THESSALONIKI METRO AND THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CITY
The alignment of the Thessaloniki Metro, which crosses the city’s center, follows the axis of the main street of the ancient city urban fabric, a 16m-wide street framed by rows of columns and arcades.
The street started from the Golden Gate (Porta Aurea), today’s Vardari Square, and ended at Kassandra Gate, today’s Sintrivani Square.
In the area of these two key gates of the old city, outside of which the richest sections of its cemeteries developed, the construction works for the Metro stations brought to light important antiquities, dating back to several eras.
Important antiquities, representative of many periods of the city’s life, were also brought to light during the construction of the other two Metro stations located within the boundaries of the historic center of the city.
These are VENIZELOU and AGHIA SOPHIA Stations located in important sites of the ancient city of Thessaloniki.
The greatest archaeological excavation ever performed in Northern Greece, covering an area of 20,000 square meters, is currently being carried out in the city of the Thessaloniki.
The archeological works, of a total budget of 132.6 million Euros, have brought to light 130,000 archaeological finds.
Regarding VENIZELOU Station, the study of the detachment and placing back of antiquities has been approved by the Ministry of Culture and the Central Archaeological Council and works have already been started.
