Thessaloniki Villa Mehmed Kapandji

Location: Vasilissis Olgas Avenue

Villa Mehmed Kapandji houses the branch of the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation in Thessaloniki. The building has a long history and has changed several roles throughout its life. Nowadays, though, it is a cultural center that presents art and architecture exhibitions, as well as history exhibitions about Thessaloniki and Macedonia from time to time.

The history of the villa

Villa Kapandjis is named after its first owners, the Kapandji family. It is built in the area of the Exoches, a district selected by several rich and noble families during the late 19th century. It is no coincidence that other impressive buildings like Villa Allatini and Villa Mordoch were constructed in the same area.

This villa is one of the few mansions of old Thessaloniki that is in such good condition to this day and has been associated with significant events and people of the city’s history.
Following the city’s liberation in 1912, the villa was resided by Prince Nikolaos, the first military commander of Thessaloniki. Five years later (1917), it became the home of Eleftherios Venizelos, one of the most eminent political personalities in the history of modern Greece. Venizelos was the Prime Minister and head of the Provisional Government based in Thessaloniki.
After the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the building served as a house for refugees, but in 1928 it became the property of the National Bank of Greece.
Between 1938 and 1972 (excluding the years of World War II), the building housed a male high school, meaning that thousands of residents had lived in the building as students. During WWII, villa Kapandjis was first requisitioned by the army and operated as a military bakery (1940), then by German authorities, and last by British authorities until the summer of 1945.

The many different roles the house had played and the number of people it had received led to its abandonment due to extensive damage in 1972. Following a request from the society of Thessaloniki, the National Bank of Greece decided to undertake its restoration and use it for cultural purposes, as is still the case today.