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102-498: The Thessaloniki Film Festival aims to promote film culture and education, to support the domestic and international film industry, to form partnerships with national and international cultural institutions and to promote the unique cultural identity of Thessaloniki. At the heart of the Thessaloniki Film Festival activity lie its two annual festivals: The Institution activity further includes: The Institution

204-618: A Bulgarian attack. Despite all this, the Bulgarians still wanted to become a hegemonic power in the Balkans and made excessive claims to this end, while Serbia asked for more territory than what was initially agreed with the Bulgarians. Serbia was asking for a revision of the original treaty since it had already lost north Albania due to the Great Powers' decision to establish the state of Albania in an area that had been recognized as

306-722: A Christmas tree, the municipality of Thessaloniki also decorates a giant Christmas ship , which is a Greek variant of the custom of decorating a Christmas tree. Both the Christmas tree and the Christmas boat are over 20 meters tall and are considered a tourist attraction for visitors to the city at the time they are up. Since its creation, the square has been used for a number of important party rallies. Many former Prime Ministers of Greece have given their main address from Aristotelous Square, including Andreas Papandreou , Costas Karamanlis and George Papandreou . Apart from partisan action, there have also been numerous demonstrations in

408-649: A Cretan merchant and revolutionary, and Styliani Ploumidaki. When the Cretan revolution of 1866 broke out, Venizelos' family fled to the island of Syros , due to the participation of his father in the revolution. They were not allowed to return to Crete and stayed in Syros until 1872, when Abdülaziz granted an amnesty. He spent his final year of secondary education at a school in Ermoupolis in Syros, from which he received his certificate in 1880. In 1881, he enrolled at

510-474: A Serbian territory of expansion under the prewar Serbo-Bulgarian treaty. Bulgarians also laid claims on Thessaloniki and most of Macedonia. In the conference of London, Venizelos rebuffed these claims, citing the fact that it had been occupied by the Greek army, and that Bulgaria had denied any definite settlement of territorial claims during the pre-war discussions, as it had done with Serbia. The rupture between

612-485: A great deal of trouble in his relations with Crown Prince Constantine. Part of the problems can be attributed to the complexity of the official relations between the two men. Although Constantine was a Prince and the future King, he also held the title of army commander, thus remaining under the direct order of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and subsequently under Venizelos. But his father, King George, in accordance with

714-581: A hard political conflict until the administration was virtually paralyzed, and tensions dominated the island. Inevitably, these events led in March 1905 to the Theriso Revolution, whose leader he was. On 10 March 1905, the rebels gathered in Theriso and declared "the political union of Crete with Greece as a single free constitutional state". The resolution was given to the Great Powers, where it

816-457: A leading role. This Ministry, from the time of its creation at the beginning of 1911, was headed by Emmanuel Benakis , a wealthy Greek merchant from Egypt and friend of Venizelos. Between 1911 and 1912 a number of laws aiming to initiate labor legislation in Greece were promulgated. Specific measures were enacted that prohibited child labor and night-shift work for women, regulated the hours of

918-512: A marina or a similar extension of the square onto waterfront, as well as a wheel similar to the London Eye in London . Up to date, no official redevelopment scheme has been made official. The former mayor of Thessaloniki , Yannis Boutaris , had mentioned in his electoral campaign that Thessaloniki would undergo a major redevelopment to bring it into the 21st century. Due to its location in

1020-610: A positive impact and on 30 May 1912 Greece and the Kingdom of Bulgaria signed a treaty that ensured mutual support in case of a Turkish attack on either country. Negotiations with Serbia, which Venizelos had initiated to achieve a similar agreement, were concluded in early 1913, before that there were only oral agreements. Montenegro opened hostilities by declaring war on the Ottoman Empire on 8 October 1912. On 17 October 1912, Greece along with her Balkan allies, declared war on

1122-533: A regime similar to that of Eastern Rumelia . On 18 July, the Great Powers declared martial law, but that did not discourage the rebels. On 15 August, the regular assembly in Chania voted in favor of most of the reforms that Venizelos proposed. The Great Powers' consuls met Venizelos again and accepted the reforms he had proposed. This led to the end of the Theriso revolt and to the resignation of Prince George as

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1224-535: A revision of the Constitution was completed, which focused on strengthening individual freedoms, introducing measures to facilitate the legislative work of the Parliament, establishing obligatory elementary education , the legal right for compulsory expropriation , ensuring permanent appointment for civil servants, the right to invite foreign personnel to undertake the reorganization of the administration and

