The Municipality of Thessaloniki ( el, Δήμος Θεσσαλονίκης, ''Dímos Thessaloníkis'') is the second largest municipality by population in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
after the
Municipality of Athens. According to the
2011 Greek census
The 2011 Population and Housing Census ( el, Απογραφή Πληθυσμού-Kατοικιών 2011), branded as ( el, Γενικές Απογραφές 2011), was a population census in Greece conducted by the Hellenic Statistical Authority o ...
, it has a population of 324,766 inhabitants. The municipality includes the historical center (including the majority of the city's monuments) and about one third of the
Thessaloniki Urban Area
The Thessaloniki metropolitan area or larger urban zone (LUZ) is the complete area covered and directly influenced by Thessaloniki. The metropolitan area traditionally consisted of the municipality of Thessaloniki and its immediate surroundings, w ...
.
History
The Municipality of Thessaloniki was founded in 1869, one year after the foundation of the
Municipality of Istanbul. The first mayor of the city was the
Ottoman Suleiman Sundi. Another notable mayor of the Ottoman era was
Ahmed Hamdi Bey Galizade (1893–1895, 1901–1907, 1907–1908) while the last Muslim mayor was
Osman Sait Bey (1912–1916, 1920–1922), who remained in office until the
Greek–Turkish population exchange
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...
. The first
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
mayor of Thessaloniki was Konstantinos Angelakis while the current mayor is Konstantinos Zervas (independent) who is in office since 2019.
Division
The Municipality is divided in six municipal districts; First which includes the historical centre of the city, the
Thessaloniki International Fair
The Thessaloniki International Fair ( el, Διεθνής Έκθεση Θεσσαλονίκης, ''Diethnis Ekthesi Thessalonikis''), abbreviated TIF (ΔΕΘ), is an annual international exhibition event held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-large ...
's, the
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
's regions etc., Second which includes suburbs such as Vardari and
Xirokrini, Third (
Eptapyrgio and Ano Poli) Fourth (
Toumba
In archaeology the term Toumba ( el, Τούμπα) or Magoula ( el, Μαγούλα) in Thessaly is a Greek word which describes mounds created by Bronze Age, Bronze and early Iron Age settlements in northern Greece. At first they were considere ...
), Fifth (Nea Elvetia, Charilaou, Analipsi etc.) and the former municipality of
Triandria.
Culture
The Municipality of Thessaloniki owns the management of several culture sites. The
Municipal Art Gallery
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily conc ...
, the Municipal Theatre ''Aneton'', the History Center of Thessaloniki (
el), ''Vafopouleion'' (
el), the Culture Centre of Western Thessaloniki,
Alaca Imaret,
Yeni Cami, Villa Petridi and also several local libraries are under the administration of the municipality.
Other culture foundations within the municipality are the
Archaeological Museum
An archaeology museum is a museum that specializes in the display of archaeological
Types
Many archaeology museum are in the open air, such as the Ancient Agora of Athens and the Roman Forum. Others display artifacts inside buildings, such as Na ...
, the
Art Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies
The Art Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies ( el, Πινακοθήκη Εταιρείας Μακεδονικών Σπουδών) is a museum in Thessaloniki, Greece, founded in 1975.Greece Museum Guide It was the first organised visual a ...
, the
Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area.
List of Jewish museums
Notable Jewish museums include:
*Albania
** Solomon Museum, Berat
*Australia
** Jewish Mu ...
, the
Museum of Photography, the
Museum of Byzantine Culture
The Museum of Byzantine Culture ( el, Μουσείο Βυζαντινού Πολιτισμού) is a museum in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece, which opened in 1994.
History
To design the museum, a nationwide architectural competition was ...
etc.
Municipality of Thessaloniki owns one television channel (TV 100) and three radio stations (FM 100, FM 100,6 και FM 101).
Monuments
The Municipality of Thessaloniki includes within its borders the majority of city's ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman and modern landmarks and monuments. Some of them are the
Arch of Galerius and Rotunda
The Arch of Galerius ( el, Αψίδα του Γαλερίου) or Kamara (Καμάρα) and the Rotunda (Ροτόντα) are neighbouring early 4th-century AD monuments in the city of Thessaloniki, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Gr ...
, the
Byzantine Bath of the Upper Town, the
Basilica of St Demetrios, the
White Tower of Thessaloniki
The White Tower of Thessaloniki ( el, Λευκός Πύργος ''Lefkós Pýrgos''; tr, Beyaz Kule; lad, Kuli Blanka) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece ...
,
Villa Bianca,
Ladadika
Ladadika ( el, Λαδάδικα) is the name of a historic district and a landmark area of the city of Thessaloniki, Greece.
It locates near the Port of Thessaloniki and for centuries was one of the most important market places of the city. Its ...
, the
Alaca Imaret Mosque, the
OTE Tower
OTE Tower is a 76-metre-tall tower located in the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Center in central Thessaloniki, Greece. The tower opened in 1966 and was renovated in 2005.
The tower was designed by Greek architect Alexandros Anastasiadis ...
etc.
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Official website
Populated places in Thessaloniki (regional unit)
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
Thessaloniki
1869 establishments in the Ottoman Empire