Thessaloniki (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη, also affectionately known as Salonica), is the second largest city in Greece and also the capital of Macedonia, the administrative region of Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki lives up to her nickname as the "Συμπρωτεύουσα» (Symprotévousa), literally "the co-capital", as it has the second largest population in Greece, nearing 1.1 million inhabitants.
She is Greece's second major economic, industrial, commercial and political center; a major transportation hub for Greece and southeastern Europe, mainly through the port of the city. Renowned for its festivals, events and vibrant cultural life, Thessaloniki is considered to be Greece's cultural capital. She has the biggest film festival in Greece, while also hosting over 4 short film festivals and 2 comic festivals. A fitting culture for the city that hosts the largest university in Greece and the Balkans, The Aristotle University, accommodates more than 120.000 University students and with an acknowledged School of Fine Arts, with 4 departments; Drama, Visual & Applied Arts, Music and Cinema, impacting greatly on the city's modern culture.
In 2014, Thessaloniki was chosen as the European Youth Capital. The city's history runs deep, as it was founded in 315BC by Cassander of Macedon, making Thessaloniki an important metropolis by the Roman period. As well as being the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire, Thessaloniki is also home to numerous Byzantine and Paleochristian monuments, an astonishing number of open-air UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.
A city counting 23 centuries of history in the land of Macedon. Thessaloniki is a popular tourist destination in Greece, as in 2013, National Geographic Magazine included Thessaloniki in its top tourist destinations worldwide, while in 2014 Financial Times FDI magazine (Foreign Direct Investments) declared Thessaloniki as the best mid-sized European city of the future for human capital and lifestyle. Overall, we would say that Thessaloniki is the city of the people, the culture and the arts. Our kind of city.