1326-669: A revolutionary by profession. — Venizelos speaking at a banquet given in his honor by the foreign press at the Peace Conference in 1919. In May 1909, a number of officers in the Greek army emulating the Young Turk Committee of Union and Progress , sought to reform their country's national government and reorganize the army, thus creating the Military League . The League, in August 1909, camped in

1428-475: A truce. Venizelos went to Hadji-Beylik , where the Greek headquarters were, to confer with Constantine on the Greek territorial claims in the peace conference. Then he went to Bucharest , where a peace conference was assembled. On 28 June 1913 a peace treaty was signed with Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania on one side and Bulgaria on the other. Thus, after two successful wars, Greece had doubled its territory by gaining most of Macedonia , Epirus , Crete and

1530-466: Is at a higher altitude). Venizelos' subsequent actions at Akrotiri form a central set-piece in his myth. People composed poems on Akrotiri and his role there; editorials and articles spoke about his bravery, his visions, and his diplomatic genius as the inevitable accompaniment of later greatness. Venizelos spent the night in Akrotiri and a Greek flag was raised. The Ottoman forces requested help from

1632-501: Is housed at the historical “Olympion” theater at the central Aristotelous Square , where its offices and “Olympion” and “Pavlos Zannas” cinemas are located. The Olympion Complex also houses two popular Thessaloniki bars, “Room with a View” and “Green Room”. The Thessaloniki Cinema Museum is located at Warehouse 1 at the Thessaloniki port . The museum mission is to collect, preserve and promote national film history. The Film Library

1734-725: Is housed at the museum premises. Warehouse C at the Thessaloniki port has been assigned to the Thessaloniki Film Festival since 2019. It serves as the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival hub. The Institution also runs “John Cassavetes” and “Stavros Tornes” theaters at the Thessaloniki port. Aristotelous Square Aristotelous Square ( Greek : Πλατεία Αριστοτέλους , IPA: [plaˈtia aristoˈtelus] ),

1836-461: Is the main city square of Thessaloniki , Greece and is located on Nikis avenue (on the city's waterfront), in the city center. It was designed by French architect Ernest Hébrard in 1918, but most of the square was built in the 1950s. Many buildings surrounding the central square have since been renovated and its northern parts were largely restored in the 2000s. The twelve buildings that make up Aristotelous Square have been listed buildings of

1938-615: The Aegean Sea under the banner of Greece. He was, however, defeated in the 1920 General Election , which contributed to the eventual Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–22) . Venizelos, in self-imposed exile, represented Greece in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne and the agreement of a mutual population exchange between Greece and Turkey . In January 1933 he became prime minister for

2040-582: The Greek people 's disapproval of the NATO bombing and to show their support for the Serbian people . Many other demonstrations have been held in the square in recent years on a variety of subjects ranging from religious affairs, education reforms and the economic crisis . When the first buildings in the square were constructed in the late 1950s, the square was served by Thessaloniki's extensive tram network but

2142-654: The Hellenic Republic since 1950. The history of Aristotelous Square begins with the Great Fire of 1917 that destroyed two thirds of the city of Thessaloniki . Before the Great Fire of 1917, the city lacked much of what was considered to be 'essential' in European architecture. Until 1912, Thessaloniki had been part of Ottoman Turkey for almost 500 years. Under Ottoman rule, the city grew without

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2244-664: The National Schism of the 1910s. The Schism became an unofficial civil war, with the struggle for power between the two groups polarizing the population between the royalists and Venizelists for decades. Following the Allied victory, Venizelos secured new territorial concessions in Western Anatolia and Thrace in an attempt to accomplish the Megali Idea , which would have united all Greek-speaking people along

2346-557: The National Schism , politician Konstantinos Krevattas denied that his family had any relation to Venizelos. In a letter to a Cretan partner, Venizelos wrote that his father Kyriakos had taken part in the siege of Monemvasia in 1821 with his brother Hatzinikolos Venizelos and 3 more brothers. His grandfather probably was Hatzipetros Venizelos, a merchant from Kythira . Eleftherios was born in Mournies , near Chania (formerly known as Canea) in then- Ottoman Crete to Kyriakos Venizelos,

2448-599: The Ottoman raids in the peninsula in 1770, a member of the Krevvatas family (Venizelos Krevvatas), the youngest of several brothers, managed to escape to Crete where he established himself. His sons discarded their patronymic and called themselves Venizelos. The family was of Laconic , Maniot , and Cretan origin. Venizelos' mother, Styliani Ploumidakis, descended from the village of Theriso in Crete. However, during

2550-635: The Russo-Turkish War in 1877 (where Greece's neutrality left the country out of the peace talks), he decided that the only way to settle the disputes with Ottoman Empire, was to join the other Balkan countries, Serbia , Bulgaria and Montenegro , in an alliance known as the Balkan League . Crown Prince Constantine was sent to represent Greece to a royal feast in Sofia , and in 1911 Bulgarian students were invited to Athens. These events had

