Tsimiski Street
Tsimiski Street (Greek: Οδός Τσιμισκή, Odós Tsimiskí) is a major avenue in Thessaloniki, the second-largest city Greece. It starts from the area of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair grounds, between Aggelaki Street and Nikolaou Germanou Street and ends in the crossroad with Ionos Dragoumi Street, on the western side of the city centre. Tsimiski Street was named after the Byzantine Emperor, Ioannis Tzimiskis and is nowadays one of the busiest streets in Thessaloniki's city center and the country. The busiest point of Tsimiski Street is its crossroad with Aristotelous Square which is a major meeting-point for Thessalonians, also forming a cultural axis with Aristotelous Square.
History
Prior to the Balkan Wars and the acquisition of Thessaloniki by Greece, the road that eventually became Tsimiski Street was called "the second parallel", a reference to its location being the second street to be built parallel to the city's waterfront, the other being Proxenou Koromila Street. Before 1890, the street connected the two sides of Thessaloniki, from the eastern city walls to the west. In 1913, when the city was in Greek hands, the street was then renamed after Ioannis Tsimiskis, a Byzantine Emperor notable for his struggles against Bulgarians. The choice of name was the result of Greek-Bulgarian tensions at the time in regards to who would eventually win the city of Thessaloniki after the Balkan Wars.
