Construction of Holocaust Museum to begin in January, says Boutaris

Construction of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki will begin in January, the mayor of Greece’s northern port city Yiannis Boutaris has said, while revealing plans to build a Jewish school in the old Jewish quarter.

“It will be a world-class project,” Boutaris said of the museum which will be located on a 16-hectare plot that belongs to the OSE railway company near the Thessaloniki port.

The project is being funded with private donations, including from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, as well as 10 million euros from the German state.

Authorities also plan to raise a Jewish school in the Baron Hirsch district, Boutaris said.

Boutaris said the municipality will provide the land and the city's Jewish community will take over construction, adding that costs could be covered through a private-private partnership.

“The school will not be for Jewish kids only,” he added.