2652-618: The University of Athens Law School and got his degree in Law with excellent grades. He returned to Crete in 1886 and worked as a lawyer in Chania. Throughout his life, he maintained a passion for reading and was constantly improving his skills in English, Italian, German, and French. The situation in Crete during Venizelos' early years was fluid. The Ottoman Empire was undermining the reforms, which were made under international pressure, while

2754-513: The annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina . Encouraged by these events, on the same day, the Cretans, in turn, rose up. On that day, thousands of citizens in Chania and the surrounding regions formed a rally in which Venizelos declared the union of Crete with Greece. Having communicated with the government of Athens , Zaimis left for Athens before the rally. An assembly was convened and declared the independence of Crete. The civil servants were sworn in

2856-597: The Athenian suburb of Goudi with their supporters, forcing the government of Dimitrios Rallis to resign, and a new one was formed with Kiriakoulis Mavromichalis . An inaugurating period of direct military pressure upon the Chamber followed, but initial public support for the League quickly evaporated when it became apparent that the officers did not know how to implement their demands. The political dead-end remained until

2958-680: The Bulgarian army towards the city, sent a telegram to Constantine in a strict tone, holding him responsible for the possible loss of Thessaloniki. The tone in Venizelos' telegram and that in the answer from Constantine that followed to announce the final agreement with the Turks, is widely considered as the start of the conflict between the two men that would lead Greece into the National Schism during World War I. Finally, on 26 October 1912,

3060-465: The Bulgarian forces in Thessaloniki and pushed the Bulgarian army further back with a series of hard-fought victories. Bulgaria was overwhelmed by the Greek and Serbian armies, while in the north Romania interfered against Bulgaria and the Romanian army was marching towards Sofia; Ottomans also took advantage of the situation and retook most of the territory taken by Bulgaria. The Bulgarians asked for

3162-568: The Cretans desired to see the Sultan, Abdul Hamid II , abandon "the ungrateful infidels". Under these unstable conditions Venizelos entered into politics in the elections of 2 April 1889 as a member of the island's liberal party. As a deputy, he was distinguished for his eloquence and his radical opinions. The numerous revolutions in Crete, during and after the Greek War of Independence (1821, 1833, 1841, 1858, 1866, 1878, 1889, 1895, 1897) were

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3264-598: The Epirus front. The conference led to the Treaty of London between the Balkan countries and Turkey. These two conferences gave the first indications of Venizelos' diplomatic efficiency and realism. During the negotiations and facing the dangers of Bulgarian maximalism, Venizelos succeeded in establishing close relations with the Serbs. A Serbian-Greek military protocol was signed on 1 June 1913, ensuring mutual protection in case of

3366-599: The Gendarmerie was organized, the foreign troops began to withdraw from the island. This was also a personal victory for Venizelos, who, as a result, achieved fame not only in Greece but also in Europe. Following the Young Turk Revolution , which Venizelos welcomed, Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire on 5 October 1908, and one day later Franz Joseph , Emperor of Austria announced

3468-523: The Great Powers and with the other Balkan countries, Greece doubled its area and population with the liberation of Macedonia , Epirus , and most of the Aegean islands . In World War I (1914–1918), he brought Greece on the side of the Allies , further expanding the Greek borders. However, his pro-Allied foreign policy brought him into conflict with the nonaligned faction of Constantine I of Greece , causing

3570-555: The Great Powers were governing through their representative, the Prince. Venizelos suggested that once the Prince's service expired, then the Great Powers should be invited to the Committee, which, according to article 39 of the constitution (which was suppressed in the conference of Rome) would elect a new sovereign, thereby removing the need for the presence of the Great Powers. Once the Great Powers' troops and their representatives left

3672-788: The Greek Parliament, as a solution for closing the Cretan Question . However, the Young Turks (feeling confident after the Greco-Turkish war in 1897 ) threatened that they would make a military walk to Athens, if the Greeks insisted on such claims. Venizelos, seeing no improvements after his approach with the Turks on the Cretan Question and at the same time not wanting to see Greece remain inactive as in

3774-549: The Greek army entered Thessaloniki, shortly ahead of the Bulgarians . But soon a new reason of friction emerged due to Venizelos' concern about Constantine's acceptance of the Bulgarian request to enter the city. A small Bulgarian unit, which soon became a full division, moved into the city and immediately started an attempt to establish a condominium in spite of initial assurances to the contrary, showing no intentions to leave. After Venizelos' protest Constantine asked him to take

