Tsimiski Street
Encyclopedia
Tsimiski Street is a major avenue in Thessaloniki
, the second-largest city Greece
. It starts from the area of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair grounds, between Aggelaki Street and Nikolaou Germanou Street and ends in the crossroad with Ionos Dragoumi Street, on the western side of the city centre. Tsimiski Street was named after the Byzantine
Emperor
, Ioannis Tzimiskis
and is nowadays one of the busiest streets in Thessaloniki's city center and the country. The busiest point of Tsimiski Street is its crossroad with Aristotelous Square
which is a major meeting-point for Thessalonians, also forming a cultural axis with Aristotelous Square
.
and the acquisition of Thessaloniki
by Greece
, the road that eventually became Tsimiski Street was called "the second parallel", a reference to its location being the second street to be built parallel to the city's waterfront, the other being Proxenou Koromila Street. Before 1890, the street connected the two sides of Thessaloniki
, from the eastern city walls to the west. In 1913, when the city was in Greek
hands, the street was then renamed after Ioannis Tsimiskis
, a Byzantine
Emperor
notable for his struggles against Bulgarians
. The choice of name was the result of Greek
-Bulgarian
tensions at the time in regards to who would eventually win the city of Thessaloniki
after Balkan Wars
.
The street took its current form after the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
, which levelled much of downtown Thessaloniki
. French
architect
Ernest Hebrard
who designed the new master plan for Thessaloniki
was also the one that included the current design for Tsimiski Street. The street in its current form was built in 1921.
in the city centre of Thesaloniki, which contains the Plateia Assos Odeon multiplex and has facilities from bars, restaurants, a virgin music megastore to fitness centers. The mall also houses the United States
Consulate in Thessaloniki, as well as the liaison office of the Republic of Macedonia
.
located there and regarded as one of the most imposing buildings in the city. Other banks that have their central offices for Thessaloniki
and northern Greece on Tsimiski Street, include Piraeus Bank
, and previously the Bank of Macedonia and Thrace. The Thessaloniki YMCA
is located at the start of Tsimiski Street, on the intersection with Nikolaou Germanou Street.
. The design proved effective, but with the rise in the number of cars in Thessaloniki in recent years, it has become congested. A bus lane has also been added recently to facilitate faster bus transport by the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization, which has made matters worse in terms of traffic. The under-construction Thessaloniki Metro
will relieve some of the congestion on Tsimiski Street.
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, the second-largest city Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It starts from the area of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair grounds, between Aggelaki Street and Nikolaou Germanou Street and ends in the crossroad with Ionos Dragoumi Street, on the western side of the city centre. Tsimiski Street was named after the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
, Ioannis Tzimiskis
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
and is nowadays one of the busiest streets in Thessaloniki's city center and the country. The busiest point of Tsimiski Street is its crossroad with Aristotelous Square
Aristotelous Square
Aristotelous Square is the main city square of Thessaloniki, Greece and is located on Nikis avenue , in the city center. It was designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard in 1918, but most of the square was built in the 1950s...
which is a major meeting-point for Thessalonians, also forming a cultural axis with Aristotelous Square
Aristotelous Square
Aristotelous Square is the main city square of Thessaloniki, Greece and is located on Nikis avenue , in the city center. It was designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard in 1918, but most of the square was built in the 1950s...
.
History
Prior to the Balkan WarsBalkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
and the acquisition of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
by Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, the road that eventually became Tsimiski Street was called "the second parallel", a reference to its location being the second street to be built parallel to the city's waterfront, the other being Proxenou Koromila Street. Before 1890, the street connected the two sides of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, from the eastern city walls to the west. In 1913, when the city was in Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
hands, the street was then renamed after Ioannis Tsimiskis
John I Tzimiskes
John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, was Byzantine Emperor from December 11, 969 to January 10, 976. A brilliant and intuitive general, John's short reign saw the expansion of the empire's borders and the strengthening of Byzantium itself.- Background :...
, a Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
notable for his struggles against Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
. The choice of name was the result of Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
-Bulgarian
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
tensions at the time in regards to who would eventually win the city of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
after Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
.
The street took its current form after the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
250px|thumb|The fire as seen from the quay in 1917.250px|thumb|The fire as seen from the [[Thermaic Gulf]].The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 was an accidental fire that got out of control and destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki, second-largest city in Greece, leaving more than...
, which levelled much of downtown Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Ernest Hebrard
Ernest Hebrard
Ernest Hébrard was a French architect, archaeologist and urban planner who completed major projects in Greece, Morocco, and French Indochina. He is mostly renowned for his urban plan for the redevelopment of the center of Thessaloniki in Greece after its Great Fire of 1917.The majority of...
who designed the new master plan for Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
was also the one that included the current design for Tsimiski Street. The street in its current form was built in 1921.
Shops
The most prominent features of Tsimiski street are the hundreds of various fashion shops, boutiques, high end international department stores and Fokas, the biggest Greek department store in the city centre. Tsimiski Street is also home to the Plateia Center Mall, the largest shopping mallShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the city centre of Thesaloniki, which contains the Plateia Assos Odeon multiplex and has facilities from bars, restaurants, a virgin music megastore to fitness centers. The mall also houses the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Consulate in Thessaloniki, as well as the liaison office of the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Offices
The buildings along Tsimiski street house many of the city's major offices, ranging from financing, advertising, law and engineering firms. The western end of the street is also home to the city's financial district, with the building of the central offices of the Bank of GreeceBank of Greece
The Bank of Greece is the nationalcentral bank of Greece, located in Athens on Panepistimiou Street, with several branches across the country. Founded in 1927...
located there and regarded as one of the most imposing buildings in the city. Other banks that have their central offices for Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
and northern Greece on Tsimiski Street, include Piraeus Bank
Piraeus Bank
Piraeus Bank Group is a Greek bank founded in 1916 that went through a period of state ownership and management before it was privatised in December 1991. Since then, it has continuously grown in size and activities...
, and previously the Bank of Macedonia and Thrace. The Thessaloniki YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
is located at the start of Tsimiski Street, on the intersection with Nikolaou Germanou Street.
Traffic
Tsimiski street was designed as a four-lane one-way avenue that crossed the entire length of the city center of ThessalonikiThessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. The design proved effective, but with the rise in the number of cars in Thessaloniki in recent years, it has become congested. A bus lane has also been added recently to facilitate faster bus transport by the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization, which has made matters worse in terms of traffic. The under-construction Thessaloniki Metro
Thessaloniki Metro
The Thessaloniki Metropolitan Railway , or Thessaloniki Metro , is an underground rapid transit system under construction in Thessaloniki, Greece.-The project:...
will relieve some of the congestion on Tsimiski Street.