Particularly revealing was the Minister of Culture, Mrs Lina Mendoniwhich spoke on his radio and specifically to the journalists Noti Papadopoulos and Vassilis Chiotis.

In the marking of Mr. Chioti that in Thessaloniki Metro the most appeals that have been made to such projects – after the Acropolis Museum – the Minister of Culture specifically stated: “Appeals were made, the two major appeals to the Council of State with which the Plenary dealt. There were also a series of appeals for injunctive measures again to the Council of State and several dozen to the administrative courts.”

Asked by the minister if there was anyone who was vindicated by the specific appeals against the Greek State, Mrs. Mendoni was disarming: “The Greek State always won.” As for whether this had the effect of delaying the project, the minister said, among other things: “In fact, this was also part of a logic of delaying the project.”

For the Thessaloniki Metrothe minister noted that this project, which is a huge development project for the co-capital, is welcomed by the people of Thessaloniki. It is, in fact, characteristic that although the weather yesterday, Sunday, December 1, 2024, was not good, the people of Thessaloniki, as underlined by Mrs. Mendoni, went to the Metro. “The first to enter the Venizelou station was an elderly gentleman. He came in wet, characteristically saying that he wanted to see it in time.”

At Venizelos station, visitors and passengers can see the archaeological findings up close and be “transported” to the commercial center of the city, as it was in Roman and Byzantine times. It is impressive that during the construction of the subway, more than 300,000 archaeological mobile findings were discovered!

Many of the findings will be “hosted” in a museum, which, according to the Minister of Culture, will be completed towards the end of 2025 and the inauguration will take place in early 2026, in the Pavlos Mela camp, in a building of approximately 3,000 sq.m. .

Finally, Mrs. Mendoni also mentioned the other projects that we will see implemented in Thessaloniki. “At the moment, the Ministry of Culture is carrying out projects of approximately 60 million in the co-capital. euro. They are big projects, which we owed to Thessaloniki and the citizens. Just outside Venizelos station, at its northern entrance, is the Alcazar.

Thessaloniki Metro

The restoration of the Hamza Bey Mosque or Alcazar, as the monument is known due to its long-term use as a cinema hall, in the center of Thessaloniki and in the immediate vicinity of the Venizelos station, is progressing according to the schedule. Its restoration will give the city another emblematic monument.

This is indicative of the importance we attach to monuments, of unique historical and archaeological importance, which are gradually given to the citizens preserved and with a completely different image, from the one we have today”added Mrs. Mendoni.