3876-456: The Greek army from approaching Chania. Venizelos, at that time, was on an electoral tour of the island. Once he "saw Canea in flames", he hurried to Malaxa , near Chania, where a group of about 2,000 rebels had assembled and established himself as their header. He proposed an attack, along with other rebels, on the Turkish forces at Akrotiri in order to displace them from the plains (Malaxa

3978-402: The Greek fleet was dominating the Aegean Sea . Venizelos did not want to initiate any immediate major movements in the Balkans, until the Greek army and navy were reorganized (an effort that had begun from the last government of Georgios Theotokis ) and the Greek economy was revitalized. In light of this, Venizelos proposed to Ottoman Empire to recognize the Cretans the right to send deputies to

4080-491: The Greek government rejected the proposal as a non-satisfactory solution and instead insisted on the union of Crete with Greece as the only solution. As a representative of the Cretan rebels, Venizelos met the admirals of the Great Powers on a Russian warship on 7 March 1897. Even though no progress was made at the meeting, he persuaded the admirals to send him on a tour of the island, under their protection, in order to explore

4182-480: The Greek national liberation movement. He is noted for his contribution to the expansion of Greece and promotion of liberal-democratic policies. As leader of the Liberal Party , he held office as prime minister of Greece for over 12 years, spanning eight terms between 1910 and 1933. During his governance, Venizelos entered into diplomatic cooperation with the Great Powers and had a profound influence on

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4284-553: The Greek navy rapidly occupied the Aegean islands, which were still under Ottoman rule. After two victories, the Greek fleet established naval supremacy over the Aegean , preventing the Turks from bringing reinforcements to the Balkans. On 20 November, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria signed a truce treaty with Turkey. It followed a conference in London, in which Greece took part, although the Greek army still continued its operations in

4386-406: The Greek newspapers "defied the navies of Europe" Under the smooth diplomat of today is the revolutionist who prodded the Turks out of Crete and the bold chieftain who camped with a little band of rebels on a hilltop above Canea and there he defied the consuls and the fleets of all the [Great] Powers! On the same evening of the bombardment, Venizelos wrote a protest to the foreign admirals, which

4488-457: The Greek political scene. Venizelos, despite doubts as to the validity of his Greek citizenship and without having campaigned in person, finished at the top of the electoral list in Attica . He was immediately recognized as the leader of the independents, and thus, he founded the political party, Komma Fileleftheron (Liberal Party). Soon after his election, he decided to call for new elections in

4590-548: The High Commissioner created an Executive Committee composed of the Cretan leaders. Venizelos became minister of Justice, and with the rest of the Committee, they began to organize the State and create a "Cretan constitution". Venizelos insisted on not making reference to religion so all the residents of Crete would feel represented. For his stance, he was later accused of pro-Turk (pro-Muslim) by his political opponents on

4692-551: The High Commissioner. The Great Powers assigned the authority for selecting the island's new High Commissioner to King George I of Greece , thereby de facto nullifying the Ottoman suzerainty. An ex-Prime Minister of Greece, Alexandros Zaimis , was chosen for the place of High Commissioner, and Greek officers and non-commissioned officers were allowed to undertake the organization of the Cretan Gendarmerie . As soon as

4794-466: The League invited Venizelos from Crete to undertake the leadership. Venizelos went to Athens, and after consulting with the Military League and with representatives of the political world, he proposed a new government and Parliament's reformation. His proposals were considered by the King and the Greek politicians dangerous for the political establishment. However, King George I, fearing an escalation of

4896-686: The Ottoman Empire, thus joining the First Balkan War . On 1 October, in a regular session of the Parliament Venizelos announced the declaration of war to the Ottomans and accepting the Cretan deputies, thus closing the Cretan Question , with the declaration of the union of Crete with Greece. The Greek population received these developments very enthusiastically. The outbreak of the First Balkan War caused Venizelos

4998-591: The Pact granted a large degree of self-government to Greeks in Crete as a means of limiting their desire to rise up against their Ottoman overlords . However the Muslims of Crete , who identified with Ottoman Empire, were not satisfied with these reforms, as in their view the administration of the island was delivered to the hands of the Christian Greek population. In practice, the Ottoman Empire failed to enforce

5100-422: The Turkish flag. At the end of the revolution, I returned again to my hometown and resumed my practice. I did not have time, however, to go far with it, for I had to take up arms again and go to the mountains. I soon reached the point where I had to decide whether I ought to be a lawyer by profession and a revolutionary at intervals or a revolutionary by profession and a lawyer at intervals ... I naturally became

