Archeological museum & Libraries of Thessaloniki

Archeological museum of Thessaloniki

The museum’s exhibits include, among other things, collections of Prehistoric, Classical and Roman findings.

Design museum

Design museum, housing industrial planning exhibits of the 20th century.

Folklore and ethnological museum of Macedonia-Thrace

Folklore and ethnological museum of Macedonia-Thrace, displaying items of everyday life and the traditional culture of Macedonia and Thrace.

Macedonian Museum of Modern Art

Macedonian Museum of Modern Art in the grounds of the International Trade Fair, with works by highly acclaimed artists.

State museum of Modern Art Moni Lazariston

State museum of Modern Art in the premises of Moni Lazariston with the marvelous Kostaki collection, with works of art by the painters of the Russian vanguard.

Technological Museum

Technological Museum, with technological exhibits which are rather interactive and entertaining.

Telloglio Foundation

Telloglio Foundation, a state-of-the-art, ultramodern museum, displaying the works of modern Greek painters, featuring a research centre for the plastic arts and other forms of art.

Other Thessaloniki Museums

The Museum of Ancient, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Musical Instruments, the Museum of Cinematography, the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Museum of Photography are also worth a visit.

Thessaloniki Museums and Libraries contact info

• Archeological museum of Thessaloniki  Tel. 2310 830538, 2310 831037
• Folklore and ethnological museum of Macedonia-Thrace  Tel. 2310 830591
• Historical Archives of Macedonia  Tel. 2310 855255
• Macedonian Museum of Modern Art  Tel. 2310 240002
• Municipal Art Gallery Tel.2310 425531
• Municipal Library Tel. 2310 374800
• Museum for the History and Art of Thessaloniki Tel. 2310 274710
• Museum of Ancient, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Musical Instruments Tel. 310 555263-6
• Museum of Byzantine Culture  Tel. 2310 868570
• Museum of Cinematography Tel. 2310 508398
• Museum of the Macedonian Struggle  Tel. 2310 229778
• State museum of Modern Art  Tel. 2310 589140
• Technological Museum  Tel. 2310 796816
• Telloglio Foundation  Tel. 2310 247111

Thessaloniki archaeological and religious places of interest

Churches and monasteries

Famous Thessaloniki churches and monasteries to visit are, Ag. Dimitrios, with its mosaics and catacombs (7th century and later) and Ag. Sofia, with its mosaic of the Ascension on the central dome, are two of the city’s most important churches, while Achiropiitos Church, is the oldest and best prerved basilica of the East. The church of Ag. Nikolaos Orfanos (14th century) which is the chapel of an old monastery and the churches of Ag. Apostoli and Ag. Ekaterini are fine examples of the so-called “Paleologian” art of the 14th century that was named after the Byzantine Dynasty of the Paleologos family and epitomize what is known as the golden century of Thessaloniki.

Some other Thessaloniki churches and monasteries worth a visit are: Ag. Andreas in Peristera, an old Christian building of peculiar style and many architectural innovations, the church of Metamorphosi Sotiros at Chortiatis (12th century) , with important frescoes partially preserved, the church of Ag. Athanassios, near Vertisko, with frescoes dating from 1740 and the Monastery of Vlatadon (14th century), which still shows the “tribune” from which , according to the tradition, Apostle Paul preached when he visited the city in 50 A.D. Last but not least, the monastery of Ag. Anastasia near Thessaloniki (right next to the village of Vassilika), with valuable manuscripts as well as the relics of Agia Anastasia offered to the Monastery by the wife of the emperor Leontas VI Sofos in 893 A.D., the Monastery of Ag. Georgios (outside Asprovalta) and the monastery of Ag. Ioannis Theologos at Souroti are definitely worth a visit.

History of Thessaloniki and notes about the region

Thessaloniki, Greece's Northern Capital Thessaloniki, commonly known as Salonika, rests near the alluvial plain formed by the Axios and Aliakmon Rivers in the Greek state of Macedonia. Thessaloniki Greece has an ancient history, dating from 315 B.C. Founded by Cassander, King of Macedonia, the city was named for his wife, Thessaloniki, sister of Alexander The Great. The city has a vivid past, yet it offers modern conveniences and a culture you won't forget.

The city is included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites because of its rich history, starting from 315 BC when the Macedonian king Cassander founded the city. Over the years, Thessaloniki is the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, an important commercial center of the Byzantine, was conquered by the Crusader conquest and the Turks. It is famous as the birthplace of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

It is the second largest city in Greece and certainly one of the most interesting. Surrounded by a city wall of mainly Venetian origin, the modern city grew out of the terrible fire of 1917 when most of the old section near the sea was destroyed. The new city has been laid out using city planning and is quite attractive. Old Thessaloniki was a city of great diversity. Until the German occupation of Greece during World War II it was home to a large Ladino-speaking Jewish community, it was an important city in the Ottoman Empire and the center of an Ottoman administration in Northern Greece, it was home to a large Macedonian, Greek, Bulgarian and Albanian population.