Museum of the Macedonian Struggle
Encyclopedia
The Museum for the Macedonian Struggle occupies a neo-classical building designed by the renowned architect Ernst Ziller
and built in 1893. In its six ground-floor rooms the museum graphically illustrates the modern and contemporary history of Greek Macedonia. It presents the social, economic, political and military developments that shaped the presence of Hellenism
in the region. This approach enables the visitor to form a global picture, not only of the revolutionary movements in the area, but also of the rapidly changing society of the southern Balkans and its agonizing struggles to balance between tradition and modernization.
Soon, with the insurance money, the donation by Andreas Syngros
and the help offered by the Greek government, a sufficient amount was collected to reconstruct the buildings of the Greek community. Among them was a new church dedicated to Saint Gregory Palamas and beside it, a magnificent neoclassical residence was built, to plans by Ernst Ziller
, appropriate for a consular mansion. In discussions that took place between the leaders of the Greek community of Thessaloniki, Andreas Syngros and the Greek consul Georgios Dokos, it was deemed essential for the consulate to remain on the same site in order to facilitate the covert collaboration of the community elders with the consulate. The foundations were laid in September 1892, and work was completed in August 1893. In 1894, it was rented by the city’s Greek community to the Hellenic state to house the Greek Consulate in Thessaloniki.
The term of office of Lambros Koromilas
(1904-1907) was of major importance because he organised the special secret services for the Greek Struggle in Macedonia within the consulates, known as the “Centers”. The “Center” in Thessaloniki collaborated with the other “centers” in Macedonia and directed operations. It was staffed mainly by officers, who were in contact with local agents and armed bands. They were also in communication with the national committees that were staffed by the inhabitants of Macedonian villages and cities. The Consulate building frequently hosted fighters who entered unnoticed through a side door into the courtyard of the neighboring episcopal residence.
The importance of the work done by the Greek Consulate at that time is corroborated by the testimony of the protagonists in the Macedonian Struggle. The General Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian
, then working as a “special clerk” at the consulate, reports in his memoirs: “My work began at the Consulate. From morning to midnight I was at work there. I met people coming in from the countryside. A little door in the courtyard communicated with the Cathedral. From there they were able to escape the eyes of the Turkish sentry in front of the Consulate. It was the office of information and advice about resistance against the Bulgarians…”
Alexandros Zannas, scion of one of the most eminent families in Thessaloniki
, had been working for the national Greek cause since adolescence. In his memoirs he declared characteristically: “…We were very good friends with everybody who worked there… I used to see them all just about every day, because the secret postal service in Macedonia would stop by our house and usually either I or my brothers would then bring the mail to the Consulate… The letters were brought from the interior by various railway employees…and were handed over to Tsapoulas, a man from our village who owned the coffee shop opposite the railway station. My sister, a primary school teacher, would pick them up from him and bring them home… Then we’d take them to the Greek Consulate…”.
The successful activity of Lambros Koromilas alarmed the Ottoman authorities who demanded his departure in 1907. In the years to follow, however, the “Center” continued its task. During the period of the Young Turks
, when the national struggle was being conducted by political representatives, the Greek internal organization was careful to act in secret, revealing its presence solely to selected officials.
The Balkan Wars
brought victory to Greece and led to the union of Macedonia with Greece. Since the consular service was no longer required, the building was thereafter utilized for other purposes. In 1915, the Agricultural Bank of Macedonia operated on its ground floor and basement. In 1917, for a period of three years, it provided temporary accommodation to the National Bank of Greece
until its branch, which was destroyed in the great fire
that struck the city that same year, could be rebuilt.
In 1923, the 23rd Primary School was housed in the building. During the German Occupation (1941–1944), the Red Cross distributed food in the basement, and for a few months at the end of the Civil War (1949), the basement was used for the detention of political prisoners. In the decades that followed, it hosted a girls’ school, a night school and, since 1970, the 43rd Primary School.
Since 1999 the museum has been run by the “Foundation for the Museum for the Macedonian Struggle”. With the new century the Foundation has initiated, in addition to its exhibition and publishing activity, new educational programmes and technologically innovative applications.
The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 09:00-14:00, Wednesday 18:00-20:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00-14:30. Admittance is free.
. Its various aspects, constituent elements and principal actors are presented in the thematic units of the museum’s permanent exhibition, and particularly in those rooms devoted to the Makedonomachoi and their actions, to the senior and junior clergy, to the key role of the Greek Consulate-General in Thessaloniki and to the emblematic figure of Pavlos Melas
. This is followed by brief units on the Young Turk movement
, which marked the formal end of the armed phase of the Struggle with Bulgarian bands, and the Balkan Wars
, which marked the end of the Ottoman presence in Macedonia in 1913. A brief documentary informs visitors on later historical developments. In the basement four full-scale dioramas familiarise visitors with every day life in early 20th century Macedonia. The collection of the first floor includes military relics of the Balkan Wars belonging to Greek, Serb, Bulgarian and Ottoman Army. At the lecture room visitors will find a collection of hand-crafted models of vehicles and artillery used by the Greek Army. Furthermore, documentary films on various relevant topics are presented.
and of the Macedonian Question in particular. This facility, which houses a specialized library, digitized resources and extensive archival material (Greek
and international; public and private), is used by both scholars and students.
