White Tower

On its seafront stands its most famous landmark, the White Tower. It is both the symbol of Thessaloniki and the symbol of the sovereignity of Greece over Macedonia. No one knows exactly when the tower was constructed. In his description of the Norman conquest of the city in 1185, Eusthatius, the Archbishop of Thessaloniki, surmised that the Tower was probably built around the fifteenth century, in place of the existing Byzantine Tower, after the Turks conquered Thessaloniki. According to archival descriptions, The White Tower was one of the three towers of a huge fortification on the seafront and was erected at the south-eastern end. Subsequently, this fortification was destroyed in 1867 but the White Tower remained.

In the course of its existence, the White Tower has had many names and has been put to many uses. It was named 'The Fortress of Kalamaria' in the 1700s and The Bloody Tower or 'The Tower of the Genitsaroi' in the 1800s. But in 1890, an enterprising convict secured his freedom in exchange for whitewashing the walls of the Tower. And since then, this tower has been called the White Tower. In 1912, Thessaloniki got its liberation and the Tower came into government ownership.

The White Tower has been put to a variety of uses. It functioned as a communication centre for the Allied troops in the First World War. In 1916, the British excavated some antiques in their sub division and stored them in the first floor of the Tower. It functioned as Thessaloniki's defence against air attacks. It housed the meteorological laboratory of the Thessaloniki University. And finally, before its restoration, it served as the base for the navy scouts of Thessaloniki. Adjoining the Tower was the renowned White Tower Theatre and Cafe. These were pulled down in 1954 in order to expand the park around them.