5202-413: The administration of Crete; and Prince George of Greece , the second son of King George I of Greece, became High Commissioner, with Venizelos serving as his minister of Justice from 1899 to 1901. Prince George of Greece was appointed High Commissioner of the Cretan State for a three-year term. On 13 December 1898, he arrived at Chania, where he received an unprecedented reception. On 27 April 1899,

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5304-558: The aims of the army's operations. The Crown Prince insisted on the clear military aims of the war: to defeat the opposed Ottoman army as a necessary condition for any occupation, wherever the opponent army was or was going, and the main part of the Ottoman army soon started retreating to the north towards Monastir . Venizelos was more realistic and insisted on the political aims of the war: to liberate as many geographical areas and cities as fast as possible, particularly Macedonia and Thessaloniki; thus heading east. The debate became evident after

5406-401: The allies, due to the Bulgarian claims, was inevitable, and Bulgaria found herself standing against Greece and Serbia. On 19 May 1913, a pact of alliance was signed in Thessaloniki between Greece and Serbia. On 19 June, the Second Balkan War began with a surprise Bulgarian assault against Serbian and Greek positions. Constantine, now King after his father's assassination in March , neutralized

5508-426: The ancient Roman agora at the same spot were the Civic Square was planned. Since the first concept designs by Hébrard in 1918, his designs for Aristotelous Square were simplified considerably. Instead of the original elaborate designs, the façades that were built in the 1950s were much more modest, due to the financial situation of the country at the time and the decision of the Venizelos government in 1918 to fund

5610-400: The armed forces, the re-establishment of the State Council and the simplification of the procedures for the reform of the Constitution. The aim of the reform program was to consolidate public security and the rule of law as well as to develop and increase the wealth-producing potential of the country. In this context, the long-planned "eighth" Ministry, the Ministry of National Economy , assumed

5712-436: The cause of the Christians in Crete was manifested, and much popular applause was bestowed on the Greeks. The Great Powers sent a verbal note on 2 March to the governments of Greece and the Ottoman Empire, presenting a possible solution to the "Cretan Question", under which Crete to become an autonomous state under the suzerainty of the Sultan. The Porte replied on 5 March, accepting the proposals in principle, but on 8 March

5814-435: The city's connection with the Byzantine Empire . This style is most evident at Aristotelous Square, with a few building facades implementing some of Hébrard's original ideas. Additionally, a statue of Alexander the Great was to be placed in the middle of the square. Hébrard designed the monumental axis so that looking uphill from the square one could see the city's Byzantine walls and the Upper Town. Also visible from

5916-444: The constitutional conditions of the time, had been the undisputed leader of the country. Thus in practical terms, Venizelos' authority over his commander of the army was diminished due to the obvious relation between the Crown Prince and the King. In these conditions, the army started a victorious march to Macedonia under the command of Constantine. Soon, the first disagreement between Venizelos and Constantine emerged, and it concerned

6018-451: The country's Prime Minister. He initiated constitutional and economic reforms that set the basis for the modernization of Greek society and reorganized both the Greek Army and the Greek Navy in preparation for future conflicts. Before the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, Venizelos' catalytic role helped gain Greece's entrance to the Balkan League , an alliance of the Balkan states against the Ottoman Empire . Through his diplomatic acumen with

6120-422: The crisis, convened a council with political leaders and recommended they accept Venizelos' proposals. After many postponements, the King agreed to assign Stephanos Dragoumis (Venizelos' indication) to form a new government that would lead the country to elections once the League was disbanded. In the elections of 8 August 1910, almost half the seats in the parliament were won by Independents, who were newcomers to

6222-453: The foreign admirals and attacked the rebels, with the ships of the Great Powers bombarding the rebel positions at Akrotiri. A shell threw down the flag, which was raised up again immediately. The mythologizing became more pronounced when we come to his actions in that February, as the following quotes display: On 20th of February [he] was ordered by the admirals to lower the flag and disband his rebel force. He refused! Venizelos turned towards

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6324-421: The guidance of a general plan for expansion and had narrow streets. The absence of squares in pre-1917 Thessaloniki was addressed by Ernest Hébrard , who proposed a number of large squares in the city, including Megalou Alexandrou Square ("Alexander the Great Square"), now Aristotelous Square. Ernest Hébrard envisioned a monumental axis for Thessaloniki that stretched from what is now Aristotelous Square on

6426-605: The heart of the city, the square is used for almost all major celebrations, including that of the lighting of the official Christmas tree of Thessaloniki and the New Year countdown. Every year the municipality organizes the Celebration of the Angels ( Greek : Γιορτή των Αγγέλων), which is the official lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree and is accompanied by other festive activities, including bands , choirs , popular Greek singers and fireworks displays . Similar celebrations are organized annually on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day . Following Greek traditions, apart from

