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Thessalonica

Thessalonica, historically known as Thessalonica and today commonly referred to as Thessaloniki, is a major port city in northern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Thessaloniki and the largest city in the region of Central Macedonia.

Situated along the Thermaic Gulf, it serves as a principal commercial and transportation hub with a large

Founded about 315 BCE by Cassander, who named it after his wife Thessalonike, sister of Alexander the

After centuries of Latin and Ottoman rule, Thessaloniki joined the modern Greek state following the Balkan

Key landmarks include the White Tower, the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda, and the Byzantine churches

The city has a strong cultural life with museums and festivals, and hosts the Aristotle University of

With a metropolitan population well over a million, Thessaloniki remains Greece’s principal economic and educational hub

harbor
and
a
diversified
economy
based
on
services,
trade,
industry,
and
higher
education.
Great,
the
city
grew
into
a
major
metropolis
of
the
Hellenistic
world.
Under
Roman
and
Byzantine
rule
it
was
a
political
and
cultural
center,
and
it
played
a
prominent
role
in
early
Christian
history,
including
as
a
residence
and
mission
site
of
the
Apostle
Paul.
Wars
and
related
population
movements
in
the
early
20th
century.
of
Hagios
Demetrios,
Hagia
Sophia,
and
Our
Lady
of
the
Acheiropoietos.
The
Paleochristian
and
Byzantine
Monuments
of
Thessaloniki
were
designated
a
UNESCO
World
Heritage
Site
in
1988.
Thessaloniki,
founded
in
1925,
the
largest
university
in
Greece.
in
the
north
and
a
crossroads
of
Mediterranean
and
Balkan
influences.