IMMA 2025 Calendar Presentation Event

In the packed “Alexandros Chaitoglou” hall of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, the first presentation of the 2025 Calendar of the Foundation of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and Modern History of Macedonia took place with great success on the evening of Friday, February 7.

The edition, titled “History and Environment of Macedonia (19th-20th century),” examines the relationship between history and the environment from an interdisciplinary perspective. It focuses on Macedonia and 12 key locations of mainly military conflicts, highlighting the role of geomorphology in shaping historical outcomes.

The Director of IMMA, Ms. Athina Pavlidou, who also oversaw the entire publication, opened the event by emphasizing the innovative effort to merge two distinct scientific disciplines—History and Geology.

The presentation featured speeches by distinguished academics and young researchers, accompanied by a visual showcase of photographs from the calendar and the IMMA archives. The event was moderated by Mr. Spyros Pavlidis, Emeritus Professor of Geology at AUTH. In a vivid speech filled with literary and contemporary social references, Mr. Pavlidis spoke about the “foundations in our mountains…” and the geomorphology of Macedonia, quoting Elytis: “The landscape is the projection of a people’s soul onto matter.” He highlighted the significance of IMMA’s calendars over the past 20 years and the choice of this year’s theme, which intertwines Nature with key historical events in Macedonia.

Speakers & Discussions

On behalf of IMMA, speakers included:

• Professor Stavroula Mavrogeni, Director of the Center for Research on Macedonian History and Documentation at IMMA, who discussed the balance between scientific accuracy and aesthetic presentation in the edition, supported by extensive archival material.
• Historian and researcher Mr. Vagelis Kansizoglou, who addressed the challenges of sourcing archival material to answer research questions on the connection between historical events and the physical environment.

The speakers’ concise presentations concluded with Professor Vasileios Melfos from the Department of Geology at AUTH, who contributed texts on the geological structure of Macedonia’s mountains, their mineral deposits, and their strategic military significance. He particularly praised IMMA’s choice to offer the public a luxurious calendar-album with the qualities of a concise historical volume.

Attendees & Honored Guests

The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of the Interior for Macedonia and Thrace, Mr. Konstantinos Gioulekas, who, in his brief address, commended IMMA’s ongoing efforts to document history and bring lesser-known aspects of Macedonia’s modern history and people into the spotlight in an academically rigorous yet accessible manner.

Honoring the event with their presence were:

• MP of Thessaloniki, Mr. Dimitris Kouvelas
• Deputy Regional Governor for Health & Social Solidarity of Central Macedonia, Ms. Melina Dermetzopoulou
• Deputy Mayor for Urban Development & Urban Planning of Thessaloniki, Ms. Dimitra Agkathidou
• Lieutenant Colonel Konstantinos Nikolopoulos (representing the General Staff)
• President of the Development Organization of Central Macedonia, Mr. Thanos Begkas
• Mayor of Oraiokastro, Mr. Pantelis Tsakiris
• Mayor of Dion-Olympos, Mr. Evangelos Gerolios
• Director of the War Museum of Thessaloniki, Colonel Athanasios Papathanasiou
• President of the Friends of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, Ms. Maria Sarigiannidou
• Ms. Lena Chaitoglou, representative of Afoi Chaitoglou SA and Honorary Advisory Committee Member of IMMA
• Deputy Mayors from neighboring municipalities, academics, journalists, friends, and IMMA collaborators.

Acknowledgments

IMMA expresses its deep gratitude to the Afoi Chaitoglou SA Food Industry, which once again covered the entire cost of the publication, significantly supporting the continuation of the Foundation’s research and publishing work. Special thanks also go to all organizations, individuals, collectors, photographers, and journalists who generously contributed photographic material for the edition.

Availability

The bilingual (Greek-English) desk calendar-album, featuring rare photographs and archival material, is available for purchase at the IMMA gift shop, its e-shop, and major bookstores in the city.