In
the beginning of the 20th century Thessaloniki was one of the
largest cities in the Ottoman Empire. The rail link with Europe
(1888), Constantinople (1895) and Florina (1893) made the port
the financial center of the Balkans. In 1904 Turkey and France
signed an agreement to set up the French company named: "Societe
Ottomane d' Exploitation du Port de Salonique", which
undertook construction projects and the operation of the port
for the next forty years.
This was the period of the
construction of the breakwater, the warehouses on the first pier,
the Customs House, the port railway lines, and the purchase of
the first cargo-handling equipment. The port was becoming a source
of profit and development. By 1912 Thessaloniki had become part
of Greece and the Greek governments were deeply interested in
the development of the port, which was regarded as the most important
harbour in the whole Balkan Peninsula. [more]
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