Port
The Thessaloniki Port is located on the western side of the centre and hosts several cultural spaces.
Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )
1912 Completed with a big delay for several reasons (e.g. wars, porters’ reactions). The Turkish warship Fethi Bulent is sunk near the breakwater. It was torpedoed on October 18, 1912 (Balkan Wars).
1925 The port is connected with the ports of Piraeus, Alexandria, Marseille, Black Sea, Istanbul and Galatsi.
Ottoman era (1453- 1912)
1896 Beginning of construction.
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
Today, the port has 6 docks and covers an area larger than 125 acres. In addition to commercial and passenger use, it is best known as a place of entertainment (bars, restaurants, museums) and a place of relaxation overlooking the seafront of the city. When it was built, the Ottoman Empire wanted to upgrade the city to meet the international challenges of the sea and trade at the same time that the Suez Canal opened. For this reason, the Ottoman administration entrusted the port construction to French companies. The development of the warehouses at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as the colossal customs, served the needs of a prosperous port and a city that was experiencing unprecedented extroversion, which significantly affected its economy and architecture. The 1944 bombings destroyed much of the port. Today, we mainly see later buildings.
What I can't see
Until the second half of the 19th century, Thessaloniki was excluded from the sea due to the medieval walls, and its port was limited to a very narrow point, with shabby wooden docks. With the demolition of the walls, the way was opened for a project that was innovative for its time, both technically and architecturally. The new docks (including the current Nikis Avenue) soon needed to be expanded. In addition, the port connection with the railway was necessary. The rails were intended to reach the White Tower, but the project was not implemented due to high cost. It is also worth looking at the opposite view, such as that of the British consul in the early 20th century, who claimed that Thessaloniki did not need a port. According to him, the port had very expensive fees, so neither steamers nor sailboats used it, which meant that it only served state revenues and not trade.
Bibliography
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Anastasiadou Μ., (2008), Θεσσαλονίκη 1830-1912, η μητρόπολη στην εποχή των οθωμανικών μεταρρυθμίσεων, [Thessaloniki 1830-1912, the metropolis in the era of Ottoman reforms] ESTIA
Zafeiris Ch. (1997), Θεσσαλονίκης Εγκόλπιον, ιστορία, πολιτισμός, η πόλη σήμερα, γεύσεις, μουσεία, μνημεία, διαδρομές, [Thessaloniki Handbook, history, culture, the city today, flavours, museums, routes], Athens: Exantas
Theodoridis P., (2013), Θεσσαλονίκη, διήγηση ενός αιώνα, [Thessaloniki, a narration of a century] Thyrathen
Kafkalas G., (2015), Δε γίναμε ποτέ μοντέρνοι: το ανέφικτο όραμα του πολεοδομικού σχεδιασμού και η Θεσσαλονίκη της δεκαετίας του 1960, [We never became modern: the impossible vision of urban planning and Thessaloniki of the 1960s] in Vitopoulou A., Karamitsou- Gerolympoy A., Tournikiotis P., (2015), do.co,mo.mo_, Η ελληνική πόλη και η πολεοδομία του μοντέρνου, [do.co, mo.mo_, The Greek city and the urban planning of the modern] Futura, p.p. 165-174
Karamitsios G., (2017), Θεσσαλονίκη, 100 μικρές ιστορίες, [Thessaloniki, 100 little stories] Ιanos
Serefas S., Petridis P., (2012), Εδώ: Τόποι βίας στη Θεσσαλονίκη, [Here: Places of violence in Thessaloniki], Agra
Hastaoglou Martinidi V., (2015), Η γαλλική παρουσία στην κατασκευή του λιμανιού της Θεσσαλονίκης, 1872- 1912: Εργοληπτικές εταιρείες, πολεοδομικοί νεωτερισμοί και αρχιτεκτονικές καινοτομίες, [The French presence in the construction of the port of Thessaloniki, 1872-1912: Contractors, urban innovations and architectural innovations,], in Kairidis D. (2015), (επ), Θεσσαλονίκη, μια πόλη σε μετάβαση, 1912- 2012, [Thessaloniki, a city in transition, 1912-2012], OFF, PEEV, Νavarino Network, Epikentro, p. 420- 436
Hekimoglou E., (2001), Τα μυστήρια της Θεσσαλονίκης, [Mysteries of Thessaloniki], Thessaloniki: University Studio Press
