Thessaloniki is my city. I was born and raised in Thessaloniki. My father was Vasilis Zervas, a civil engineer, and my mother is Lilika Zerva-Horologa, a linguist. I fell in love with the city in the same way that everyone will come to love their home town; Growing up here and learning its history and its evolution over time, I realized the great power that lies within it. Thessaloniki is a city with 23 centuries of continuous history – and this always as a city, always a city center.
It is no coincidence that Thessaloniki is as it is or has the character it has.
It is a city of culture, a festival city, a sports city, a city that has fought for democracy.
Thessaloniki is the capital of Macedonia and an important center of trade, business and transit. It is the entire southeastern Mediterranean Sea’s only port with a unique coastal front.
I believe that a historical city can and must have a future. A city with national consciousness can at the same time be open, tolerant of diversity, pluralistic. A city with ancient monuments can at the same time be a “smart city”, have decent transportation means and meet the needs of residents and visitors. Thessaloniki is a city that, in addition to its beauty, its humanity, its architectural monuments, its museums, its fantastic relationship with the sea due to the unique stretch of the New Beach, is a city with great potential.
Thessaloniki has great potential in many areas – our goal is to exploit them all. To achieve this, we focus on infrastructure, where we have lagged behind previous years; today, however, that is changing. The new airport has been modernized and is almost twice as big as the previous one, the port is being upgraded – cruise tourism is being strengthened – the metro is being completed – new modern motorways are being planned – new large stadiums are being planned within the city limits. The municipality is improving the urban environment, continuing with renovations in different parts of the city: soon the renovation of centrally located squares in the city center and in the food markets will be completed. We have carried out the architecture competition for the main road on Aristoteles street and the expansion of the old beach and are planning a new modern building complex in the old “Papafi stables”.
At the same time, there are other major projects in the city. The Holocaust Museum, the renovation of the exhibition center where Thessaloniki International Fair is held, which will significantly change the city’s appearance when completed.
But not to just comment on the infrastructure; Thessaloniki also means gastronomy. We managed to include our city in theUNESCO Creative Cities Network of gastronomy. We want everyone to know what we Thessalonians already knew, that is, that we have excellent food, excellent ingredients, cooking ability and knowledge of good food. Thus, everyone will have another reason to visit us and live through a unique experience of flavors, aromas and high quality services.
I can only be pleased with the fact that large companies, technology giants (Pfizer, Cisco, Deloitte) are establishing themselves in our city, and that large 5-star hotels are also opening – this shows a confidence in our city. More and more people see the opportunities that exist.
So this is my Thessaloniki.
A city in motion, a city that is developing, that knows its shortcomings and tries to improve them. Who knows what potential there is and tries to exploit it. A city that is optimistic, follows developments, participates in all global networks, and claims its place on the world map. Who is outgoing, with confidence and who wants to excel.
At the same time, a human city, a city that should be visited, but also a city to live in.
