Famous Thessaloniki Museums
The Thessaloniki museums tell the history and civilization of the Greek people in the ancient and present times. There are more than 30 museums in Thessaloniki covering a wide range of art and history. One of the entertainments available in Thessaloniki is touring the city’s cultural heritage. Thessaloniki is a tourist treasure with many cultural and artistic centers. These Thessaloniki museums are clear cultural representations for the culture and artistic values that many groups brought with themselves to this Greek city.
Thessaloniki War Museum near Pedion Areos Park
The Thessaloniki War Museum is located in the Camp de Mars, the headquarters of the 3rd Army Division. The museum hosts over 10,000 artifacts such as military equipment, maps, armor, paintings and many other exhibits related to various wars, including the Balkan War, World War I, World War II, and the Greek Resistance. Exhibits of Greek soldiers present in Normandy and the African continent in World War II can also be seen in this museum.
White Tower Museum near the Port
The White Tower Museum, located in the city monument of the same name, hosts a permanent exhibition specific to Thessaloniki. Complementing this historical attraction, this museum displays numerous collections of historical aspects of the city from different eras. It gives visitors a better understanding of Thessaloniki.
Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
The Archaeological Museum, housed in an impressive modern building dating back to 1962, was designed by Patroklos Karantinos, a Greek architect, and hosts an extensive collection of finds and artworks from the Ancient, Classical, Hellenistic, and Ancient Roman periods. These works were discovered from the ancient sites of Thessaloniki and Macedonia. The museum collection includes 6 thematic sections and displays aspects of individual and public life in the Old Testament. Of course, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki also continuously hosts temporary exhibitions to show the daily life of the Macedonian people in ancient times.
Photography Museum at First Pier
Another cultural Thessaloniki museums is The Museum of Photography. This museum was established in 1998 as the only public museum in Greece dedicated to the art of photography. Located in an old warehouse, this museum hosts fascinating exhibitions of Greek photography in the past and present. The Museum of Photography organizes an international photography festival every two years. It aims to familiarize the society with photography through effective activities and promote the art of Greek photography at the international level.
Museum of Byzantine Culture near Alexander the Great Garden
The Museum of Byzantine Culture, which won the Council of European Museums prize in 2005, is an extraordinary museum where visitors can explore and observe different aspects of life in the Byzantine and post-Byzantine eras. This museum depicts the historical changes, ideology and political conditions governing the lives of the people of that era by displaying works of art, religious symbols and various subjects.
MOMus-Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
One of the 3 contemporary Thessaloniki museums for arts, next to the State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki, is called the Contemporary Art Museum of Macedonia. This museum was established in 1979 thanks to the works donated by the art collector, Alexander Iolas. Today, this museum hosts a collection of 2,000 works by Greek and foreign artists. Since 2000, a scientific library has been added to this collection.
Cinema Museum at City’s Harbor
You can find one of the best cultural Thessaloniki museums on the first pier of the city’s harbor. This would be the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum that is located in a warehouse a short distance from Aristotelous Square. The building of this museum, which was built in 1910 along with other buildings around the pier, has achieved a historical position throughout Greece. This museum aims to collect, maintain and display works related to the history of Greek cinema, consisting of a collection of devices and equipment, movie posters and film and sound archives. The Thessaloniki Cinema Museum organizes exhibitions in the form of abstracts of Greek films in a small cinema inside the museum itself.
