The history of Eleftheria Square followed that of the city of Thessaloniki, altering its forms and spatial significance, depending on the season, being a recreation and parade area, sometimes a focal point of concentration of military forces but also a place of martyrdom. Today it has been transformed into a parking space and has removed from it the Jewish Holocaust Memorial and any indication of its history. Thus, it has lost its magnitude and importance to the city. The aim of our contest and proposal is to turn Liberty Square into a place for leisure and recreation with historical references that will re-connect the surrounding areas. It will upgrade the sea front, regain the multidimensional character of the area, as it is adjacent to areas of an equally great historicity and with a high degree of visitation, such as the harbor, Ladadika and the beach, and surrounded by several remarkable preserved buildings, and it will become the city gate that separates it from the sea. The basic principle on which we relied on for the transformation of Freedom Square into a local attraction and the overall improvement in the living standards of the inhabitants of Thessaloniki is our belief that the proper planning and organization can achieve the necessary but equitable reconciliation and a combination of all the requirements of the area:

Maximize green area for public use
Existence of venues for the gathering of common and cultural events
Restore historical memory
Creation of ground floor parking spaces
Revenue for the Municipality of Thessaloniki

Our proposal for both the best use of space and the housing of different uses that can be located is the formation of a green hill with a bioclimatic approach, and the simultaneous creation of a ground floor parking space inside the hill that will serve to enter the center of Thessaloniki and the surrounding shops, as is the case with the existing garage. Also, a rectangular volume will penetrate the hill, creating at the edge of it an event space and gathering area and an observatory with a beacon system. The green hill, due to its curvature, significantly increases the surface of the green.
This, by maximizing the bioclimatic environmental design of the whole project, results in a better microclimate in the region, both with better air circulation and absorption of noise in the area and the creation of a quiet zone. Still, the hill is a natural element that will give the city a much more human character. The creation of elevation differences will also give a view of the city and the sea, which is utilized with the appropriate layout on the slopes of the hill. A sloping ramp with the right inclination for servicing disabled guests as well as ladders stretching out on the hill surface and creating various rest areas end up on a platform at the highest point. In this way, the square can be offered for use by pedestrians and walkers, while at the same time providing the necessary parking spaces for cars. As far as the recovery of the historical significance and memory of this square is concerned, it is evidenced by a documented and correct placement of light cylinders on the central hill surface, through which alternate vertical light beams will rise in the sky every year on July 11th, thus recalling the day which marked the Jewish community of Thessaloniki. Finally, all the large trees already in the Square are preserved, with the intention of transplanting the few of them that are currently in the center of the Square.

Architects: Dionisis Sotovikis, Chrissa Skiada, Vasilis Kampas, Fotini Pitoglou

Employer: Workshop Dionisis Sotovikis

Collaborators: Ilias Romanas