Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In

"Salonika" a Thessaloniki Travel Page by johnsakura

Search:
Home » Europe » Greece » Prefecture of Thessaloniki » Thessaloniki » Salonika - Thessaloniki, Greece

"Salonika" a Thessaloniki Travel Page by johnsakura

See the Entire Thessaloniki Travel Guide

Click Picture to enlarge.
 email me
 add as friend


johnsakura   


Real Name: Joao Pedro dos Santos Jesus da Silva Leitao
Lives In: Lviv, UA
Member Since: May 24, 2003
VT Rank: 113

 

Page Views: 1,379            Last Visit to Thessaloniki: September, 2003      

Salonika

by johnsakura - last update: Dec 8, 2003

salonika greece sea
well, greece...what should i say? I just think i need more time and more opportunities to come back and explore more areas than this one at salonika.
Quite a good experience here.
salonika greece sea

a bit of history:

Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece with a population of 1.000.000 inhabitants, is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It was founded in 316 B.C. on a site of old prehistoric settlements dating back to 2300 B.C., by Cassander, king of Macedonia, and was named after his wife, sister of Alexander the Great. Since then, Thessaloniki has become the chief city of Macedonia. In Roman times it boasted the largest harbour in the whole region and stood on the spot where the great road from the north met the main east-west artery. Many foreign merchants lived temporarily or permanently in this rich commercial centre. It was visited also by Saint Paul, who preached the new religion, and who later addressed his two well-known epistles to the Christians of Thessaloniki. Galerius, the ruler of one of the two parts of the Eastern Roman Empire, chose Thessaloniki as his imperial seat in A.D. 300.

Byzantine Times

In Byzantine times, Thessaloniki became a cultural and artistic center second only to Constantinople in Byzantine Empire. From Thessaloniki the brothers Cyril and Methodius began their mission to civilize and preach Christianity to the peoples of the Balkans and Great Moravia. In 904 Saracen pirates besieged and captured Thessaloniki.

The turkish occupation
Thessaloniki was occupied by Ottoman Turks in 1430. During the turkish occupation, which lasted almost five centuries (1430-1912), there were Greek schools in Thessaloniki that struggled
successfully to preserve the Greek language and literature. The Greek nation fought many times to liberate from the Turks itself. The Greek Struggle for the liberation of Macedonia conducted from the Greek Consulate in Thessaloniki.

The liberation
In 1912 Thessaloniki was free again to continue its course in history. In 1917 a savaging fire that broke out devastated most of the center of the city and its inheritance. Buildings of rare achitectural design were completely ruined.

> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]

johnsakura's Thessaloniki Travel Tips

OverviewThings to Do
Tips: 6 - Photos: 6
 
RestaurantsHotels & Accommodations
 
NightlifeOff The Beaten Path
Tips: 6 - Photos: 6
 
Tourist TrapsWarnings Or Dangers
 
TransportationLocal Customs
Tips: 2 - Photos: 2
 
Packing ListsShopping
Tips: 3 - Photos: 3
 
Sports TravelGeneral Tips
Tips: 3 - Photos: 3

johnsakura's Thessaloniki Travelogues
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
People vs AnimalsSeptember, 2003 6
Train Trip from the border to the citySeptember, 2003 4
aaaa- 1

Comments for johnsakura about Thessaloniki
nickandchris Sat Feb 10, 2007 17:13 UTC
 Yes, I think you should return to Greece to see more....
anpe Thu Aug 25, 2005 09:20 UTC
 WHAT CAN I SAY!!! AMAZINGS PHOTOS!!AND NOT ONLY FOR THESSALONIKI!!! GREAT JOB!! SMILES FOR SUNNY GREECE! ANNA
athenian80 Fri Mar 25, 2005 15:15 UTC
 Very nice page on Macedonia's capital. The photos, especially those at the local customs and intro page are exceptional!
deecat Thu Mar 11, 2004 01:18 UTC
 Extraordinary photographs. It's obvious that you are a step ahead of the rest of us in that department! Thanks for such a great tour.
See More Comments

Thessaloniki Hotels

About VirtualTourist10 Great Things to Do On VirtualTouristContact UsPress CenterHelpUser AgreementPrivacy Statement
Virtual Tourist® ©1994-2009 VirtualTourist.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.