Πλατεία Αριστοτέλους

Πλατεία Αριστοτέλους opens as a broad rectangular esplanade beside Thessaloniki’s waterfront. Two sweeping quarter-circle wings frame the space with a rhythm of formal façades, while the open axis draws your gaze towards the sea.

The square followed the great fire of 1917, which cleared large parts of the city and enabled Ernest Hébrard’s 1918 plan. His design connected the waterfront with the old walls and upper city through a monumental axis influenced by Byzantine and Western architecture. Most construction took place in the 1950s, with simpler details than the original proposals, and twelve surrounding buildings gained protected status in 1950. The unfinished uphill civic square later gave way to discoveries of the ancient Roman agora, while the completed space became a setting for rallies, demonstrations and cultural events.

Olympion Theatre cinema stands on one side, with a notable hotel on the other. Each winter, a Christmas tree and a traditional Christmas ship rise above twenty metres beside the façades.