What I can see

It is a building that bears many neoclassical elements (e.g. pediments, Ionic capitals, symmetry) and with the exception of the one at the courtyard, all the facades follow the same architectural logic. On the main façade, we see three vertical axes with the middle one being slightly in projection. The edges of the building are emphasized by pseudo-pillars with Ionic capitals and at the top, a perimeter cornice protrudes, which is supported by dense small corbles. Moreover, the marble monumental staircase and the arched pediments on the openings of the ground floor are architecturally interesting. The building has been extended on the northeast side, as a result of which the building’s original cubic volume has changed and its ground plan became L-shaped.

What I can't see

This is the only school of the Greek community during the Ottoman period and the oldest Greek high school in the city. It was characteristically named “Hellenic Museum” and was originally housed in the building of the old Home Economics School, on Egnatia Street. It is not certain who designed the current building, but it was probably Frederic Charnot. The interior painting decoration was covered during the following decades. The building belonged to the Bulgarian Theodore Hadjimishev, who was forced to abandon his property and the city during the Balkan Wars. During the Nazi occupation, Jewish students and their families were transported to concentration camps. Only 4 of the 149 Jewish students managed to escape by hiding in the city and only 2 returned alive from the concentration camps. The small bronze plaques in front of the entrance commemorate this event. The names of the murdered students are listed on them.

Info

• Address: 3 Vas. Olgas Av.

Bibliography