Place
Egnatia
Thessaloniki's main commercial street runs three kilometres through downtown, from Demokratias Square at Vardari to Nea Egnatia, and carries the name of the Roman Via Egnatia that once passed near the city.
The story
Lined with shops and office buildings, Egnatia is one of the city's busiest streets and part of the Nea Diagonios corridor linking the centre with the Foinikas neighbourhood. Horse trams ran along it in 1916, and by 1920 trams were passing the Arch of Galerius. Sights along the way include the Chapel of the Saviour, the Panagia Dexia church, the Colombou market arcade, Hotel Minerva and the former Hotel Gran Bretagne, designed by Max Rubens. Its namesake was built by the Romans in the 2nd century BC on the orders of Gnaeus Egnatius, proconsul of Macedonia. It ran about 1,120 km from Dyrrachium on the Adriatic to Byzantium. The Apostle Paul travelled it from Philippi to Thessalonica, and crusading armies later followed it east to Constantinople.
