Greece Has a Story We Don’t Talk About Enough — and Thessaloniki Is Changing That
The much anticipated Holocaust Museum of Greece is now under construction
Greece is way more than ancient ruins, postcard islands, and late-night souvlaki runs. Yes, the Acropolis hits every time and Mykonos is still doing the absolute most — but Greece isn’t frozen in a sun-soaked vacuum. It’s part of Europe’s shared story, with all the beauty and the heartbreak that comes with it.
One chapter that’s often overlooked? The history of Greece’s Jewish communities — and the devastating impact of the Holocaust. For decades, this story lived in the margins. Now, that’s finally starting to change.
In Thessaloniki, a city once known as the “Jerusalem of the Balkans,” plans for the Holocaust Museum of Greece are officially moving forward. An agreement signed between the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and construction firm METKA marks a major step toward making the museum a reality. With a €40 million budget, the museum will rise on the site of the city’s old railway station — the very place where more than 50,000 Jewish residents were deported by the Nazis — but, as the historian Mark Mazower reveals in his groundbreaking book Salonica, City of Ghosts, sometimes with Greek and even Jewish complicity — during World War II.
David Saltiel, president of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, described the project as a national act of memory and responsibility. METKA CEO Dinos Benroubi echoed that sentiment, calling the museum a future landmark of remembrance and culture.
Sources reveal to Greek Column exclusively that, apparently after some delays, the Museum is currently under construction and is expected to open at the end of 2027.
Support for the project spans borders and generations, with funding from the Greek government, Germany, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Tavma Foundation, and Albert Bourla — Thessaloniki-born CEO of Pfizer — through the Genesis Prize Foundation.
The museum’s design is a true international collaboration, led by architectural firms from Israel, Germany, and Greece, with exhibition planning by Atelier Brueckner and museologist Andromache Gazi.
For travelers, this isn’t just another stop on the map. It’s a reminder that Greece’s story — like Europe’s — is layered, complicated, and deeply human. And sometimes, the most important places to visit aren’t just the ones that photograph well, but the ones that make you pause, reflect, and remember.
In the meantime, visitors of all faiths and nationalities are welcome to visit the extraordinary Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, located in the city center. The Museum hosts a rich collection of artifacts documenting the long history of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, with a particular focus on the Holocaust, as well as temporary exhibitions.