KEMIT’s archival material dates between 1770 to 1912. Also kept at KEMIT is the photographic archive that contains some 4,000 photographs of the people, cities, towns and villages of Macedonia in the 19th and 20th century.
Ernst Ziller
Ernst Moritz Theodor Ziller was a Saxon architect who later became a Greek national, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a major designer of royal and municipal buildings in Athens, Patras and other Greek cities.- Buildings :* Presidential Mansion, Athens* National Theatre of...
and built in 1893. In its six ground-floor rooms the museum graphically illustrates the modern and contemporary history of Greek Macedonia. It presents the social, economic, political and military developments that shaped the presence of Hellenism
Hellenism
Hellenism may refer to:*Hellenic studies*Hellenistic civilization*Hellenistic period, in Greek antiquity*Hellenistic Greece*Hellenization, the spread of Greek culture over foreign peoples*Hellenistic philosophy in the Hellenistic period and late antiquity...
in the region. This approach enables the visitor to form a global picture, not only of the revolutionary movements in the area, but also of the rapidly changing society of the southern Balkans and its agonizing struggles to balance between tradition and modernization.
The Building
On 23 August 1890, a huge fire destroyed the southeastern quarters of Thessaloniki. Among the losses was the humble residence that housed the Consulate General of Greece It was next to a little known church of St. Demetrius, also destroyed by the fire. Both buildings and the site were the property of the Greek Orthodox Community.Soon, with the insurance money, the donation by Andreas Syngros
Andreas Syngros
Andreas Syngros was a Greek banker from Istanbul, at the time known internationally as Constantinople, and a philanthropist.Born in Istanbul to Chiot parents, Syngros was one of the founders of the Bank of Constantinople along with Stephanos Skouloudis. Syngros married Iphigenia Mavrokordatou of...
and the help offered by the Greek government, a sufficient amount was collected to reconstruct the buildings of the Greek community. Among them was a new church dedicated to Saint Gregory Palamas and beside it, a magnificent neoclassical residence was built, to plans by Ernst Ziller
Ernst Ziller
Ernst Moritz Theodor Ziller was a Saxon architect who later became a Greek national, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a major designer of royal and municipal buildings in Athens, Patras and other Greek cities.- Buildings :* Presidential Mansion, Athens* National Theatre of...
, appropriate for a consular mansion. In discussions that took place between the leaders of the Greek community of Thessaloniki, Andreas Syngros and the Greek consul Georgios Dokos, it was deemed essential for the consulate to remain on the same site in order to facilitate the covert collaboration of the community elders with the consulate. The foundations were laid in September 1892, and work was completed in August 1893. In 1894, it was rented by the city’s Greek community to the Hellenic state to house the Greek Consulate in Thessaloniki.
The term of office of Lambros Koromilas
Lambros Koromilas
Lambros Koromilas was a Greek economist and diplomat, and one of the leading figures in the Macedonian Struggle during his tenure as Greek Consul-General to Thessaloniki in 1904–1907...
(1904-1907) was of major importance because he organised the special secret services for the Greek Struggle in Macedonia within the consulates, known as the “Centers”. The “Center” in Thessaloniki collaborated with the other “centers” in Macedonia and directed operations. It was staffed mainly by officers, who were in contact with local agents and armed bands. They were also in communication with the national committees that were staffed by the inhabitants of Macedonian villages and cities. The Consulate building frequently hosted fighters who entered unnoticed through a side door into the courtyard of the neighboring episcopal residence.
The importance of the work done by the Greek Consulate at that time is corroborated by the testimony of the protagonists in the Macedonian Struggle. The General Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian
Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian
Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian was a Greek Army officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General.Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian was born in the island of Kythnos in 1869. He entered the Hellenic Army Academy and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Artillery in 1890...
, then working as a “special clerk” at the consulate, reports in his memoirs: “My work began at the Consulate. From morning to midnight I was at work there. I met people coming in from the countryside. A little door in the courtyard communicated with the Cathedral. From there they were able to escape the eyes of the Turkish sentry in front of the Consulate. It was the office of information and advice about resistance against the Bulgarians…”
Alexandros Zannas, scion of one of the most eminent families in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, had been working for the national Greek cause since adolescence. In his memoirs he declared characteristically: “…We were very good friends with everybody who worked there… I used to see them all just about every day, because the secret postal service in Macedonia would stop by our house and usually either I or my brothers would then bring the mail to the Consulate… The letters were brought from the interior by various railway employees…and were handed over to Tsapoulas, a man from our village who owned the coffee shop opposite the railway station. My sister, a primary school teacher, would pick them up from him and bring them home… Then we’d take them to the Greek Consulate…”.
