White Tower - Revision history

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[[Image:Thessaloniki-White Tower.jpg|thumb|280px|The White Tower of Thessaloniki]]

The '''White Tower of Thessaloniki''' (in [[Greek language|Greek]], Λευκός Πύργος, ''Lefkos Pyrgos'') is a monument on the waterfront of the city of [[Thessaloniki]], capital of the [[Macedonia (Greece)|region of Macedonia]] in northern [[Greece]]. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city, and also as a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia.

===History===

The present tower dates from the reign of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Sultan [[Suleiman I|Suleiman the Magnificent]] ([[1520]]-[[1566|66]]). There was an older tower on the same site, probably built by French knights during the period of the [[Latin Empire]] in [[Constantinople]]. The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fort, garrison and a prison. In [[1826]], at the order of the Sultan [[Mahmud II]], there was a massacre of the prisoners in the Tower, and it acquired the name "the Bloody Tower."

The Tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki (known as Salonik in Ottoman times), but these were demolished in [[1866]]. When Thessaloniki was captured by the Greeks during the [[Balkan War]] of [[1912]], the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. King [[George I of Greece|George I]] of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March [[1913]].

The Tower is now a buff colour but has retained the name White Tower. It now stands on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard, Nikis (Victory) Street. It houses a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] museum and is one of the city's leading tourist attractions. The Tower is under the administation of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

===Macedonia dispute===
After the independence of the [[Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]] (FYROM) in [[1991]], the White Tower became a symbol of the dispute between Greece and FYROM over the name "Macedonia" and the symbols of Macedonian history (see also [[Vergina]]). Greeks alleged that FYROM was using the White Tower on its coat of arms and its new banknotes, allegedly implying a territorial claim over Thessaloniki. In fact, the "banknotes" had been printed by a private company, not by the FYROM government. The official coat of arms of FYROM has never included the White Tower.

It is true that FYROM nationalist groups have advanced territorial claims over what they call "Aegean Macedonia," and that these groups use the White Tower as a symbol of their claims that Thessaloniki (which they call Solun) ought to be part of a greater Republic of Macedonia. Since the [[1995]] agreement between Greece and FYROM, however, it does not appear that the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has given these groups official encouragement.

[[Category:Towers in Greece]]
[[Category:Thessaloniki Landmarks]]

[[el:Λευκός Πύργος]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:36, November 25, 2018
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	It is true that FYROM nationalist groups have advanced territorial claims over what they call "Aegean Macedonia," and that these groups use the White Tower as a symbol of their claims that Thessaloniki (which they call Solun) ought to be part of a greater Republic of Macedonia. Since the [[1995]] agreement between Greece and FYROM, however, it does not appear that the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has given these groups official encouragement.		It is true that FYROM nationalist groups have advanced territorial claims over what they call "Aegean Macedonia," and that these groups use the White Tower as a symbol of their claims that Thessaloniki (which they call Solun) ought to be part of a greater Republic of Macedonia. Since the [[1995]] agreement between Greece and FYROM, however, it does not appear that the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has given these groups official encouragement.
		+
		+	==Did you know==
		+
		+	that supporters of [[PAOK FC\|PAOK]] gather at this place to celebrate after a trophy is won?
		+

	[[Category:Towers in Greece]]		[[Category:Towers in Greece]]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ===History===
-The present tower dates from the reign of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Sultan [[Suleiman I|Suleiman the Magnificent]] ([[1520]]-[[1566|66]]). There was an older tower on the same site, probably built by French knights during the period of the [[Latin Empire]] in [[Constantinople]]. The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fort, garrison and a prison. In [[1826]], at the order of the Sultan [[Mahmud II]], there was a massacre of the prisoners in the Tower, and it acquired the name "the Bloody Tower."
+The present tower dates from the reign of the Ottoman Sultan [[Suleiman I|Suleiman the Magnificent]] ([[1520]]-[[1566|66]]). There was an older tower on the same site, probably built by French knights during the period of the [[Latin Empire]] in [[Constantinople]]. The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fort, garrison and a prison. In [[1826]], at the order of the Sultan [[Mahmud II]], there was a massacre of the prisoners in the Tower, and it acquired the name "the Bloody Tower."
-The Tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki (known as Salonik in Ottoman times), but these were demolished in [[1866]]. When Thessaloniki was captured by the Greeks during the [[Balkan War]] of [[1912]], the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. King [[George I of Greece|George I]] of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March [[1913]].
+The Tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki (known as Salonik in Ottoman times), but these were demolished in [[1866]]. When Thessaloniki was captured by the Greeks during the [[Balkan War]] of [[1912]], the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. [[King George I]] of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March [[1913]].
 The Tower is now a buff colour but has retained the name White Tower. It now stands on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard, Nikis (Victory) Street. It houses a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] museum and is one of the city's leading tourist attractions. The Tower is under the administation of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Thessaloniki-White Tower.jpg|thumb|280px|The White Tower of Thessaloniki]]
-The '''White Tower of Thessaloniki''' (in [[Greek language|Greek]], Λευκός Πύργος, ''Lefkos Pyrgos'') is a monument on the waterfront of the city of [[Thessaloniki]], capital of the [[Macedonia (Greece)|region of Macedonia]] in northern [[Greece]]. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city, and also as a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia.
+The '''White Tower of Thessaloniki''' (in [[Greek language|Greek]], Λευκός Πύργος, ''Lefkos Pyrgos'') is a monument on the waterfront of the city of [[Thessaloniki]], capital of the [[Macedonia|region of Macedonia]] in northern [[Greece]]. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city, and also as a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia.
 ===History===