A Wonderful Tour in Thessaloniki, Greece 27.11.12

At noon, we were brought around for a short tour in Thessaloniki by Mr. and Mrs. Chatzigiannis (Pavlos and Nancy). We had a great time looking at some of the historical places in different parts of the city and got ourselves some souvenirs, of course. 

 Thessaloniki is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political centre, and a major transportation hub for the rest of southeastern Europe; its commercial port is also of great importance for Greece and the southeastern European hinterland. The city is renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life in general, and it is considered to be the cultural capital of Greece. 

According to the history, this city was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon. He named this city after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great and princess of Macedon as daughter of Philip II. Under the kingdom of Macedon the city retained its own autonomy and parliament and evolved to become the most important city in Macedon.

We were brought to the Castle of Thessaloniki - The Heptapyrgion Castle or Yedi Kule. It was located on a hill above the Old Town (Ano Poli). Its location gives gorgeous view to the city, the port and the Aegean Sea. 

 

The Castle of Thessaloniki was built on the spot of  of the ancient Acropolis, founded by Cassander in 316 B.C. The walls of the castle, that are still visible today, date from 4th century A.D. In fact, the Castle has 10 towers in total, although its name Heptapyrgion means "Seven Towers". 

Till the 1890s the Castle was the seat of the garrison commanders and then it was turned into a prison for 100 years. The prison was known as a severe place of torture. After the damages during war and earthquakes throughout the time line, the empty Castle of Thessaloniki is today under restoration but open for visitors.

 

We then went to the central of the city to visit the Roman Forum of Thessaloniki. All the pictures about the Forum of Roman are as above.  

 

 

 

 

 

 
Later in the afternoon, we paid a visit to the White Tower. It is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece and a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia. The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification which was mentioned around the 12th century and reconstructed by the Ottomans to fortify the city's harbour; it became a notorious prison and scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule. It was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city.


Last but not least we paid a visit to DXN Greece office in Cosmos Building. Things have improved so much since last year when I came here last year.