On the sidelines of the opening of the parallel exhibition of the Greek participation in the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale in Thessaloniki, the Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas, made on Wednesday 30 June 2021, a series of visits to the International Exhibition of Thessaloniki (TIF), at the construction site of the Museum Holocaust, as well as the International Center for Digital Transformation and Digital Skills (DT&S). The Minister was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Nikos Tagaras and the General Secretary of Spatial Planning and Urban Environment, Efthimios Bakoyannis.
Among the stations of the visit was the site where the Holocaust Museum will be erected. At the initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, important urban planning and spatial planning issues were resolved so that the Commercial Station of Thessaloniki was transformed into a symbol of memory and respect for the value of human life and dignity. The construction of the Museum at this particular point was qualified due to its historical importance, as during the Second World War the "death trains" departed from there.
"The Museum is an emblematic project, not only for Thessaloniki, but also for the whole country. A country, and a people, that wants to progress must be able to look without fear at its past and chart a new path towards a brighter future. The Ministry of Environment and Energy will continue to work towards the completion of this great project with seriousness, responsibility and kind cooperation with all the involved agencies and the local community" said Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas.
The person in charge Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Nikos Tagaras, noted: "After systematic work we resolved a time-consuming issue by providing the necessary spatial and urban planning tools to start the work of the Holocaust Museum in 2021. This is a project of historical memory, of high international significance, which will contribute to the preservation of historical memory of the Holocaust. At the same time, the fact that the start of work will coincide with the Greek Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is a positive timing."
The visit was also attended by President of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki and the Central Jewish Council of Greece, David Saltiel.
*Excerpt from an article on the website grtimes.gr, 1.7.2021