Thessaloniki_EN

22
2 nd walk:
HISTORIC CENTRE (1)
TRADITIONAL COMMERCIAL CENTRE
Vlali square you will find
coffee shops and traditional
restaurants. A memorial has
been erected at the junction
of Spandoni, Ermou and
Venizelou streets, in memory
of MP Gr. Lamprakis who was
assassinated in May 1963.
In Vatikioti market as well
as in Athonos square, east
of Aristotelous street, there
are shops selling produce,
spices, songbirds, packaging
and shoe-making ware; in
Athonos square you will find
workshops selling wooden and
wicker chairs as well as many
tavernas and ouzo restaurants.
7.3 Bezesteni.
It lies at the corner of
Solomou and Venizelou
streets. It is a rectangular
building with four entrances
and six lead-covered domes
with inscriptions of all of
the craftsmen’s names on
them. It was built in the late
15 th – early 16 th c. as a textile
market [bezesten] and a
market of precious stones,
which was guarded 24 hours
a day. It has kept most of its
character as there are over
110 shops in the interior as
well as in the exterior – most
of them selling textiles or
jewellery.
7.4 Stoa Saul.
The arcade’s construction
was completed in 1881 (plans
by V. Poselli); after its partial
destruction in the 1917 fire,
it was rebuilt in 1929 (plans
by C. Modiano). It combines
neo-renaissance and art
deco elements and initially
it housed the bank of Saul
Modiano and shops; today this
is mostly an entertainment
place.
7.5 Vas. Irakleiou –
Fragkon Street.
A central road which used
to be called Fragkomachalas
[Frankish quarter] as there
were many settlers from
Western Europe in this area
after the 13 th c. It starts at
Aristotelous Street and ends
at Dikastirion district (see p.
59). Banks, foreign agencies
and hotels used to be here
at earlier times; today this is
a commercial hub (including
the side streets) which has
evolved into an entertainment
district as well, since nearby
19
Valaoritou Street and the
neighbouring ones (Syngrou,
Vilara Streets and others) are
lined with cafés, bars and
restaurants. In Syngrou Street,
you will find Chrimatistiriou
Sq. [Money-brokers sq.] and
the building of Stoa Malakopi
[Malakopi Arcade] – of neorenaissance
style- (1907, V.
Poselli) which housed a bank
until 1954 and commercial
enterprises later on. The main
feature in the centre of the
pediment (in Vilara Street)
is the clock which stopped
at the time when the 1978
earthquake took place. In the
arcade’s interior you will find
amusement areas and shops.
At a stone’s throw lies the
Catholic Church (1898, V.
Poselli), built on the location
of an older church which
got destroyed in the 1917
fire. It lies in a serene yard
and its 40 m. tall belfry is
quite impressive. Notice the
building housing the State
Conservatory of Thessaloniki
(1903), at the corner of Vas.
Irakleiou and L. Sofou Streets;
it was built in a neobaroque
style by Turkish architects on
the location of an old mansion
which was blown up that year
by Bulgarian nationalists as it
housed the Ottoman Bank. Its
garden is decorated with the
oldest 19 th c. statues found
outdoors in town (named
Oikonomia [Economy], Pistis
[Faith] and Triton). Ermou St.
runs parallel to Vas. Irakleiou
St. and it is an interesting
shopping centre.
2 nd walk:
HISTORIC CENTRE (1)
TRADITIONAL COMMERCIAL CENTRE
23
18 20 21
18. Malakopi
Arcade on
Chrimatistiriou Sq.
19. You will
find quite a few
popular tavernas
on Athonos Sq.
20. Traditional
marketplaces
in Thessaloniki
offer top quality
foodstuffs,
vegetables
and fruit.
21. A striking
building dated
to the early
20 th c., near
Bezesteni.