Thessaloniki is situated in the northern region of the Balkan Peninsula, nestled along the shores of the Aegean Sea within the Gulf of Thermaikos. It stands as Greece's second most significant port, facilitating the transit of goods from various corners of the Balkans. Thessaloniki boasts a population of approximately 365 thousand individuals, with the surrounding agglomeration contributing to a total exceeding 1 million and 100 thousand people.
Founded in 315 BC, Thessaloniki owes its origin to the Macedonian king Cassander, who amalgamated several scattered settlements into a single city and christened it in honor of his wife, Thessaloniki. Nearly fifty years later, in 146 BC, the city fell under Roman rule. Subsequently, it became an integral part of the Byzantine Empire, where its strategic geographical location ensured its status as the empire's second-largest and most significant city.
Between 904 and 1185, Thessaloniki experienced a series of changing rulers, including Saracens, Bulgarians, and Sicilian Normans. In 1206, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Thessalonica, which was under the Latin Empire. In 1387, following a four-year siege, the city was captured by the Turks, but later ousted by Tamerlane in 1402. By 1423, Thessaloniki was under Venetian rule, until the Turks regained control in 1430.
Turkish dominion continued until the late 19th century. During this prolonged period, the once-thriving city deteriorated, with many Greeks suffering persecution, and a significant portion of the Greek population becoming Turkified. Spanish Jews comprised over half of the city's inhabitants at that time, while Greeks made up less than a quarter of the total local population.
The Greeks were able to reestablish themselves in Thessaloniki after the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and World War II, during which many Jews and Turks fled the city. Greek rule was finally established in the city in 1944. From that moment Thessaloniki began to revitalize its original Greek appearance.
