The one-week excursions take place annually to both Thessaloniki and Hannover. During the excursions, urban and regional planning projects are visited (e.g. historic city centers, start-ups and pop-up stores, urban planning offices) and thematic tours are organized on the annual focus topics (e.g. real-labs, vacancy management projects).
Thessaloniki Excursion 2025
From September 28 to October 3, 2025, 17 students from Hannover took part in this year’s excursion to Thessaloniki. The field trip was led by Prof. Dr. Rainer Danielzyk and Johanna Richter.
Already on the first day, we gained some fascinating insights into life in this historically rich Mediterranean city: our excursion began on Sunday afternoon at the Forum Romanum, the ancient city center dating back to Roman times. Through an audio walk titled “Thessaloniki Sustainable Sokrates”—a project developed during previous excursions—we learned more about the area along the waterfront, one of the most popular places for both tourists and locals.
On Monday, we met Loukas Triantis, Assistant Professor at Aristotle University and a local expert on the Greek planning system. After engaging insights into planning theory, several students gave presentations in the afternoon on topics such as housing, mobility, and infrastructure in Thessaloniki. To round off the second day, we visited the recently completed metro system: with archaeological sites integrated into the stations, it almost felt like standing in a museum.
Metro of Thessaloniki
On Tuesday, we met Dr. Paraskevi Kourti, Head of the Department for Environment and Planning at the Decentralized Administration of Central Macedonia, who illustrated our newly acquired theoretical knowledge with practical insights from her professional experience. In the afternoon, we explored the city in small groups, collecting observations on various topics ranging from the structure of inner-city retail to analyses of graffiti and tags in public space.
One of the highlights of our trip was the excursion to Larissa. After a scenic drive through the picturesque Olympus Mountains, we had the opportunity to meet representatives of the Region of Thessaly, the region in which Larissa is located. This was followed by an exchange with representatives of the City of Larissa, offering a fascinating contrast between the challenges and opportunities of rural and urban areas. Another memorable experience was the guided city tour, where we learned a great deal about Larissa’s past and present.
The excursion group visiting Larissa.
On Thursday, we visited the municipality of Thermi, located southeast of Thessaloniki. Through discussions with local experts such as architect Stella Papadopoulou, we gained practical insights into urban and regional planning. A subsequent walking tour allowed us to see for ourselves the local challenges and opportunities.
In the afternoon, we visited the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Our conversation with Giorgos Melissourgos provided us with new perspectives on the city and life in Thessaloniki. The insights into crisis management—such as dealing with wildfires—were particularly impressive for many of us.
All too soon, it was time to say goodbye. On Friday morning, we visited InCommon, an NGO dedicated to the concept of the “Circular Neighbourhood.” Here, we compared ideas and projects from Greece and Germany and then had the chance to get creative ourselves during a workshop, designing our own circular neighborhood. To conclude, we reflected on the past week in a feedback session, sharing our impressions and ideas one last time.
The excursion was an inspiring and educational insight into planning practice, and we returned home not only with a wealth of newly acquired knowledge but also with fond memories of a wonderful time in Thessaloniki.
The workshop at InCommon
The excursion was an inspiring and educational insight into planning practice, and we returned home not only with a wealth of newly acquired knowledge but also with fond memories of a wonderful time in Thessaloniki.
Group picture in Larissa