Christos Tsigiridis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christos Georgiou Tsigiridis
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Christos Tsigiridis picture in color, hosted by Thessaloniki Radio Museum
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| Born | 1877 Filibe, Ottoman Empire (today Plovdiv, Bulgaria)
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| Died | 17 December 1947 |
| Nationality |  Greek |
| Alma mater | Stuttgart, 1900s |
| Known for | Radio, founder of the 1st radio station in South-Eastern Europe, in 1926 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical engineer |
Christos Tsigiridis (Greek: Χρίστος Τσιγγιρίδης; 1877 – 1947) was a brilliant Greek electrical engineer. He was a true pioneer in technology for his time. He is best known for starting the very first radio station in Greece and the wider Balkans region. This important station was located in the city of Thessaloniki.
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Who Was Christos Tsigiridis?
Christos Tsigiridis was born in 1877 in a city called Filibe. This city was part of the Ottoman Empire back then, but today it is known as Plovdiv in Bulgaria. His parents were Greek. Christos had a tough childhood because his father passed away.
He went to the French High School in his hometown. When he was 20, he moved to Stuttgart, Germany. There, he lived with one of his brothers, who owned a small tobacco factory. While in Germany, Tsigiridis studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Stuttgart.
Life in Germany and Return to Greece
In 1906, Christos Tsigiridis went back to Plovdiv. However, he soon left because of problems faced by the Greek people in Bulgaria. He returned to Stuttgart.
During his second time in Germany, he worked in the tobacco business. He also met his future wife, Marie Louise Vogel. She was a German noblewoman with roots in Belgium. They had two daughters, Elaia and Georgette. Georgette later became a famous ballet dancer and choreographer. After some years, Tsigiridis decided to move to Greece for good.
Starting a New Life in Greece
When Tsigiridis moved to Greece, he first settled in Larissa. He took charge of the city's electricity and water supply. In 1925, he moved to Thessaloniki.
The next year, Tsigiridis took part in the first Thessaloniki International Fair. He showed off loudspeakers and amplifiers for a German company called Siemens & Halske. It is believed that he started his first experimental radio broadcasts between 1925 and 1926.
The First Radio Station in Greece
It is said that on March 25, 1927, Tsigiridis made his first experimental radio broadcast. This was during the National Holiday. The broadcast lasted for half an hour.
The following year, his radio station, called Radio Tsigiridis, officially began regular broadcasts. It broadcasted from Mars Field in Thessaloniki. This was a huge step! It became the very first radio station in Greece and the entire Balkan region.
Running Radio Tsigiridis
Christos Tsigiridis paid for the radio station's operations himself. He also earned money from advertisements. From 1936 to 1938, Radio Tsigiridis worked together with the newspaper Macedonia, owned by Ioannis Vellidis.
During the Occupation of Greece (World War II), the German authorities put Tsigiridis in prison for a short time. They also took over his business. After Greece was freed, the radio transmitter was briefly controlled by a group called ELAS. It was returned to Tsigiridis in 1945. However, in 1947, it was taken over by the National Radio Foundation.
Christos Tsigiridis passed away on December 17, 1947. The Municipality of Thessaloniki paid for his funeral. He is remembered as a true pioneer who brought radio to Greece.
