Page "Thessaloniki" Paragraph 29

Most of the old center of the city was destroyed by the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917, which started accidentally by an unattended kitchen fire on 18 August 1917.

The fire swept through the centre of the city, leaving 72, 000 people homeless ; according to the Pallis Report, most of them were Jewish ( 50, 000 ).

Many businesses were destroyed, as a result, 70 % of the population were unemployed.

Also a number of religious structures of the three major faiths were lost.

Nearly one-quarter of the total population of approximately 271, 157 became homeless.

Following the fire the government prohibited quick rebuilding, so it could implement the new redesign of the city according to the European-style urban plan prepared by a group of architects, including the Briton Thomas Mawson, and headed by French architect Ernest Hébrard.

The Jewish community's properties were reduced from a value of 6. 5 million Greek drachmas to 750, 000.