6528-407: The hope of winning an absolute majority . The old parties boycotted the new election in protest and on 11 December 1910, Venizelos' party won 307 seats out of 362 , with most of the elected citizens being new in the political scene. Venizelos formed a government and started to reorganize the economic, political, and national affairs of the country. Venizelos tried to advance his reform program in

6630-401: The internal and external affairs of Greece. He has therefore been labelled as "The Maker of Modern Greece" and is still widely known as the " Ethnarch ". His first entry into the international scene was with his significant role in the autonomy of the Cretan State and later in the union of Crete with Greece . In 1909, he was invited to Athens to resolve the political deadlock and became

6732-428: The island, the union with Greece would be easier to achieve. This proposal was exploited by Venizelos' opponents, who accused him of wanting Crete to be an autonomous hegemony. Venizelos replied to the accusations by submitting his resignation once again, with the reasoning that it would be impossible henceforth to collaborate with the Committee's members; he assured the Commissioner, however, that he did not intend to join

6834-455: The island, thus polarizing the population. Massacres against the Christian population took place in Chania and Rethimno . The Greek government, pressured by public opinion, intransigent political elements, extreme nationalist groups such as Ethniki Etaireia , and the reluctance of the Great Powers to intervene, decided to send warships and army personnel to defend the Cretan Greeks. The Great Powers had no option then but to proceed with

6936-412: The island. After Venizelos submitted the complete juridical legislation on 18 May 1900, disagreements between him and Prince George began to emerge. Prince George decided to travel to Europe and announced to the Cretan population that "When I am traveling in Europe, I shall ask the Powers for annexation, and I hope to succeed on account of my family connections". The statement reached the public without

7038-402: The key figure, the King, in order to prevent the Crown Prince from marching north. Subsequently, although the Greek army won the Battle of Giannitsa situated 40 km west of Salonika, Constantine's hesitation in capturing the city after a week had passed, led into an open confrontation with Venizelos. Venizelos, having accurate information from the Greek embassy in Sofia about the movement of

7140-422: The knowledge or approval of the Committee. Venizelos said to the Prince that it would not be proper to give hope to the population for something that was not feasible at the given moment. As Venizelos had expected, during the Prince's journey, the Great Powers rejected his request. The disagreements continued on other topics; the Prince wanted to build a palace, but Venizelos strongly opposed it as that would mean

7242-421: The last time and in March 1935, after a coup attempt , he fled to Paris where he died. He was buried on a hill at the head of the Akrotiri peninsula beside the eastern outskirts of Chania city in Crete, close to the place where he was born. The Venizelos family graves are today one of the attractions of Chania . The ancestors of Venizelos, named Crevvatas, lived in Mystras , in southern Peloponnese . During

7344-476: The left is Electra Palace Hotel, which is one of the best five-star hotels in Thessaloniki and on the right is one of the city's most famous movie theaters, the Olympion Theatre cinema, site of the annual Thessaloniki International Film Festival . It also houses a very popular bar of the same name. There is no redevelopment currently under consideration, but numerous proposals have been submitted over

7446-588: The living conditions of the Christian populations. Failure of such reforms would leave a single option to remove the Ottoman Empire from the Balkans , an idea that most Balkan countries shared. This scenario appeared realistic to Venizelos because the Ottoman Empire was under a constitutional transition , and its administrative mechanism was disorganized and weakened. There was also no fleet capable of transporting forces from Asia Minor to Europe, while in contrast,

7548-455: The massacre in Heraklion on 25 August, imposed a final solution on the "Cretan Question"; Crete was proclaimed an autonomous state under Ottoman suzerainty . Venizelos played an important role in this solution, not only as the leader of the Cretan rebels but also as a skilled diplomat with his frequent communication with the admirals of the Great Powers. The four Great Powers assumed

7650-475: The name of King George I of Greece , while a five-member Executive Committee was established, with the authority to control the island on behalf of the King and according to the laws of the Greek state. Chairman of the committee was Antonios Michelidakis , and Venizelos became Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs. In April 1910, a new assembly was convened, and Venizelos was elected chairman and then Prime Minister. All foreign troops departed from Crete, and power

7752-550: The north of Thessaly , close to the borders with Greece. Greece in reply reinforced its borders in Thessaly. However, irregular Greek forces, who were members of the Ethniki Etairia (followers of the Megali Idea ) acted without orders and raided Turkish outposts, leading the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Greece on 17 April. The war was a disaster for Greece. The Turkish army was better prepared, in large part due to

