Palace of Galerius in Thessaloniki

The remains of the historical 4th century Galerian Palace Complex in the centre of Thessaloniki, one of the city’s most important archaeological sites

It will operate daily, from 9am until 4pm, except on Mondays. Work to clean and tidy up the site will be taking place on the first few days after it opens.

Also open and operating daily from 9am-3pm (except Mondays) is the Trigoniou Tower in the city’s Byzantine walls, the announcement also stated.

The Galerian complex is situated in the heart of Thessaloniki, on the corner of Gounari Street and Navarinou Square. The remains were first brought to light in the second half of the 20th century, while a large part of the monument was covered over during the city’s development.

Some of these, like the Apsidal Hall and the buildings at the archaeological site in Navarinou Square, are visible, though most have been buried due to the reconstruction of the historic city center.

The site extends over 9,000 square metres, while the Palace of Galerius is one of the best preserved imperial residence of late antiquity in Europe. It was built at the time of the transition from the Roman to the Byzantine worlds, with construction starting in the late 3rd century-early 4th century when the Caesar Galerius Valerius Maximianus (293-311 AD) chose Thessaloniki as the seat of the eastern part of the Roman Empire.