The National Foundation for the Protection of Poor Children of Macedonia “Aristotle” has been, for more than 50 years, a cradle of care and affection for children who were orphaned or deprived in the inter-war and post-war years.

Through texts and photographs the reader can get information about the actions and activities of the Foundation. During its long journey from 1926 to 1983, the Foundation with its many names, but established in the memory and soul of the residents of Kalamaria as “Aristotle”, has produced professionals and above all citizens who are well known in their field and useful to society as a whole.

The scope of this photographic-historical album is to highlight the history of Kalamaria, not as part of the wider Thessaloniki region, but mainly as a region with its own identity.

The form and content seek to present the history of the city not so much from analytical texts, but from the combination of various historical sources. From documents, photographs and press reports of the time, as well as from oral testimonies. Thus, Kalamaria ‘speaks for itself’.

Through the oral testimonies and the personal language of the old residents of Kalamaria, the way the refugees saw the new place and how they lived their experiences becomes clearer. On the other hand, photographs give a picture of the place and the people, documents present the official side of events, while the press adds a ‘third eye’ to all this.

In September 1995, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the disasters and atrocities against Greeks in Constantinople, the Historical Archive of Refugee Hellenism organized a two-day conference (on 11 and 12 November).

The aim of the conference was the multifaceted study and presentation of the topic “Hellenism in Constantinople, Imbros and Tenedos between 1923 and 1995″. The present publication is the proceedings of this two-day conference.