The campus of the Aristotle University covers 230,000 square metres and is located near the centre of the city of Thessaloniki. The majority of the university units is found inside the campus, but there are also various institutions, laboratories, and facilities of the university which are located outside the campus such as the Centre of
Byzantine Researches, veterinary clinics, the university farm, and forest reserves. The following are some of the most important university units of the Aristotle University:
Library The Aristotle University Library was founded in 1927 and is constituted of two main elements: The Central Library is housed in a separate building at the centre of the university campus; "departmental libraries" are owned by a university department. These two elements comprise the A.U.Th. library system, where more than 800,000 book titles and 300,000 volumes of periodicals can be found. The A.U.Th. library subscribes to 3,500 periodicals from all over the world. The
Central Library has a
reading room for students and a reading room for university researchers and teaching personnel. The students' reading room has a capacity of approximately 1,300 students and can be used by any student who brings and reads his own books. Every department of the university has its own departmental library where students can find books, periodicals, and information concerning the specific subjects their department deals with. Every departmental library has a reading room whose opening hours are determined according to the needs of the department's students and staff. The Aristotle University Library is nowadays the second largest library in Greece, after the National Library. Since 1976 the library has been a member of
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), which enables it to lend and borrow books from libraries all over the world.
Student Club The University Student Club is housed in a private building located on the eastern side of the campus and plays a very important role in student life. Inside the Student Club is a restaurant, a reading room, a medical service, a snack bar, and a hairdresser's shop. There is also a musical department and a photography club. The Student Club is responsible for the catering and medical care of the students of A.U.Th. and
University of Macedonia. Every day it caters for approximately 12,000 students. Among its other responsibilities, it also organizes artistic, cultural and athletic events and maintains a chorus and a musical department.
Sports centre The university gym is located on the eastern side of the university campus, next to the Student Club. It covers an area of 220,000 square metres and was initially founded in 1925, the same year as the university. Since then it has been transferred several times until 1978 when it was finally settled at its present position. Inside the university Sports Centre there is a football field, basketball and tennis courts, handball courts and many more facilities for dancing, weight lifting, ping pong and so on. The National and Poseidonion swimming pools are used for water sports such as swimming,
water polo, water aerobics, and
synchronized swimming. The students participating in the sports programs of the centre can take part in the internal championships organized by the Sports Centre or in the inter-university national championships organized by the Sports Committee of the Higher Education in Greece. The A.U.Th. has always participated in these national championships with great success.
Residence halls Aristotle University of Thessaloniki owns three branches of
residence halls for AUTh students with a capacity of 1,740 students; they are administered by the National Youth Foundation. They include reading rooms, sport facilities, restaurants, café etc. Two branches are in the city centre, one in "40 Ekklisies" near the campus and one in the former "Egnatia" Hotel in
Vardaris. The third branch is located in
Kalamaria. The residence halls are reserved for students with special needs, such as members of low-income or large families, as well as some foreign students.
Seismological Station The Aristotle University Seismological Station was founded in 1978 and is used since then for the detection and measurement of
earthquakes that occur nationwide and worldwide. It is mainly used by researchers of the
geophysics sector, which is a part of the Department of
Geology of A.U.Th. The Station's main objective is to monitor Greece's seismic activity, record and analyze the earthquakes that occur in 24-hour base, and inform the public when necessary. This is an important task given that Greece has powerful seismic activity. The personnel of the station is constituted of professors and specialized scientists with a great deal of experience concerning seismological matters. One of the station's primary roles is to conduct tours for the public and familiarize it with the earthquake phenomenon and how it can be dealt with. This helps to achieve better protection of the public against earthquakes. Finally, the seismological station promotes collaboration on issues of seismological interest with a lot of other Greek and European institutions. It is also a source of information for international seismological centres concerning the seismic activity of the Mediterranean region, but also of the entire world. The
University Forest Reserves cover a total area of 88 square kilometres. The first one is located on the
Pindus mountain range at an
altitude of 1,100 to 1,200 metres and covers approximately 33 square kilometres. The second one is located in
Chalkidiki at an altitude of 300 to 1,200 metres and covers approximately 55 square kilometres. Both of these university forests are used by the Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment in order to conduct research and student training. Inside the forests there are special buildings where staff and students can stay overnight.
Camping facilities The University Camp was initially founded in 1960. It is now located in Poseidi,
Chalkidiki, in a very beautiful place by the sea, full of pine trees. It opens its gates every year during the summer period for the students and the staff of the A.U.Th. The camp consists of a restaurant, a small grocery store, a bar, basketball and beach volley courts, and many more sport and entertainment facilities.
School of Modern Greek Language The School of
Modern Greek Language functions under the supervision of the Department of Philosophy since 1970. It offers courses of Modern Greek Language and
Greek Culture to foreign students who wish to learn the
Greek language and/or intend to study in a Greek University. The main objective of the school is to familiarize its students with the Greek culture, tradition, and customs.
Institute of Modern Greek Studies The Institute of Modern Greek Studies was established in 1959 with the support of
Manolis Triantafyllidis' bursary. The institute is housed in the building of the Faculty of Philosophy and is practically a branch of it. Its main mission is the advance of science and the promotion of Greek education and
philology. This mission is accomplished mainly through the publication of books concerning Greek language, philology and literature. A board of directors comprising seven members manages the institute. Six of them are professors from the Faculty of Philosophy and one from the Faculty of Law.
Centre for Byzantine Research The
Centre for Byzantine Research was established in 1966 by a group of professors of AUTh. Its main aim is to study Byzantine history, law, art and culture, as well as the training of graduates and specialized researchers in Byzantine studies. The Centre coordinates a variety of research programs and collaborates with many other foreign and domestic institutions. Furthermore, it frequently organizes scientific meetings and conferences and it also publishes a special periodical called "ΒΥΖΑΝΤΙΝΑ". The Centre for Byzantine Research is managed by a five-member administrative council. == Student services ==