7854-606: The occupation of the island, but they were late. A Greek force of about 2,000 men had landed at Kolymbari on 3 February 1897, and its commanding officer, Colonel Timoleon Vassos declared that he was taking over the island "in the name of the King of the Hellenes " and that he was announcing the union of Crete with Greece. This led to an uprising that spread immediately throughout the island. The Great Powers decided to blockade Crete with their fleets and land their troops, thus stopping

7956-494: The opposition. On 6 March 1901, in a report, he exposed the reasons that compelled him to resign to the High Commissioner, which was, however, leaked to the press. On 20 March, Venizelos was dismissed because "he, without any authorization, publicly supported opinions opposite of those of the Commissioner". Henceforth, Venizelos assumed the leadership of the opposition to the Prince. For the next three years, he carried out

8058-415: The past twenty years. When Thessaloniki became the European capital of culture during 1997, the city council put together an organizing committee for the redevelopment of the waterfront of the city, including the redevelopment of Aristotelous Square. Of the many designs that were presented to the committee, some of them were very radical and others less so. In almost all proposals, there were provisions for

8160-406: The people's opinions on the question of autonomy versus union. At the time, the majority of the Cretan population initially supported the union, but the subsequent events in Thessaly turned the public opinion towards autonomy as an intermediate step. In reaction to the rebellion of Crete and the assistance sent by Greece, the Ottomans had relocated a significant part of their army in the Balkans to

8262-499: The perpetuation of the current arrangement of Governorship; Cretans accepted it only as temporary until a final solution was found. Relations between the two men became increasingly soured, and Venizelos repeatedly submitted his resignation. In a meeting of the Executive Committee, Venizelos expressed his opinion that the island was not autonomous since the military forces of the Great Powers were still present and that

8364-583: The political dimensions of his decisions. As a consequence both incidents increased mutual misunderstanding shortly before Constantine's accession to the throne. Once the campaign in Macedonia was completed, a large part of the Greek army under the Crown Prince was redeployed to Epirus , and in the Battle of Bizani , the Ottoman positions were overcome and Ioannina taken on 22 February 1913. Meanwhile,

8466-525: The port of Souda , where the warships were anchored, and explained: "You have cannon-balls – fire away! But our flag will not come down" ... [after the flag was hit] Venizelos ran forward; his friends stopped him; why expose a valuable life so uselessly? There was that famous day in February 1897 when ... he rejected the orders of the Protecting Powers and in the picturesque phrase in

8568-486: The project from private sources and not the government. Today, Aristotelous Square is one of the most famous places in all of Greece and almost synonymous with the city of Thessaloniki itself. The square plays an important role in the sociopolitical life not only of the city, but of the wider country as well. Numerous large rallies and political speeches have been organized in Aristotelous Square, such as

8670-418: The provisions of the Pact, thus fueling the existing tensions between the two communities; instead, the Ottoman authorities attempted to maintain order by dispatching substantial military reinforcements during 1880–1896. Throughout that period, the Cretan Question was a major issue of friction in the relations of independent Greece with the Ottoman Empire. In January 1897, violence and disorder escalated on

8772-423: The rally for Macedonia in 1992 (see further below ). Additionally the square is used for many cultural events, such as festivals and the annual Christmas and carnival celebrations. It is an important tourist attraction for the city, and the numerous cafes and bars that line up the square make it popular with the younger generations. The two quarter-circle sides of the square are occupied by important buildings. On

8874-483: The realms of political and social ideologies, education, and literature by adopting practically viable compromises between often conflicting tendencies. In education, for example, the dynamic current in favor of the use of the popular spoken language, dimotiki , provoked conservative reactions, which led to the constitutionally embedded decision (Article 107) in favor of a formal "purified" language, katharevousa , which looked back to classical precedents. On 20 May 1911,

8976-518: The recent reforms carried out by a German mission under Baron von der Goltz , and the Greek army was in retreat within weeks. The Great Powers again intervened, and an armistice was signed in May 1897. The defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish war , costing small territorial losses at the borderline in northern Thessaly and an indemnity of £4,000,000, turned into a diplomatic victory. The Great Powers (Britain, France , Russia , and Italy ), following

9078-514: The responsibility (as a prime minister) by ordering him to force them out, but that was hardly an option since that would certainly lead to confrontation with the Bulgarians. To Venizelos' view, since Constantine allowed the Bulgarians to enter the city, he now passed the responsibility of a possible conflict with them to him, in an attempt to deny his initial fault. To Constantine, it was an attempt by Venizelos to get involved in clearly military issues. Most historians agree that Constantine failed to see

