Thessaloniki_EN

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4 th walk:
HISTORIC CENTRE (3)
at the centre of this transport
hub. It was built in 1866
by Sultan Hamid as a gift
to the city and it was at that
time situated outside the
east walls (Cassander’s Gate).
During the Interwar Period a
large part of it was removed
to make Egnatia Street wider;
it was restored to its original
shape in 1977.
2 ARISTOTLE
UNIVERSITY OF
THESSALONIKI (AUTH).
This is the first University
Campus in Greece (covering
a 50 hectare area) to have
been built following complete
architectural plans. It was
planned to be constructed
on the location of the old
Jewish cemetery (see p. 61),
according to the Hébrard
committee plan; construction
finally began in 1938, yet the
works were interrupted during
the war and resumed in the
1950s. Since then, several
buildings were erected on
these grounds by leading Greek
architects following mostly the
Modernist design, such as the
main Administration Buildings
as well as those built for the
Schools of Chemistry, Law,
Theology and Education and
the two buildings of the Main
Library; all the above form
a major ensemble of modern
architecture. Today there
are over 100,000 enrolled
students (the biggest campus
in Greece) who add verve
and youthfulness to the city.
MUST SEE:
2.1 Old Building of the
Faculty of Philosophy.
This impressive construction
took place in 1887, designed
by V. Poselli. In 1908, two
two-storey side wings were
added and in 1927 the then
newly established University
of Thessaloniki (1925) was
moved here from its former
seat in Allatini Villa (see p.
54). A number of schools of
the Faculty of Philosophy of
the AUTh are housed in this
building today.
2.2 Museums of the A.U.Th.
Plaster casts of ancient
sculptures and copies of
miniature art, murals dating
from the Minoan up to the
Byzantine period as well as
Byzantine icons are all on
display at the Cast Museum.
The Geology & Paleontology
Museum houses exhibits
of human skulls, known
worldwide to have been found
in the area of Axios river
(aged 9.5 million years) and
in the Petralona Cave (see p.
92), aged approx. 200,000 –
400,000 years. Other similar
places are the Biblical,
Folk Art, and Criminology
Museums, noteworthy theatre,
Modern Greek literature and
Education Academy archives,
and also collections of
manuscripts, books etc.
2.3 Observatory.
One of the finest buildings
of the A.U.Th. complex is this
one, constructed in 1954 to
plans by I. Triantafyllides; its
circular shape bears a direct
reference to Rotunda.
3
AGIOU DIMITRIOU
STREET
This large road in the
north section of the historic
centre is one of the oldest
in the city. There are many
a beautiful block of flats
dating to the Interwar Period
in the surrounding area, that
have survived the postwar
increased building activities,
particularly on Pasteur, Profitis
Ilias and Kameniatou Streets.
In recent decades, emigrants
settled in Kassandrou Street
and the neighbouring area,
mostly coming from Eastern
Europe, and opened shops and
small restaurants, adding a
multinational colour to the area.
MUST SEE:
3.1 Dioikitirio.
It was built in 1891 by
architect V. Poselli to be used
as the ottoman Administration
House [Konaki] of the city.
The style is neoclassical
with renaissance features
and originally it was a threestorey
building (the fourth
floor was added in 1955).
Today it houses the Ministry
of Macedonia-Thrace where
protest marches usually
wind up. In 1990, following
excavations which took place
in the square in front of
Dioikitirio, fragments of roman,
early-christian, byzantine
and ottoman houses were
unearthed; this shows that
the area has always been
the administrative centre
of the city.
3.2 Agios Dimitrios [Saint
Demetrius]
(see p. 11)
4 th walk:
HISTORIC CENTRE (3)
39
37.
The grand
building of
the Faculty of
Philosophy,
Aristotle
University of
Thessaloniki.
38.
View of the
Aristotle
University of
Thessaloniki
campus area.
39.
The neoclassical
building of
Dioikitirio
[Government
House].
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