Greek and foreign visitors in Thessaloniki's renovated Agora Modiano

The Agora Modiano has become again a gastronomic and tourist destination of the city since the beginning of last December, which, in addition to foreigners, is visited in groups by many citizens of Thessaloniki who want to connect with the place, time and smells of the past and of today.

Every Tuesday, until March 7, in collaboration with ThessalonikiWalkingTours, free guided tours are organised. Among other things, visitors will learn how after the devastating fire of 1917 and through the ruins of the old synagogues, the market emerged at the end of the 1920s, but also how the city's culinary history becomes an experience and a culture.

History

Engineer Eli Modiano, with architect J. Oliphant, set out to build the Market in an area of the city that the 1917 fire had destroyed entirely. The Market was built where the Talmud Torah Synagogue had previously stood and where architect-archaeologist Ernest Hébrard’s plan called for the development of bazaars. The French title of the market in the plans was “Bazar Central Salonique.”
In 1925 Eli Modiano constructed an elongated, single-story building with a basement and internal balconies, with a total area of about 2,707 m².

The inauguration of the Market took place in 1930 with a great celebration.
The Modiano Market, the first traditional food market and one of the largest covered markets in Thessaloniki, was closely linked to the history of the Jewish Community. From the very beginning, it played an important role in the life and operation of Thessaloniki’s commercial center, as it housed the best products and was considered an important commercial point.

In 1983, the Modiano Market was designated as a listed building by the Ministry of Environment and Public Works, and in 1995 as a listed monument by the Ministry of Culture, as a typical example of a Market building with an arcade.
Over the next few years, the Market’s image slowly begins to change as most of its 144 shops are gradually closed. Although the image of the Market retains the memories of its earlier days, it is far from its original glory, with its final closure coming in 2016.

In July 2017, the Modiano Market officially passed into the hands of the Fais Group of Companies, with the signing of the contract by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund.
Thus, we reach 2021 and the present of Modiano Market, which is on the verge of major remodeling, but also the future of a new generation Food Market concept!