9180-548: The rest of the Aegean Islands , although the status of the latter remained as yet undetermined and a cause of tension with the Ottomans. With the outbreak of World War I and the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia, a major issue started regarding the participation of Greece and Bulgaria in the war. Greece had an active treaty with Serbia, which was the treaty activated in the 1913 Bulgarian attack that caused

9282-593: The result of the Cretans' desire for enosis — union with Greece. In the Cretan revolution of 1866 , the two sides, under the pressure of the Great Powers , came to an agreement, which was finalized in the Pact of Chalepa . Later the Pact was included in the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin , which was supplementing previous concessions granted to the Cretans — e.g. the Organic Law Constitution (1868) designed by William James Stillman . In summary,

9384-561: The seafront to Dikastirion Square and the Roman Forum. The axis began at Aristotelous Square, which was intended to be named after Alexander the Great. Throughout his plan for Thessaloniki, Hébrard implemented an element that was missing from the pre-1917 architecture of the city: imposing façades . For the monumental axis, the architect used elements from Byzantine and Western architecture rather than Ottoman architecture , to stress

9486-566: The service was discontinued in 1957. Since then, the only means of public transportation to and from Aristotle Square is by the buses of the Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization (OASTH). The city's horse shoe shape and the square's location within the city center make it easily reachable by OASTH, with many lines passing either through Aristotelous or by Venizelou Square . Additionally, there are taxi stands on Mitropoleos Street (a street which "cuts"

9588-444: The square in half), in front of the Olympion Theatre. The under-construction Thessaloniki Metro will have one station near Aristotelous Square, at Venizelou Street, a short walk away from Aristotelous on Egnatia Avenue . Other means of transportation that have been proposed are ferry services to the other pivotal points of coastal Thessaloniki. Because of its resemblance to a bottle when viewed from above, an aerial photograph of

9690-621: The square that were not backed by any particular party. Under the nationalist rush against the Republic of Macedonia in the early 1990s over the Macedonia naming dispute , a huge demonstration was organized in the square in February 1992 "to show support for the Greekness of Macedonia ". During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia , a large demonstration also took place in the square that reaffirmed

9792-429: The square was recently used in an advertisement for Absolut Vodka . Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( Greek : Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος , romanized :  Eleuthérios Kyriákou Venizélos , pronounced [elefˈθeri.os cirˈʝaku veniˈzelos] ; 23 August [ O.S. 11 August] 1864 – 18 March 1936) was a Cretan Greek statesman and prominent leader of

9894-591: The square would be what Hébrard called the Place Civique or Civic Square, which would be the city's administrative heart along European lines: it would feature the City Hall on the left, the court houses on the right and a grand triumphant arch leading uphill from the Civic Square. This part of the design was never realized due to a lack of funds, although following archeological excavations unearthed

9996-542: The victory of the Greek army at Sarantaporo , when the future direction of the armies' march was to be decided. Venizelos intervened and insisted that Thessaloniki , as a major city and strategic port in the surrounding area, should be taken at all costs and thus a turn to the east was necessary. In accordance to his views, Venizelos sent the following telegraph to the General Staff: Salonique à tout prix! and tried to keep frequent communication with

10098-594: The working week and the Sunday holiday, and allowed for labor organizations. Venizelos also took measures for the improvement of management, justice, and security and for the settlement of the landless peasants of Thessaly. At the time, there were diplomatic contacts with the Ottoman Empire to initiate reforms in Macedonia and in Thrace , which at the time were under the control of the Ottoman Empire, for improving

10200-620: Was argued that the illegitimate provisional arrangement was preventing the island's economic growth and that the only logical solution to the "Cretan Question" was the unification with Greece. The High Commissioner, with the approval of the Great Powers, replied to the rebels that military force would be used against them. However, more deputies joined with Venizelos in Theriso. The Great Powers' consuls met with Venizelos in Mournies in an attempt to achieve an agreement, but without any results. The revolutionary government asked that Crete be granted

10302-505: Was signed by all the chieftains present at Akrotiri. He wrote that the rebels would keep their positions until everyone was killed by the shells of European warships in order not to let the Turks remain in Crete. The letter was deliberately leaked to international newspapers, evoking emotional reactions in Greece and in Europe, where the idea of Christians, who wanted their freedom, being bombarded by Christian vessels, caused popular indignation. Throughout Western Europe much popular sympathy for

10404-454: Was transferred entirely to Venizelos' government. After I finished my studies in Athens I returned home and hung out my bandolier. I had not tried many cases in the court of my home island before it became necessary for me to take up arms against the Turkish government. Although my father was born in Greece, I was considered an Ottoman subject—therefore a rebel—because my mother was born under

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