Construction of the Holocaust Museum of Greece Officially Launched in Thessaloniki

The historic signing of the construction contract for the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki marks a historic milestone for a project of national and international significance. The contract was signed between the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the construction company METKA S.A., following the successful completion of the required public tendering process and preliminary works, thus signaling the transition of the Museum from planning to implementation. The project reflects Greece’s commitment to historical memory, education, and responsibility toward future generations.

The realization of the Holocaust Museum of Greece has been made possible through the decisive contribution of major donors. Key supporters include the Greek Government, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the Tavma Foundation, and the Genesis Prize Foundation, through a donation by Albert Bourla. Their sustained support has played a critical role in the maturation, advancement, and launch of this important project.

The Holocaust Museum of Greece will be constructed on the site of the former Thessaloniki Railway Station, a location deeply connected to the memory of the city’s Jewish population, as it was from there that the Nazis deported Thessaloniki Jews to concentration camps during World War II. The plot of land was granted to the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki by GAIAOSE S.A. (the public utility company operating in the management and development of railway real estate assets), with the essential and continuous engagement of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, which actively backs the realization of a project deeply embedded in the city’s historical and cultural identity.

On the morning of March 14, 1943, the Jews of the Hirsch quarter of Thessaloniki were instructed to assemble in the local synagogue, where they were informed that they were to be deported to Poland The next morning, they marched to the station, where they were driven into the waiting cars, which were soon overloaded to twice their capacity, closed, then sealed, and off to Poland. During the next few months, new convoys arrived from various Jewish neighborhoods of the city and they were sent off to the Auschwitz and Birkenau extermination camps. The last convoy left in the 7^th of August 1943. 43,850 Jews, 95% of the Jewish population, were deported from Thessaloniki in these months. Very few Jews of Thessaloniki found refuge in the surrounding countryside where they joined the resistance, or in Athens, where a significant proportion of the Jewish population was saved by the help of the Christian population. (Source, Photos: Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki– The Holocaust, Deutsches Bundesarchiv)

Speaking at the event, David Saltiel, President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, and the Holocaust Museum of Greece, emphasized the symbolic and practical importance of the day. “Today’s signing of the contract marks the transition from planning to action. The Holocaust Museum of Greece is a national project of memory and responsibility. It is a project that concerns the entire country and future generations.” METKA CEO Dinos Benroubi said Thessaloniki will “soon acquire a modern beacon of memory and culture.”

From the signing of the contract. From left: Dinos Benroubi, Panagiotis Pikrammenos, David Saltiel

Representatives of the founding donors were present at the signing ceremony, including Panagiotis Pikrammenos, representing the Greek Government, Mark Strohmenger from the German Consulate in Thessaloniki, and Eleni Agouridi from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Mr. Pikrammenos, former Prime Minister and former President of the Council of State, described the occasion as “a day of joy and emotion.” He highlighted that the Museum was a vision of the late Mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris, embraced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and stressed that it is a project owed to the city of Thessaloniki. “The process is now underway. The Museum will be built and will be a jewel for the city,” he stated.

German Consul Mark Strohmenger underlined the contemporary relevance of the project, noting: “This project is extremely important in our times, in an era when societies are drifting apart. Remembering the past and learning from it is more important than ever.”

The Holocaust Memorial in honor of the 50,000 Greek Jews of Thessaloniki. It was erected in honor of the 50,000 Greek Jews of Thessaloniki who testified in the Nazi camps. It is placed at the southeast corner of Eleftherias Square, the same square where Nazi men had gathered the city’s Jewish men and tortured them in July 1942. The monument represents the seven-light lamp, the menorah, with its flames enveloping human bodies. It was designed by the great sculptor Nandor Glid, a Jew of Serbian descent, who had lost almost his entire family in the concentration camps. (Source: visit-centralmacedonia.gr)

Exhibition at Werkbund Galerie in Berlin, presenting the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki, 19.2-15.3.2025 (Source: makridisassociates.com)

The architectural design of the Museum has been developed by EKA Efrat Kowalsky Architects (Israel), HvB Heide von Beckerath (Germany), and Makridis and Associates (Greece), in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of specialists. The museological and exhibition design has been undertaken by the internationally acclaimed firm Atelier Brückner, in collaboration with Professor of Museology at the Department of Communication, Media and Culture, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Andromache Gazi ensuring a contemporary museum experience aligned with international standards. Overall project coordination and management have been assigned to the joint venture Samaras & Associates S.A. – Hill International.

Project Description (Source: Efrat-Kowalsky Architects):

The architectural concept of the Holocaust Museum of Greece in Thessaloniki is rooted in the dual notion of presence and absence. Rising on the site of the former railway station, the museum embodies both a place of departure and a place of return a space where memory, light, and material converge to tell the story of a lost community. Its octagonal form resonates with the geometry of ancient and sacred architecture found throughout the city, while the interplay of light and shadow across the marble and concrete surfaces evokes the coexistence of life and loss.

Designed as an open and permeable monument, the building invites the public to experience remembrance not as a closed chapter, but as a living dialogue with the present. Transparent thresholds and framed views connect the museum’s interior to the city beyond, transforming the act of remembrance into a civic gesture. Inside, a vertical sequence of exhibition spaces, research areas, and public zones reflects the layered history of Thessaloniki a city where Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cultures once flourished side by side.

The museum is conceived as both a place of reflection and a catalyst for renewal. Through its architecture, it seeks to reconcile the fragmented narratives of the past with the pluralistic identity of Thessaloniki today a city once known as la madre de Israel, “the mother of Israel,” and now reimagined as a beacon of coexistence and hope.

Construction of the Holocaust Museum of Greece is expected to take approximately two years. Upon completion, the Museum aims to become an international center for remembrance, education, and research, serving as a powerful space for historical reflection and dialogue, while contributing significantly to the cultural, educational, and social landscape of Thessaloniki and Greece as a whole.

(Source: amna.gr, ekathimerini.com)