The successful activity of Lambros Koromilas alarmed the Ottoman authorities who demanded his departure in 1907. In the years to follow, however, the “Center” continued its task. During the period of the Young Turks
Young Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
, when the national struggle was being conducted by political representatives, the Greek internal organization was careful to act in secret, revealing its presence solely to selected officials.
The Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
brought victory to Greece and led to the union of Macedonia with Greece. Since the consular service was no longer required, the building was thereafter utilized for other purposes. In 1915, the Agricultural Bank of Macedonia operated on its ground floor and basement. In 1917, for a period of three years, it provided temporary accommodation to the National Bank of Greece
National Bank of Greece
The National Bank of Greece is the oldest and largest commercial banking group in Greece. The group has a particularly strong presence in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean...
until its branch, which was destroyed in the great fire
Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917
250px|thumb|The fire as seen from the quay in 1917.250px|thumb|The fire as seen from the [[Thermaic Gulf]].The Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 was an accidental fire that got out of control and destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki, second-largest city in Greece, leaving more than...
that struck the city that same year, could be rebuilt.
In 1923, the 23rd Primary School was housed in the building. During the German Occupation (1941–1944), the Red Cross distributed food in the basement, and for a few months at the end of the Civil War (1949), the basement was used for the detention of political prisoners. In the decades that followed, it hosted a girls’ school, a night school and, since 1970, the 43rd Primary School.
The Museum
Αs early as the 1930s, there were thoughts of creating a Museum of the Macedonian Struggle. The Macedonian Educational Brotherhood (1940) and later the Society for Macedonian Studies took an active part in establishing this museum. In 1978 a massive earthquake shook Thessaloniki, after which the building was judged unsuitable to house a school. In 1979, the society of “Friends of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle” was established and a request made to use the building as a museum. The building was restored and became the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle in 1980, and was inaugurated in 1982 by Konstantinos Karamanlis, the Macedonia-born President of the Hellenic Republic and descendant of a fighter of the Macedonian StruggleSince 1999 the museum has been run by the “Foundation for the Museum for the Macedonian Struggle”. With the new century the Foundation has initiated, in addition to its exhibition and publishing activity, new educational programmes and technologically innovative applications.
The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 09:00-14:00, Wednesday 18:00-20:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00-14:30. Admittance is free.
The Collection
The museum’s collection consists of rare 19th and 20th century artifacts related to everyday life in Macedonia, the weaponry and personal objects of fighters, as well as rare original documents from the period between 1770 and 1912. Part of the collection is displayed in the permanent exhibition, while the remaining artifacts are kept in the Research Center for Macedonian History and Documentation (KEMIT) and used in the Museum’s periodic exhibitions.The Exhibition
The presentation of the historical background in the first two rooms helps visitors understand the unconventional nature of the Macedonian StruggleMacedonian Struggle
The Macedonian Struggle was a series of social, political, cultural and military conflicts between Greeks and Bulgarians in the region of Ottoman Macedonia between 1904 and 1908...
. Its various aspects, constituent elements and principal actors are presented in the thematic units of the museum’s permanent exhibition, and particularly in those rooms devoted to the Makedonomachoi and their actions, to the senior and junior clergy, to the key role of the Greek Consulate-General in Thessaloniki and to the emblematic figure of Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas
Pavlos Melas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, and he was among the first who organized and participated in the Greek Struggle for Macedonia....
. This is followed by brief units on the Young Turk movement
Young Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
, which marked the formal end of the armed phase of the Struggle with Bulgarian bands, and the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, which marked the end of the Ottoman presence in Macedonia in 1913. A brief documentary informs visitors on later historical developments. In the basement four full-scale dioramas familiarise visitors with every day life in early 20th century Macedonia. The collection of the first floor includes military relics of the Balkan Wars belonging to Greek, Serb, Bulgarian and Ottoman Army. At the lecture room visitors will find a collection of hand-crafted models of vehicles and artillery used by the Greek Army. Furthermore, documentary films on various relevant topics are presented.
Research Center for Macedonian History and Documentation
In 1988 the museum founded the Research Center for Macedonian History and Documentation (KEMIT) to promote the historical study of MacedoniaMacedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
and of the Macedonian Question in particular. This facility, which houses a specialized library, digitized resources and extensive archival material (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and international; public and private), is used by both scholars and students.
KEMIT’s archival material dates between 1770 to 1912. Also kept at KEMIT is the photographic archive that contains some 4,000 photographs of the people, cities, towns and villages of Macedonia in the 19th and 20th century.