White Tower of Thessaloniki

Also known as Lefkos Pyrgos, Thessalonike, Leukos Pyrgos, White Tower (Thessaloniki)

fortified tower

Key facts

Status: Museum
Type: Fortress; garrison; prison
Architectural style: Byzantine and Early Ottoman
Location: Thessaloniki , Greece
Completed: c. 15th century
Height: 33.9 m (111 ft)
Diameter: 22.7 m (74 ft)

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

White Tower Thessaloniki | Official Website

The White Tower was built in the fifteenth century after the fall of Thessaloniki to the Ottomans in 1430. At its location there had been an older tower belonging to Thessaloniki’s Byzantine fortifications, where the eastern wall met the sea wall.

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Described at

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Article

The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Greek: Λευκός Πύργος Lefkós Pýrgos; Turkish: Beyaz Kule; Ladino: Kuli Blanka) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. The present tower likely replaced an old Byzantine fortification, known to have been mentioned around the 12th century, that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's fortress some time after Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. During the period of Ottoman rule, the tower became a notorious prison and the scene of numerous mass executions, most famously of the Janissaries who revolted during the reign of Mahmud II.

In 1912, as Greece gained control over the city, the White Tower was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed. The White Tower has been adopted as the symbol of the city.