wall
The Byzantine walls of Thessaloniki are almost 4 kilometers long but their initial perimeter used to be approximately 8 kilometers and their height was between 10 to 12 meters. The town’s first fortification was from its founder, Kassandros , king of Macedonia in 315 and proved to be a savior for the city during hostile invasions till 1869, when a big part of the walls was demolished from the Turkish in an effort to beautify the city. Thessaloniki’s walls have a unique archaeological and architectural structure and compose of an important fortified artwork, holding a huge historical legacy and being an integral part of the city’s civilization. The walls are built with stones and bricks. The maintenance of the walls in such a degree is one of the few cases existing nowadays in a modern city. The most valuable addition on the forts, took place from the emperor Theodosios the Great, who made Thessaloniki his temporary base due to its geographical position. Anna Palaiologina’s contribution was remarkable, since she constructed two new gates on the east walls towards the acropolis. In an effort to enhance the defense of the city, the White Tower was built near the sea and the Trigoniou Tower in Ano Poli during the period of Francocracy 1423-1430. It is highly important to notify that from the many gate walls, only one is saved, the one of Anna Palaiologina’s in Ano Poli near Trigoniou Tower.
ΠΗΓΕΣ - SOURCES
http://1dimplagiarist.blogspot.gr/2011/11/t.html
http://www.thessaloniki-sightseeing.com/index.php/el/byzantina-kastra
http://vizantinonistorika.blogspot.gr/2013/09/blog-post_10.html
http://www.visaltis.net/2014/10/2.html