Thessaloniki
The multicultural and cosmopolitan city.
Thessaloniki is the second-largest city of Greece and the most important centre of the area. Built by the sea, the Thermaïkos Gulf, it is a modern metropolis bearing the marks of its stormy history and its cosmopolitan character, which give it a special beauty and charm.
Ever since the 4th c. BC when it was founded, Thessaloniki has kept its urban character and has remained a civic centre and the hub of that region.
The city’s centuries-old multicultural history has been associated with great empires, as it has known the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Rule. The town was also greatly influenced by many ethnic and religious groups (Jews, Latins, Armenians and others) as well as Greeks from Constantinople, Pontus [modern-day northeastern Turkey] and Asia Minor [a.k.a. Anatolia].
The numerous monuments, dating to many historical periods, coexist in a singular and charming way and manifest Thessaloniki’s historical multicultural and cosmopolitan nature.