Giannis Boutaris passed away on Saturday at the age of 82, leaving a large legacy in the city of Thessaloniki. An active citizen until the end of his life, serving the city in the seats of the municipal council of Thessaloniki, as a municipal councilor. One of the most important oenologists and winemakers of Greece, and in his two terms as mayor of Thessaloniki, he gave a new hope to Thessaloniki, for which almost the entire city, today, is grateful to him.

“Migration is characteristic of our race”

A free spirit who became a man in the field of business, helping with his ideas the wine industry in Greece and promoting the concept of wine tourism in the country. Cosmopolitan, perhaps because of family tradition. “We have many Greeks in Germany, because of the famous brain drain. I certainly have a doubt about that. Greeks have always been immigrants. My grandfather, on my mother’s side, left at the age of 14 from Nymphaeum Florina and went to work in Germany, before the First World War. And he got to the point of becoming a rich tobacconist. My blessed wife’s grandfather left Kastoria at the age of 14, went to Paris, and worked as a fur trader. Then he sold everything in France and returned to Greece”, he shared in last year’s interview with Deutsche Welle.

He opened the doors of Thessaloniki again to the world, against the maintenance and navel-gazing that prevailed in the city, before he took over the Municipality. It highlighted the past of the city, its monuments and its history and now Thessaloniki speaks many foreign languages, from the multitude of tourists who visit it, stimulating the local economy. Often unconventional, against the prevailing views. “It is not a new thing that people leave Greece. They can’t find jobs. Why doesn’t America have a brain drain? Such are the conditions faced by the state for businesses, and people have no reason to leave, because they find work on the spot. Migration is a feature of our race. And some who were more advanced said we will go abroad. What will happen to the brain-drain? Nothing will happen to us”, he emphasized in his characteristic way in the interview with Deutsche Welle last year, questioning the prevailing fear of Greeks fleeing abroad.

Loyal to Greek-German cooperation

As the Mayor of Thessaloniki, he was one of the pioneers of the Hellenic-German Assembly who contributed the most to the creation and subsequent development of the institution, thus helping the Greek-German friendship, which experienced a few ups and downs during the difficult years of the Greek crisis. He believed, against the stubbornness of others, in Greek-German cooperation and at every opportunity he emphasized its benefits, motivating other Municipalities to support it with fervor.

He stood by the Goethe Institute in Thessaloniki last year, when it was threatened with the suspension of its activities, taking many initiatives. “The Goethe Institute is not a language school. It conveys the German culture, which is very useful in Greece. It is a shame to lose an Institute with a long history and ignore it. Goethe is an asset for Thessaloniki”, said Yiannis Boutaris, speaking to Deutsche Welle, full of anxiety about the future of the Institute in Thessaloniki, which luckily escaped the cuts of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Against anti-Semitism and intolerance

“Anti-Semitism is a given in Greece, while it should have been reduced. Anti-Semitism is not small, it is big. It is all over Europe, and it is all over the world. Because what did the people want, a homeland. They acquired her homeland and are permanently in trouble with the Arabs. Hamas says they want to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth. So what do they want? Should they do what the Nazis did?”, Yiannis Boutaris characteristically declared last year in the context of his interview with Deutsche Welle on the occasion of the imminent construction of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki. He was then full of anxiety about the approval of the much-desired building permit for the construction of the museum. Besides, he was one of the first to embrace the vision for the Holocaust Museum of Greece and fought hard for its realization. For this and for many other things that he generously gave to the city of Thessaloniki, the city will be grateful to him. Have a nice trip Kyr-Yannis.