Marina / Remezzo

The marina of Kalamaria (Aretsou) is located on the southern front of the coastal zone of the municipality in “Mikro Emvolo”. It is about seven kilometres from the centre of Thessaloniki and offers 242 berths for boats up to thirty metres long. Eleftherios Venizelos had ceded the coastal zone to the refugees. Over the decades, however, the development of Kalamaria has led to pressure to develop this valuable piece of land. In the late 1960s, the Hellenic Tourism Organization was allowed to construct a beach and a marina, resulting in the demolition of the Apolymanteria (Disinfection Centres), which was the only extant monument from the time of the refugees’ arrival. The Municipality of Kalamaria fought for many years to preserve the beach as a municipal and communal property and recognise the coastal area as a green zone. At the same time, institutions, municipal parties, municipal councillors, and citizens joined together to protect the public character of the beach and prevent reckless construction. Particular emphasis was placed on the Remezzo building, which was granted in 1995 as an Inter-Balkan Youth Centre for twenty years and was used (until 2003) to house the urban non-profit company Amalthea, which supported the actions of the municipal youth council. In 2005 the city council of Kalamaria issued a unanimous decision for the protection of the beach as a place of exceptional natural beauty and historical memory.