The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, spoke about the archaeological findings of the Thessaloniki metro.

In detail in her speech she said:

“Your Excellency Mr. President of the Hellenic Republic,

It is our great pleasure to welcome you, together with Mr. Prime Minister, at Venizelos Station, at the archaeological site of Venizelos Station, of the Metropolitan Railway of Thessaloniki.

Today, Thessaloniki celebrates, as it receives, from you, Mr. Prime Minister, a project that comes to mark her passage into a new era.

When, in 2019, you took over the governance of the country, Metro was at a critical crossroads. He was suffering from cancer. At that time, your government, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Culture and Hellenic Metro undertook to reconcile the completion of the project with the rescue and the highlighting of the unique archaeological remains that had been uncovered by the excavation work here at Venizelos Station.

So that we all become recipients of an undocumented and ahistorical polemic, which hid clear political expediencies. The choice of temporary detachment and permanent relocation of the finds is now justified.

If the proposal of keeping the antiquities by country had been chosen, it is certain that the Metro would not have been completed today. However, the archaeological site you will visit shortly would not have been recreated, and certainly there would not have been a wealth of archaeological and historical evidence, revealed by the excavation and study of the underlying archaeological layers.

THE archaeological site that you see has an area of ​​1260 sq.m. But they were excavated, studied, temporarily detached, preserved and reinstalled, in exactly the same way as the visible antiquities, an additional 2,300 sq.m. ancient. These are the underlying phases of Roman and Hellenistic Thessaloniki. Today, at Venizelos station, we have a panorama of the oldest building phases of Thessaloniki, from the Hellenistic years, documenting the foundation of Thessaloniki, by Kassandros, in 316 BC, and its development in the lowlands and towards the sea.

We provided an exemplary, scientific and ethically correct solution to the arduous equation, as the disclosure and highlighting of the archaeological findings was combined with the acceleration and completion of the technical work.

An original and innovative undertaking on a global scale was carried out, which required literally surgical movements, knowledge, experience, responsibility, method, meticulousness and constant supervision. However, its execution was exemplary, as it was carried out in full compliance with international standards and existing archaeological legislation.

Thessaloniki can be proud of something unique.

A re-digested archaeological site integrated into a major technical public benefit project. But also an archaeological site, organically integrated into the everyday life of citizens.

Every passenger, entering the Metro, comes into direct contact with the centuries-old history of the city.

And this is a unique privilege of Thessaloniki internationally.

Thank you”