In the middle of the 19th century, the first industrial facilities began to appear in Thessaloniki, marking the city’s passage to the industrial era. Being pioneers at the time, these facilities inaugurated constructing with revolutionary methods and materials, patterning after the European innovations. The industrial landscape is composed of production units (flour and spinning mills, tanneries etc.), transport networks (railway, port, tram) and infrastructure (gas, electricity and water supply).

Wandering around western Thessaloniki, we notice the city’s evolution from when it represented one of the most influential administrative and commercial hotspots of southeastern Europe. Starting from Villa Petridi — an iconic building that dominates the western edge of the city center — and heading toward the area of the Slaughterhouses, we explore various industrial complexes, the shells of which — though no longer in use — have survived to this day, with stops including, among others, Fix and Hub 26, spaces that connect the area’s past with its future.

The purpose of this route is for the visitors to discover the industrial inheritance of the city, the history and the architectural evolution of the industrial facilities of the district, which, along with the Port and the Old Railway Station, formed the industrial character of the city since the middle of the 19th century, for about a century.

DATES
15 & 16 November 2025

OPEN HOURS
10:00-14:00, new tour every 30′

STARTING POINT
Villa Petridi, 10 Anagenniseos St.

ENDING POINT
Sfageia (Labbatoir), 21 26is Oktovriou St.

DISTANCE
2,3 km

DURATION
approximately 2 hours

Visitors are advised to bring their own headphones and smartphone for a more complete tour experience.

Event sponsor: ELVIAL

photo: Areta Peristeri