the third generation of his family in charge of the specialty sweet shop Papageorgiou, a fixture of downtown Thessaloniki since 1926. His grandfather, also called Lazaros, came from Galatini, a village near Kozani. “There wasn’t much work in the village, so his father, a priest, gave him 1,000 drachmas to come to Thessaloniki to make his way.

He worked in different places, learning the craft, and opened his own shop on Aghiou Mina Street, making the same things we still make today.” These are glyko koutaliou (spoon sweets) and loukoumia. Elsewhere often called Turkish delight, loukoumia are made differently in Greece than they are in Turkey. Here, they’re sweeter and 158

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much softer. “Traditionally, loukoumia were from the islands, and they came to Thessaloniki by boat. They were extremely popular in the ‘20s, when the shop first opened.” Glyko koutaliou, also in high demand, were found in the pantry of every Greek household.

Fruits, nuts, edible flower petals, and sometimes even small vegetables like baby eggplants scented with clove (Papageorgiou still makes them and they are absolutely delicious) were preserved in sugar syrup. Even today, it is not uncommon to be welcomed into a home with a serving of glyko koutaliou.

For 90 years, their product list has stayed the same. “We want to emphasize quality and tradition,” says Lazaros. Along with loukoumia and 17 varieties of glyko koutaliou, they have jams, fondant of vanilla or of mastic for the classic children’s treat “submarines” (a fat spoonful of fondant in

a glass of cold water) and vyssinada – sweetened sour cherry concentrate to be diluted in cold water.

First-time consumers will be enchanted with the elusive, exotic flavor profiles of the loukoumia – classic versions include mastic (the sap of a wild pistachio tree), rose water and bergamot (the aromatic peel of a citrus fruit). Glyko koutaliou are classic and contemporary – traditionally served on their own, they’re also fabulous over strained yogurt. Try the rose petal for a little nostalgic glamour.

INFO P apag e o r gi o u : 11 Aghiou Mina • Tel. (+30) 2310.278.562 • Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday 8:3015:30, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:0015:00 and 17:00-20:30

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Bantis

The real bougatsa

Like many of the city’s pleasures, bougatsa, Thessaloniki’s most popular breakfast (or late-night) snack, has its roots in the east, in Smyrna in Asia Minor. The original bougatsa was sketi, meaning it was plain, made with nothing but layers of hand-stretched filo coated with butter and oil that would keep it crisp and tender all day long.

It served as a convenient lunch for workers, portable and tasty. When the ladies in the grand homes of Smyrna turned it into a fashionable tea-time snack, fillings of cream or minced meat were added to dress it up. Thessaloniki ended up with such great bougatsa because, when the Greek refugees fled Asia Minor in 1922, the majority of them came to Thessaloniki, bringing

the recipe with them.

Today, you can find bougatsa shops everywhere in Thessaloniki, but only a few of them make it the traditional way, by hand, and Bantis is one of them. Phillipos Bantis, who runs the family business these days, explains its history. “My grandfather wasn’t a baker when he came over from Cappadocia.

He worked at the ‘Aslan Hani’ – it had a stable for animals, rooms for travelers and a kitchen where he learned to make bougatsa. He taught my father, who opened this shop in 1969.”

Making bougatsa by hand is tricky – Phillipos starts with a disk of dough a little smaller than an LP and tosses it out in front of him. After five or six throws, it’s half the size of a bed-sheet and just as thin. He spreads oil and butter on it, folds it over, and dots it with semolina cream, 12 layers on top and 12 layers on the bottom. It’s ready

for the oven. The next bougatsa he makes is “sketi,” because I told him I thought it was an urban food myth and nobody makes it anymore. But he tells me that this – the original plain bougatsa – is actually the favorite of connoisseurs. He gives me both pies in an aluminum dish to bake at home.

When I try them, fresh and hot, I find that “sketi” is my new favorite, too.

VIDEO

Visit our website and see the bougatsamaster in action.

INFO B a n tis : 33 Panagias Faneromenis • Tel. (+30) 2310.510.355 • Monday to Saturday 06:00-15:00 • Sunday 06:00-13:00

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What’s so special about this city?

Multi-layered and compact, timeless yet modern, charming and generous, Thessaloniki speaks to you, mystifies, surprises and rewards you at every turn. Let’s take a walk and you’ll see.

Vibrantly relevant throughout the centuries, Thessaloniki embraces its rich heritage of empires, religions and cultures; it’s also the ideal base for exploring the Kingdom of Macedon, which spawned Alexander the Great.

From the New Waterfront and the city center up to the old walls of its Upper Town, Thessaloniki is full of places worth visiting, from unknown uber-cool hangouts to neighborhoods where time seems to stand still.

A melting pot of influences, the city’s food scene will thrill the epicure inside you. Here, eating out is an essential part of the lifestyle. Just follow our tried-and-true guide and make sure to leave room for dessert.

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