The Sector of Macedonia and Thrace is a part of the Ministry of Interior, seated in Thessaloniki, with an authority over the region of Macedonia and Thrace. The Sector is strongly connected with the building that houses all its services, that is called ‘Diekitirio’, situated in Aghiou Dimitriou Street & F. Dragoumi Street, Thessaloniki.
‘Diekitirio’ was built in 1891 near the ruins of a Byzantine palace by the architect Vitaliano Poselli and this was the Konak (administration building) of the Ottoman period and seat of the Vali. It is one of the most imposing buildings of Thessaloniki, concerning its size and its architectural neoclassical and renaissance elements.
‘Diekitirio’, had been housing Ottoman administration Services until the surrender of Thessaloniki to Greece, in 26.10.1912, a surrender that took place in the ‘Diekitirio’ as well, while, at the same year, new institutions over the areas, newly annexed to Greece, called ‘General Administrations’ were established. Over the years, has been transformed, concerning the great areas of Macedonia and Thrace, into many forms, such as ‘General Administration’, ‘General Secretary’, ‘Ministry of Northern Greece’, ‘Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace’, always having kept the ‘Diekitirio’ as a seat.
The seat of the Sector, ‘Diekitirio’, has been the centre of many political and social facts and events during the 20th century and still continues to have a leading role in the life of Northern Greece, as many political, professional and social bodies participate at various meetings, held in its rooms. Additionally, apart from the Sector of Macedonia and Thrace, a lot of other public and administrative Services of different Ministries, or legal entities such as the Centre for the Preservation of Athonite Heritage, are seated in ‘Diekitirio’.
The Sector of Macedonia and Thrace took its current form, as a part of the Ministry of Interior, by the Presidential Decree 141/2017 (Government Gazette, Issue A΄ 180), with a Deputy Minister as head of it. The mission of the Sector is the model regional development of Macedonia and Thrace, the protection and the promotion of the natural, architectural and cultural heritage and, also, the promotion of the cooperation with the Balkan and Black Sea countries on environmental, infrastructural, cultural heritage, tourism development and dispersion matters.
The current Deputy Minister of the Sector is Efstathios (Stathis) K. Konstantinidis.
