Thessaloniki_EN

62
7 th walk:
WEST OF THE CENTRE-STAVROUPOLI
Lazare church in Paris, which
was the seat of the order.
At times, the building was
used as a hospital and a
refugee hospitality centre.
In 1980 it was declared a
historic monument and a
work of art and in 1997 it
was fully renovated in order
to accommodate the needs
arising from the European
Capital of Culture events in
Thessaloniki. Since then it has
been used as a multi-purpose
cultural and entertainment
venue, as two halls of the
National Theatre of Northern
Greece (N.T.N.G., see p. 109)
a Cultural Centre, a caférestaurant
and a bar are
housed here. Outdoor space
theatrical performances,
concerts and other events
also take place in the
premises. The State Museum
of Contemporary Art is
housed in one of the older
structures, covering an area
of 3,270 m2 (for museum
collections, see p. 75).
4.3 Kapnapothikes
[Tobacco warehouses].
Five old tobacco warehouses
(tobacco shops) still stand
in the area, as reminders of
the city’s booming tobacco
trade from the mid-19 th c.
until 1990. Most of them were
built in the Interwar Period and
bear art deco and Bauhaus
architectural features. Today,
one of them (opposite Moni
Lazariston) is a luxury hotel;
another one houses the School
of Film Studies of the Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki
(located at the corner of
Ikoniou and Ag. Dimitriou
Streets); the Red Tobbaco shop
(Arapitsis Naousis St.) houses
administrative offices and the
neighbouring building of the
Austrian Hellenic Tobacco
Company was turned into
a mall.
4.4 Stavroupoli Botanical
Garden.
It is a 0.5 hectare garden
within a 2.7 hectare green
area with playgrounds,
sports grounds, a café
and an amphitheatre. It
contains over 1000 species
of flora (varieties of roses,
cactus, medicinal plants and
Mediterranean species among
others), a greenhouse with
banana trees and orchids as
well as a gazebo built on a
man-made hill on the location
affording the finest view.
Entrances to the garden are
in Perikleous, Olympou and K.
Konstantinidi Streets.
1.1
1
3
2
4
7.1
5
7
6
SUBURBS AND CITY OUTSKIRTS
3.1
63
70.
The Serbian
monument in
the Zeitenlik
allied military
cemetery.
70
1 KALOCHORI
Kalochori is situated near the
city’s west entrance, at a short
distance from the centre (5 km
W). It was created in the early
20 th c. by refugees and despite
its mostly industrial character
it is a rapidly rising residential
suburb, known for its ouzo and
fish tavernas.
MUST SEE:
Gallikos River.
It stretches along Kalochori’s
west edge. The municipality
has set up kiosks and facilities
so that travellers can stop over,
relax or go picnicking along
the riverside. Further south
you will see the river delta and
Kalochori lagoon with herons,
pelicans, flamingoes and water
buffaloes. A further while
towards the west (beyond the
city limits), you will see the
wetland of the Delta formed
by the rivers Axios, Loudias
and Aliakmonas. This is a 320
km 2 area, protected by the
Ramsar Convention [a.k.a. The
Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance] and
is also included in the Natura
2000 network. The Axios –
Loudias – Aliakmonas Estuaries
Management Authority offers
free tours in the area (www.
axiosdelta.gr).
1.1 Sindos.
It is located approx. 9 km
NW of Kalochori and owes its
considerable growth to the
Thessaloniki Industrial Park