19th International Conference on
Automated Planning and Scheduling

September 19-23, 2009, Thessaloniki, Greece

https://icaps09.icaps-conference.org

Cultural

September and October are the two most important months of the year for Thessaloniki. In early September an international fair takes place in the center of the city, where the prime minister each year announces the financial guidelines for the next year. On the other end, on October 26th, it is the day of the city (everything is closed this day in the city), which coincides with the city taken by the Greeks from the Ottomans in 1912 and with the name day of the patron saint of the city, i.e., Saint Dimitrios.

So, apart from the usual attractions of the city one can see anytime, these two months there are many additional events all over the city. These events are coordinated under the name "Dimitria" (click here for a program in English). In the following paragraphs you can find suggestions as of how you can spend your (limited) free time in Thessaloniki.

Furthermore, the last months and up to October the city hosts the 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art with additional events all over the city.

Cultural bus line: Since September 1st, 2009, a new bus line has initiated, called "Cultural bus line", which aims to go through all main sites of the city within 50 mins (the number of the line is also 50). The bus starts from the white tower and returns there. For a timetable please click here. The cost of the ticket for the bus line is 2 euros. Note that you can go out of the bus at any bus stop and get the next bus (after 1 hour) to continue your tour around the city.

  • Thessaloniki has many twinning cities all over the world. Have a look here, perhaps you will find that your city is one of them!

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Museums

Museum of Byzantine Culture

Note that the welcome reception, on Sunday 20th evening (20:00-23:00) will take place in this Museum, so there is no reason to schedule an additional visit to it. We than we Greek Ministry of Culture for giving us access to the museum out of the normal hours and free of charge.

This museum summarizes the history of the city, focusing in the byzantine era. In the view of many people, Thessaloniki was the second most important city of the Byzantine Empire, after Istanbul. This is clear from the numerous very old churches you can find in the center of the city.

Archaelogical Museum of Thessaloniki

This museum summarizes the pre-Christian years of the city and the surrounding areas, focusing mainly in the year of the Macedonian empire.

State Museum of Contemporary Art

Among others, this museum hosts the famous Costakis Collection, which includes 1.275 masterpieces of prominent Russian Avant Garde artists. Furthermore, this museum administers the 2nd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art with many event this period all over the city. Note that this museum is out of the center of the city, so you need a taxi (estimated cost: 6 euros) or a combination of buses to go there.

Teloglion Foundation of Art

This foundation (belonging to Aristotle University) is located at an advantageous site at the upper part of the University campus in a building whose design resulted from an architectural contest.

Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art

This museum is hosted within the international fair, in the heart of the city. Its permanent collection includes donations from more than 30 artists and organizations.

Thessaloniki Cinema Museum

Thessaloniki is famous for each annual international film festival that takes place each November in the center of the city, including several halls in the port. This museum is located in the city's port and collects various old film cameras and projectors, old equipment and accessories, Greek and foreign newsreels, documentary films (Greek and foreign), various trailers, transparencies, promotional material for films, books, magazines and newspapers, etc.

Folklife and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia-Thrace

Being close to the venue hotel, this museum explores and studies the traditional culture of recent times in the region of northern Greece. The museum’s collections comprise some 20,000 items of all kinds - associated with agriculture, livestock breeding, fishing, as well as crafts such as weaving, sewing, embroidery, metalwork, carpentry and ceramics. These are artefacts which served man’s basic needs for food, housing and clothing, as well as other items playing a part in his social and spiritual life.

Thessaloniki Olympic Museum

This is the unique sports museum of Greece, centered in Olympics, Paralympics, Torches & Medals...

Thessaloniki Center of Contemporary Art

Another (small) center of contemporary art in Thessaloniki, this one hosted within the city's port.

Thessaloniki Science and Dissemination Centre & Technology Museum "Noesis"

This technological museum features a cosmotheatre, a planetarium and a virtual reality simulator. It is located out of the city, close to the airport. You need a taxi to go there.

Municipal Art Gallery of Thessaloniki

Center of Thessaloniki History

Thessaloniki Museum of Photography

 

Sites and Monuments

White Tower (Lefkos Pirgos)

This tower, in the middle of the city's waterfront, is the symbol of the city. It works as a museum and, administratively, is managed by the Museum of Byzantine Culture.

Triumph Arch of Galerius (Kamara)

The second most important monument of the city.

Roman Forum of Thessaloniki

Open daily (except for Monday) from 08:30 to 15:00.

Palatial Complex of Galerious

Acropolis

Churches

Thessaloniki has too many churches, several of them are worth to see. The oldest of them are in the historic center of the city. Perhaps the three most important are the following:

Agios Dimitrios (Saint Demetrious)

Do not forget to visit the catacombs.

Agia Sophia

Rotunda (or Rotonda)

Theaters and Concert Halls

National Theatre of Northern Greece

The main theater organization of the northern Greece, with many stages across the city. In particular, there are:

Please visit the main page of NTNG for up-to-date information about the program.

Thessaloniki Concert Hall

Unfortunately, no performance is scheduled until the end of September.

Lazaristes Monastery

The Non-profit Organization of Moni Lazariston was founded in 1998 and is responsible for the maintenance and the administration of the whole complex. Moni Lazariston complex accommodates five of the most significant cultural organizations of Thessaloniki: the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the State Museum of Contemporary Art, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, the Cultural Centre of Thessaloniki and the Drama school of the National Theatre of Northern Greece.

 

Events

This period the city is full of events. The most important are the following:

Dimitria

The annual mega-event running between September and November. For a detailed program in English please click here.

Biennale:2, Contemporary Art

A special mega-event running this year from May 24th to September 27th, which consolidates several individual events throughout the city. Please have a look at the detailed program you can find in the above link.

Running now:

 

Useful Links

Ministry of Culture

You can start from here to find information and links for all archaelogical sites, museums, monuments and cultural events all over the Greece.