The Splendid Palace Hotel on the seaside avenue of Thessaloniki

Μayor Ahmet Hamdi Bey, who is associated with major projects in Thessaloniki during the period of modernization of the Ottoman Empire, constructed the municipal fish market (balık pazar) on the city's waterfront in 1895. It was a covered market with 21 shops. Twelve years later, this closed market was demolished, and in its place, in 1907, the luxurious Splendid Palace Hotel was built. The Splendid was spacious, well-equipped, and attracted an elite clientele. In its café, restaurant, and entertainment halls, it gathered the aristocracy of the city, the leadership of the Entente and the National Defense, as well as foreign visitors. During its tenth year of operation, the hotel was destroyed by the great fire of 1917. After this event, the burned building was completely renovated according to the designs of Marinos Delladetsimas, for the Turnivouka family, and in 1922, the Mediterranean Palace was erected. The legendary Mediterranean, beautiful, cosmopolitan, and aristocratic, was inaugurated in July 1926. The interior decoration was designed by the brothers Georgios and Nikolaos Maltzis from Ayvalik, well-known decorators of Thessaloniki's mansions. Pictured: The Splendid Palace Hotel on the coastal avenue of Thessaloniki, ©Municipal Photography Museum of Kalamaria ‘Christos Kalemkeris’.