2. When King Kassander of
Macedonia founded
Thessaloniki in 315 BC on
the site of the ancient
Greek town of Therme, he
named it after his wife, the
half-sister of Alexander the
Great.
The city subsequently
gained the reputation of
being “Mother of
Macedonia”, a commercial
centre, and a cultural
development equal to that
of the other ancient Greek
cities.
3. open-air museumopen-air museum
Entire city is an open-air
museum. The unique
Byzantine churches co-
exist side by side the
contemporary buildings,
the modern shops and the
numerous coffee shops.
Glorious Roman and
Byzantine monuments
verify the significance and
prominence of the city
throughout the years.
4. cultural lifecultural life
Cultural life is very rich,
with year-round cultural
events, concerts, theatrical
plays, meetings of dance
groups, operas and
cinematic festivals.
The plethora of museums
revive the rich and
multicultural past of the
region. Findings ranging
from classical, Roman and
Byzantine times to
contemporary folkloric and
ethnological exhibits.
5. todaytoday
Contemporary
Thessaloniki is a lively
modern city bursting
with life and movement.
It has the largest
university in the country,
numerous theatres
including the world-wide
famous Theatre of
Northern Greece
