Corners of Thessaloniki: Archaeological museum, Byzantine museum, and White Tower
The White Tower is an important element of Thessaloniki both for its representation of the city’s history and for the daily lives of locals and visitors.
The white tower is a popular place for locals to meet up due to its perfect location. It is situated in the middle of the 6km promenade and surrounded by beautiful gardens. Varieties of events take place around or near to the white tower making it a busy and lively area regardless of the time of day. The tower will become crucial to tourists as the most helpful landmark. It is clearly visible from streets away and nearly all locals can point you in the correct direction towards it. This unique castle-like building steeped in history is well worth a visit. During World War I, allies housed the communications center in the Tower; it was once a prison and scene of mass executions during the Ottoman period of rule but now is a symbol of beauty in Thessaloniki. In 1985, restoration work was completed on the tower and today the Byzantine Museum exhibit of Thessaloniki is housed there. Once inside the tower, a short climb up the stairs brings you to the top with breath taking views.
While visiting the White Tower, it is worth spending time in the Byzantine Museum exhibit located within the tower. It provides a full insight into the history of byzantine times with a focus on how Thessaloniki has evolved. The exhibition is currently open from Tuesday to Sunday 8 am to 7:30 pm with an entrance fee of 3 euros. However, students from EU receive free entrance. (Please consult the Byzantine website before visiting, as entrance fees may change). The Byzantine Museum itself is located at 2 Stratou Avenue, Thessaloniki open Monday-Sunday 8:00-20:00. The entrance fee into the museum is 4 euros, but there are reduced pricing for EU senior citizens, students, and children.
When visiting Thessaloniki it is a must to pay a visit to the Archaeological museum of Thessaloniki. The museum is quite famous amongst the locals and is indeed quite impressive. It might not be the biggest museum that you will every visit but the historical artefacts more than make up for it. The museum has artefacts ranging from the Archaic period till the Roman period. It has a huge collection of Greek coins and Gold jewellery. The jewellery displayed is very modern and can be worn by anyone in the modern world. The museum also has a lot of historical artefacts from the city of Thessaloniki which is good to see given the rich history of the city. It also possesses a huge mosaic that belonged to a Greek household. Many Greeks had huge mosaics in their homes to show off their wealth and the Archaeological museum possesses a beautiful one. The most interesting artefact from the museum has to be the Derveni Krater. It was a huge Crater dedicated to Dionysus. The art on the Crater is amazing as it displays intoxicated people. The crater possessed a pair of ashes hinting to the fact that it might be of a couple. The Archaeological museum is a must visit for anyone visiting Thessaloniki as it offers you a great variety of art related to the city and the area around it.
Tanya Modde – Kushal Mittal