Villa Bianca (Thessaloniki)

Villa Bianca or Villa Fernandez is the name of a famous mansion in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. It is located in Vassilisis Olgas street and was built between 1911 und 1913 as a residence for Dino Fernandez Diaz and his family. The architect was Pietro Arrigoni (variously also spelled: Piero/Pierro Arigon/Arrigon/Arigoni).[1][2]

Villa Bianca
Front view

Of Sephardi (Spanish) Jewish origin, Fernandez was a wealthy merchant and industrialist of the city.

The villa passed to his daughter, where she lived with her Christian husband, and was later confiscated and used by the Germans during the Axis occupation of Greece. To escape from the Nazis, Dino Fernandez Diaz, with other members of his family, fled to Italy, but they were murdered in 1943 by the German SS near Como Lake.

The building has elements of eclecticist architecture, like many other buildings of that period in the city.

Since 2013 it houses the Municipal Art Gallery.

References
  1. History of the Military Station (Station Militaire) of the Railroad company «Jonction - Salonique - Constantinople», Thessaloniki Railway Museum; retrieved in November 2016
  2. German Wikipedia article de:Pierro Arrigoni

Sources
  • Casa Bianca -Η ζωή στη Θεσσαλονίκη γύρω στα 1900/Το αρχοντικό του Dino Fernandez Diaz- Ιστορική σκιαγραφία και μελέτη αναστηλώσεως, του Ν.Κ.Μουτσόπουλου, Θεσσαλονίκη 1998
  • Casa Bianca - History of a building on the internet page of the City of Thessaloniki

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