Thessaloniki is the second largest city of Greece and the capital of Thesalloniki. It bears the name of Alexander the Great's sister, which was named as such being born the day her father Philip won a great victory (niki) against the Thessalians.

An important centre for the Ancient Greek , the Roman and the Byzantine cultures, Thessaloniki numbers quite a lot of monuments from all the eras of time. Well known monuments are those of  the white tower, which also is the symbol of the city, the Arch of Galerium, the St. Demetrios church, the city walls etc. Thessaloniki has big squares filled with coffee shops and bars, and is well known for its cuisine and night life.   Thessaloniki was liberated from Turkish occupation after the end of the first Balkan war. The lagest part of the city was burned in a fire in 1917 which caused a big immigration wave. The population was soon replenished by the Greek immigrants from Asia Minor after the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1922. The city was then rebuilt based on a city plan drawn by Ernest Ebrar, according to the orders of Eleftherios Venizelos, and also based on the combination of the Central Greece/ Greek Asia Minor cultures.