Street names in cities often seem to exist only to guide lost travelers, however the story behind street names reveals a past that reflects their true meaning as well as the history of the city itself.
Street names give character and life to the place they refer to and often serve the meaning of a historical landmark for a city. They reveal the politics, culture and ideologies of cities and also provide a common language for the city and its inhabitants.
The placement of 450 smart street name signs with historical information using QR-Code and NFC (Near Field Communication) labels in the historical center of the city is an initiative of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and D. MASOUTIS SA.
D. MASOUTIS SA in the context of Corporate Social Responsibility and its active presence in Thessaloniki wishes to express its interest in the city and the citizens by donating all the necessary equipment for the study, design, construction and placement of the smart street name signs in order to facilitate residents and visitors.
The purpose of this is first to have the needful street signage in the city, for residents and visitors and then to get familiar with the history of the streets we pass every day.
Kindly supported by
Germanos Nikolaos was born in 1864 in Polygyros, Halkidiki and died in Athens in 1935. He studied Zoology in Greece and Germany and was the founder of the first zoo in Athens (1916). He taught Natural History in Athens and was elected Member of Parliament for Thessaloniki in 1915. In 1925 he founded the Thessaloniki
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and one of the greatest military commanders in the world. He was the son of King Philip II and aimed to overthrow the vast Persian state, which had caused so much suffering in Greece. Uniting all the Greeks under his
Christian – William – Ferdinand – Adolf – George, second son of the king of Denmark Christian IX, ascended the throne of Greece in 1863 after his unanimous election by the Second National Assembly of Athens and ruled for 50 years. He was born in 1845 in the capital of Denmark and died in 1913
September 3, 1843: The historic date on which the revolution of Metaxas, Makrygiannis, Kallergi, Londos and others against the absolute monarchy of King Otto took place. That revolutionary initiative led to the constituent National Assembly of the same year, which in March 1844 gave the country its first constitution, permanently limiting the arbitrariness of the
The 30th of October 1944 was the date when the Nazi Occupation of Thessaloniki ended. That day, military troops of ELAS entered the city as liberators and saved the infrastructure of the city from destruction. (Former Name: VAS. GEORGE I AV.)
Germanos (1771-1826) was the Metropolitan Bishop of old Patras and a member of Filiki Eteria. He played a leading role in preparing the Revolution in the Peloponese and after its declaration, he developed important political and diplomatic activity. He wrote his Memoirs.
Loris (Lykourgos) Margaritis was born in 1895 in Aigio and died in 1953 in Athens. He was a pianist and music composer. From 1915, he was Professor at the Conservatory of Thessaloniki and from 1928, he was a Professor at the Mozarteum International Music Academy in Salzburg.
Konstantinos Kallaris (1858-1940) was an army officer. He took part in the War of 1897 and the Balkan Wars. He was elected Minister of the Army and Senator.
Romanos I Lekapenos (870-948 A.D.) was Armenian and he was the co-emperor of the Byzantium along with Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (920-944 A.D.). In total, there were four Byzantine emperors by the name Romanos. Saint Romanos the Melodist was also well known. He lived in the 6th century A.D.. He was a great poet and author
Henry Morgenthau (1856-1946) was an American diplomat and he was appointed Ambassador of the USA in Constantinople and Chairman of the Committee for the Rehabilitation of Refugees after the Minor Asia Catastrophe in 1922. He was declared an honorary citizen of Thessaloniki.
