Thessaloniki's Upper Town called Ano Poli ( el, Άνω Πόλη, ) is the

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

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 ...

and is located around the city's

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

north of the city center. The neighborhood is known for its well preserved Byzantine and Ottoman era structures and urban design and as a center for Thessaloniki's poets, intellectuals, and bohemians. Ano Poli is one of the most traditional areas in Thessaloniki. The area preserves much of the Byzantine and Ottoman era city design which was largely destroyed elsewhere in the city in the Great Fire of 1917. It is known for its small stone-paved streets, old squares, and houses in traditional Greek and

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk architecture, Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influen ...

. Ano Poli is the highest part of the city and is dominated by the city's

, a Byzantine and Ottoman era fort known as the Eptapyrgio. What remains of the old city walls still surround Ano Poli and many Ottoman and Byzantine structures such as the church of Profitis Elias, the

Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos The Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos ( el, ) is an early 14th-century Byzantine church in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Covered in outstanding Byzantine frescoes, the church is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with oth ...

, the

Taxiarches church Taxiarches or its variant taxiarchos (from el, ταξιάρχης or ταξίαρχος), anglicized taxiarch, may refer to: * Taxiarch, equivalent to brigadier in ancient and modern Greek military terminology * Archangels Michael and Gabriel are ...

, the Byzantine bath, the Church of Saint Catherine, the

Vlatades Monastery Vlatades Monastery or Vlatadon Monastery ( el, Μονή Βλατάδων) is a monastery in Ano Poli, Thessaloniki, Greece. Built in the 14th century during the late era of the Byzantine Empire, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site A World ...

, the Atatürk Museum, and the

Alaca Imaret Mosque Alaca Imaret Mosque ( tr, Alaca İmaret Camii) or Ishak Pasha Mosque ( el, Αλατζά Ιμαρέτ), literally the "colourful mosque", is a 15th-century Ottoman mosque in Thessaloniki, Greece.The Sultan of Vezirs: The Life and Times of the Ott ...

still stand in the neighborhood. Other landmarks include the buildings of Karipio Melathro and Villa Varvara. During the Ottoman period Ano Poli was the main district for the Turks (Muslims) of the city while Greeks, western Europeans, and Jews lived below around the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. On clear days

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

, about away across the gulf, can also be seen towering the horizon.

People

* Dinos Christianopoulos, writer * Iphigénie Chrysochoou, writer * Anestis Evangelou, poet *

Nâzım Hikmet Mehmed Nâzım Ran (15 January 1902 – 3 June 1963), Note: 403 Forbidden error received 10 October 2022. commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet (), was a Turkish-Polish poet, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director, and memoirist. He was ...

, Turkish poet *

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

, founder of the Republic of Turkey * Kostis Moskof, writer * Antonis Sourounis, writer * Giorgos Themelis, writer *

Georgios Vafopoulos Georgios Vafopoulos ( el, Γεώργιος Βαφόπουλος; 1903–1996) was a Greek poet, author, teacher and journalist of the 20th century. Biography Early years Vafopoulos was born on 6 SeptemberBnF authoritiesGeṓrgios Th. Vafópou ...

, writer *

Konstantinos Zervas Konstantinos Zervas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Ζέρβας; born 1964) is the 61st and current mayor of Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece. Konstantinos Zervas was born in Thessaloniki in 1964. He is the son of Vasilis Zervas� ...

, mayor of Thessaloniki

Gallery

File:Άνω πόλη - panoramio.jpg, View from Ano Poli

References

Upper Town
* {{coord, 40.642, 22.952, type:city_region:GR, display=title Thessaloniki Tourist attractions in Thessaloniki Historic districts