White Tower, Museum of Thessaloniki

The landmark of Thessaloniki was a tower of the city walls.

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It is not allowed visitors to exceed 70 people at the same time for the sake of propriety conditions, temperature and humidity, according to a special study.

The tower has undergone many uses. Some of them were: prison (Ottoman period), transmission centre (World War I), antiquities warehouse (1916), station of the first radio broadcast (1927), German observatory (World War II), air defense facilities (until 1983), meteorological laboratory of AUTh, and city museum (today).

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What I can see

This tower is the symbol of Thessaloniki. It has a cylindrical shape with a 22.70-metres diameter, six floors and is 33.90 metres high. In the middle of its main body, it is decorated with a limestone cornice. It is also crowned with a cylindrical tower with battlements. On the top, ceremonies of a lowering and raising of the Greek flag take place every day. The main body of the monument ends up in battlements too. These are based on limestone corbels which are linked with small arches. The small arches, like some other early renaissance elements, are a Venetian influence. From here, one can enjoy different views of the city and the Thermaic Gulf. It has an interesting interior, where rooms of a 8.50-metre diameter around its circular core, meanders a 120-metre long screwed staircase. Nowadays, the tower houses a very interesting digital museum of the city’s history and on the rooftop, digital dishes of Greek cuisine are “served” and one can monitor how they are made.

What I can't see

There was an earlier tower in its place, part of the Byzantine fortification. Although it currently stands alone in the city’s coast, it used to be the south tower of the city’s fortification and a very important defensive point of the harbour. Through the eastern walls, it was linked with the similarly constructed Trigoniou Tower, crowning Ano Poli (Upper Town) to the northeast. Similarly, it was linked with the fortress of Vardar in the southwest, through the sea walls. The sea walls and much of the eastern ones started being demolished in the 19^th century, until the early 20^th century. It was surrounded by an octagonal enclosure supported by towers on its corners. During its long history, the tower has occasionally changed names and uses. According to various sources, it has previously been called Tower of Kalamaria, of the Janizaries, of Blood. The last two, show that the tower was not only of defensive use but were also the headquarters of the military force of Janizaries (Ottoman period) and a prison for convicts. According to tradition, its present name was given when a Jewish prisoner whitewashed its walls in exchange for his freedom. After the integration of the city into Greece, many wanted it demolished because they saw it as a bad symbol of Turkish architecture. Eventually, it was saved by a decision, which led to it being designated as a monument. The tendency then to completely “Hellenize” the urban landscape did not prevail in the end. Thus, the international image of the city was strengthened as the monument is similar to other architectural monuments that exist in other cities-ports of the Mediterranean.

Info

Phone: +30 2310 267832
E-mail: info@lpth.gr, mbp@culture.gr
Website: http://www.lpth.gr/

Bibliography

Anastasiadis G., Hekimoglou E., (2000), Όταν η Θεσσαλονίκη μπήκε στον 20^οαιώνα, τα διακόσια σημαντικότερα γεγονότα που συνέβησαν στην πόλη από το 1900 ως το 1910, [When Thessaloniki entered the 20^th century, the two hundred most important incidents of the city between 1900- 1910], Thessaloniki: University Studio Press

Εldem E., (2015), Μια νέα ματιά σε μια αρχαία πόλη: Η Θεσσαλονίκη στην οθωμανική Αρχαιολογία, [A new look at an ancient city: Thessaloniki in Ottoman Archeology], 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.127-146

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

Ζafeiris Ch., (2014), Θεσσαλονίκη, η παρουσία των απόντων, η κληρονομιά Ρωμαίων, Μουσουλμάνων, Εβραίων, Ντονμέδων, Φράγκων, Αρμενίων και Σλάβων, [Thessaloniki, the presense of the absent, the heritage of Romans, Muslims, Jews, Doenme, Franks, Armenians and Slavs], Thessaloniki: Epikentro

Ζafeiris Ch., (2006), Θεσσαλονίκης τοπιογραφία, [Thessaloniki’s landscape], Thessaloniki: Epikentro

Karamitsios G., (2017), Θεσσαλονίκη, 100 μικρές ιστορίες, [Thessaloniki, 100 little stories] Ιanos

Kolonas V., (2015), Μια νέα ματιά στην αρχαία πολη: Η Θεσσαλονίκη στην οθωμανική αρχαιολογία, 1832- 1912, [A new glance at the ancient city: Thessaloniki in Ottoman archaeology, 1832- 1912], in 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.p. 256- 265

Kourkoutidou- Nikolaidou E., Tourta A., (1997), Περίπατοι στη Βυζαντινή Θεσσαλονίκη, [Walks in the Byzantine Thessaloniki], Athens: Kapon publications

Tomanas Κ., (1997), Οι πλατείες της Θεσσαλονίκης μέχρι το 1944, [The squares of Thessaloniki until 1944], Thessaloniki: Nisides

Location

Timeline

Modern and Contemporary era (1912 - )

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was decided to be converted into a multidisciplinary museum and weather station. The museum became a reality almost 90 years later.

2006 Operates as Museum of the city of Thessaloniki.

Ottoman era (1453- 1912)

The method and materials of construction show that it was built after the sack of the city by the Turks, perhaps in the late 15th century, to replace a Byzantine tower.