The long-anticipated Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki has officially entered the construction phase following the signing of the development contract. The agreement was signed on 23 January by the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece and the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki, David Saltiel, and Dinos Benroubi, the Vice-President and CEO of METKA, which will undertake the construction.
The signing ceremony took place at the offices of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and was attended by former Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos, who has coordinated the project, as well as members of the Jewish Community’s General Assembly, the project’s architects, representatives of donors, and German diplomats.
With the contract now in place, METKA has been authorised to establish construction sites and begin works next to the city’s old railway station. The project has a planned completion timeline of two years from the date of contract signing. If no delays occur, the museum is expected to open to the public in 2028. The building permit was issued by the Thessaloniki municipality’s urban planning authority in late December 2023.
The museum's total budget is €40 million. Funding is provided by a combination of public and private contributions, including €10 million from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, €10 million from the German state, €18 million from the Greek state, and additional private donations, including from Dr Albert Bourla.
The museum will be built on the site of Thessaloniki’s former railway station, a place of profound historical significance, as it was from there that thousands of Jewish residents were deported to Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The land was granted to the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki by GAIAOSE S.A., with the sustained support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
Architectural design is led by international firms from Israel, Germany and Greece, while the museological and exhibition design has been entrusted to the internationally recognised Atelier Brückner in collaboration with academic Andromachi Gazi. Project management is being handled by a consortium led by Samaras & Associates and Hill International.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, David Saltiel described the museum as a national project of memory and responsibility, aimed at future generations. METKA’s CEO highlighted the museum’s role as a modern beacon of remembrance and culture, while Thessaloniki’s mayor emphasised its educational mission and its importance in combating racism, antisemitism and Holocaust denial, reaffirming the enduring commitment to the principle of “Never Again.”
