Archaeological sites and monuments in Thessaloniki’s historic center will be linked, allowing visitors to witness the successive presence in the city of Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, and Jews, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said on Wednesday.
Mendoni announced that an architecture competition to this effect would be posted early in December.
The plan was presented to the press by CEO Chronis Akritidis of public company Anaplasis SA, which is supervised by five ministries. “The project’s plan concerns the creation of upgraded paths through natural planning , that is, the landscaping of the areas surrounding the monuments, the upgrade of sidewalks, selective changes of streets into pedestrian walkways, the installation of visual, auditory, and sensory signage, and the increase of plants and the creation of green paths,” he explained.
The 20 monuments and sites to be linked include the following: Ancient Agora, Alaca Imaret Mosque, Church of Aghios Dimitrios, ‘Venizelou’ and ‘Aghias Sophias’ Metro stops, Rotunda, White Tower, Church of the Acheiropiitos, and the cemeteries of Evangelistria. An additional list of 26 monuments will be available for competitors to choose from and use in their proposals as they see fit.
Mendoni said that the ministry is currently implementing a program of protection, conservation, and highlighting of archaeological sites worth over 100 million euros (mostly funded by the NSRF for Central Macedonia and the Recovery Fund). This was necessary before the linking, and will be completed the latest by spring of 2027, she added.