Thessaloniki Sculptures of Thessaloniki

Location: Beach Promenade

A number of outdoor sculptures adorn the streets and squares of Thessaloniki, adding their own touch to the city’s cultural profile. Most of them commemorate personalities and events associated with the local history, while others serve more artistic and decorative purposes. One thing is for sure: among them, there are quite a few that are popular with visitors, as they provide the perfect spot for memorable pictures!

On the Waterfront

Strolling along the waterfront promenade, you can’t miss the imposing bronze statue of Alexander the Great, which shows the celebrated King of Macedonia riding Bucephalas, the horse that accompanied him in his campaigns for over 20 years. The statue is 6 meters tall, while along with its huge pedestal, it reaches an overall height of 11 meters, becoming the largest statue in the entire country! It is complemented by a bronze frieze depicting the Battle of Issus, as well as by two clusters of shields and sarissae, the long spears used by the Macedonian phalanxes.

A stone’s throw away, visitors will also find another emblematic work of art: the much-photographed Umbrellas of Zongolopοulos, a striking group of umbrellas pierced by steel shafts.  With a height of 13 meters, they never fail to impress, looking as though they were about to soar to the sky!
In the words of the sculptor himself, umbrellas are familiar, everyday objects that we use to seek protection from storms or the scorching sun. Thus, these umbrellas are a sharp reminder of the vulnerability of the West’s missile defense, which would supposedly be able to withstand a nuclear war.

Inside the small park that lies between these two landmarks, it is possible to find another piece crafted by the same artist who fashioned the statue of Alexander the Great: a National Resistance Memorial in honor of the courage and sacrifices of the people of Thessaloniki during the years of World War II.
The first thing that catches the eye of the monument is a female figure with outstretched arms, who could well be Freedom, Victory, or Resistance marching ahead to inflame the hearts of the residents. Beside her stands a group of otherworldly figures: a mother sheltering her child, a man whose features have been distorted, and a fighter who has been hanged — a scene that was rather common during the Nazi occupation.

In other areas

Historic sculptures can also be found in other central spots.

In the center of Aristotelous Square, for instance, stands a statue of the renowned philosopher Aristotle, who has given the square its name. Between Aristotelous Square and the adjacent Roman Forum, there is also a lifelike statue of Eleftherios Venizelos, the influential politician who established the Provisional Government of National Defense in Thessaloniki when the debate over Greece’s entry into World War I escalated between him and King Constantine I.

Another sculpture to look out for is the Holocaust Memorial, as, in the previous centuries, Thessaloniki had the biggest Jewish community in the entire world. Placed in Eleftherias Square, it shows a 3-meter-high burning Menorah springing from the incinerated bones of Holocaust victims.

Moreover, of particular interest is the sculptured symbolic complex dedicated to Grigoris Lambrakis, a Greek politician, physician and athlete who became a prominent anti-war activist in post-war Greece. The statue stands in the exact place of his assassination, which has been the subject of Costa-Gavras’ awarded political thriller Z.

Other noteworthy sculptures that adorn the streets of Thessaloniki include that of the Macedonian fighter Pavlos Melas, the one dedicated to the Pontian Greeks' Genocide, as well as the Cross of the saints Cyril and Methodius, the missionaries that coined the first Slavic alphabet.