Thessaloniki Jewish Sightseeing Private Tour, Shore Excursion

Only a few hundred members of what was once the largest Jewish community in Greece lived to return home after the deportations to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which took place in a matter of just a few months in 1943.

es in Thessaloniki and it is the only one that survived from the time before World War II. Its historical value makes it one of the monuments that everyone visits on, following the Jewish path, and it functions in parallel as a cult’s place for the Jewish community. It was established by Inda Aroesti, who devoted it in the memory of her husband Isaak Aroesti, it was founded in 1925 and its construction lasted till 1927. The synagogue was called Monastirioton because the majority of the families that contributed economically to its build came from Monastery in Yugoslavia, which is named today Bitola, from where they left in Balkan Wars and World War I.

Agia Sofia is a great Basilica (domed) built over the ruins of an earlier gigantic basilica (which was destroyed in the 6th century AD). The church was built to commemorate the Agia Sofia in Constantinopolis. The construction began in the 7th century AD but during the years of construction there were many modifications and additions. During the Ottoman Empire this church as many others became a mosque but it was destroyed by fire in 1890 to reopen and offer its holly service, in 1913. Visitors of Agia Sofia will be able to observe the existence of very impressive pictures and carved decorations retained by the 8th, 9th and 11th century.

It is located in Vassilisis Olgas street and was built between 1911 and 1913 as a residence for Dino Fernandez Diaz and his family. The architect was Pietro Arrigoni. Of Sephardi (Spanish) Jewish origin, Fernandez was a wealthy merchant and industrialist of the city. The building passed to his daughter, where she lived with her Christian husband, and was later confiscated and used by the Germans during the Axis occupation of Greece. To escape from the Nazis, Dino Fernandez Diaz, with other members of his family, fled to Italy, but they were murdered in 1943 by the German SS near Como Lake. The building has elements of eclecticist architecture, like many other buildings of that period in the city. Since 2013 it houses the Municipal Art Gallery.

o Modiano and his family by the architect Ali Modiano. The villa is also know as The old Governor’s Residence, because it was hosting each time the Commander of Macedonia and later on the Minister of Northern Greece. The Eclectic style is dominating with Art Nouveau elements. In 1913 it was bought by the Greek Government and in 1947 it was used by the Army Medical School. During the early 60’s it was used by the Priest School and at the end of the same decade by the Ministry of Northern Greece. Today it houses the Folklife and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia.

It was designed by Piero Arrigoni, on order of Mehmet Kapantzi. There are 2 mansions bearing the name "Villa Kapantzi" in Thessaloniki, both buildings are the creations of one architect that were designed by him for two brothers: Ahmet and Mehmet Kapantzi. The cultural center of the National Bank of Greece is located in the oldest mansion. Mehmet Kapantzi, and his brothers, Yusuf and Ahmed come from Sephardic Jews. Their ancestors were deported from Spain as long ago as at the end of the 15th century. Kapantzi brothers were not only highly educated but also very respected people in Thessaloniki. Mehmet Kapantzi held the position of the president of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce, while Ahmet Kapantzi was the mayor of Thessaloniki in 1907-1908. Villa Kapantzi is a luxurious three-storeyed residence in an eclectic style.

y, at the site where the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki stands today. It included over 400,000 graves.

sign the whole area of the city center and due to the historical significance of this central point he put Aristotelous Square in the heart of the new plan. The Aristotelous square is the point where the sea meets the land in the most central point of the city and the starting point of a place full of open spaces to the public. The Aristotelous square is described as a crucial place for Thessaloniki since is the only open space in the center of the city with this vast dimension turning to be the point of hosting numerous events throughout the year, people’s meeting place, place of recreation and promenade for the citizens and the visitors. It is mentioned and in fact is a rare example of a preplanned architectural design while its careful orientation is offering a captivating view of Mount Olympus.

cial arcade which belongs to the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and has been renovated by funds of the Organization Thessaloniki Cultural Capital of Europe 1997. The task of the museum is to collect documents and heirlooms which have not been destroyed during the Holocaust, to preserve the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and to encourage the research about the continuous presence of the Jews in Thessaloniki for more than 2000 years.

to the present. The exhibition summarily presents aspects of the city’s history, which is distinguished by its long and unbroken historical presence.Τhe White Tower has housed the new permanent exhibition on Thessaloniki from the age of its founding in 316/15 B.C. to the present. The exhibition summarily presents aspects of the city’s history, which is distinguished by its long and unbroken historical presence.

ted at the upper side of Aristotelous Square. It is a large two-terraced forum featuring two-storey stoas, dug up by accident in the 1960s.