| Alexandroupolis Αλεξανδρούπολη | ||
 | ||
| State | Greece | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Western Thrace | |
| Territory | Evros | |
| Altitude | from 0 to 11 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 642 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 72.959 (2011 census) | |
| Prefix tel | 30 25510 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 681 00 | |
| Time zone | UTC 2 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Alexandroupolis (Αλεξανδρούπολη, pronounced: Alecsandrùpoli) it's a city Greek of the Western Thrace, capital of the region ofEvros.
To know
How to orient yourself
Alexandroupolis: full screen map.Suburbs
The municipality of Alexandroupoli is very extensive and embraces the entire coastal area of the Evros region, from the river delta in the east to the suburb of Makri (Mesimvria) in the west.
- 1 Traianopoli (Λουτρά Τραϊανουπόλεως). Traianopoli was founded by the Roman emperor Trajan (98-117) and was famous for its thermal baths. In the 4th century it became the capital of Rhodope, an administrative section of the Roman province of Thrace created by Diocletian. Despite the subsequent vicissitudes, Traianopoli remained the seat of the metropolitan (Orthodox bishop) of the ecclesiastical province of Rodopi until the fourteenth century. The city was destroyed in 1322 by Bulgarian raids and in 1329/30 by the Ottoman army. The ruins of the Roman baths and the city walls are still visible. Traianopoli is today a modest spa. There is the entrance to the park of the Evro delta.
How to get
By plane
- 2 Alexandroupoli Airport (IATA: AXD). The official name is "Democritus State Airport" (in Greek: Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Αλεξανδρούπολης "Δημόκριτος", Kratikós Aeroliménas Alexandrúpolis. It takes its name from the philosopher born in the nearby city of Abdera.
- The airport is located 7km east of the city on the EO2 highway to Orestiada. It is a small airport reserved for domestic flights only. As of 2020 flights to / from Athens were managed by Aegean Airlines and its subsidiary Olympic Air while the airlines Sky Express operated on the route Sitia (Crete) -Alessandropolis with intermediate stop ad Athens.
On the train
- 3 Alexandroupoli Station. The station is the end of two lines:
- Railway coming from Thessaloniki, traveled by intercity.
- Railway coming from Ormenio.
By bus
- 4 Intercity bus station, Eleftheriou Venizelou 33.
How to get around
What see
- 1 Cathedral (Mitropoli Church of Saint Nicholas), Metropoleos. Consecrated in 1901, the Alexandroupolis Cathedral is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. There is an annexed museum of sacred art with icons and ecclesiastical furnishings from the post-Byzantine era.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- North
Didymoticho Castle
Pythion Castle
- 2 Avanta Castle (Potamos) (Boz-Tepe) (outside the village of Avanta, 10 km from Alexandroupolis). The castle is located on the provincial road from Alexandroupoli to Avanta. Already from a distance you can see the three imposing medieval towers on the river Potos surrounded by double walls. It is thought to have been built in the 13th century by the Gatelouzos, the Genoese conquerors of the area, on a site occupied in the prehistoric, ancient Greek and Byzantine periods. The climb to Avanta Castle (or Potamos), from the west side of the hill, takes about 20 minutes. A grandiose door is preserved, with two high towers on both sides and the castle walls, with stairs going up to it. The view of the entire plain from the warriors fully justified the construction of the Avanta Castle at this point. The ruins that the visitor sees today date back to the 13th century, although there are finds from the Mycenaean period. The whole area has castles scattered over the slopes and rocks that allow monitoring of the camp and the passage from Rodopi and Komotin.
- 3 Church of the cave of Santi Teodori, Avanta village (10 km). Rock church with frescoes from the 10th century, in a panoramic position on the Potamos fortress of Avanta.
- East
Delta of the Evro
Byzantine church of Feres
- Delta of the river Evro Just 22 km from Alexandroupolis is the Evros Delta, an ecological reserve that appears in the list of protected areas of the Ramsar Convention (1971) aimed at preserving rare species of flora (over 300 species of plants) and fauna (40 mammal species, 28 reptile species, 46 fish species and 320 bird species). A part of the Delta has been designated as a Special Protection Area and has been included in the Natura 2000 Network of Community interest.
- 5 Feres (28 km by train or bus) With a famous Byzantine church from the mid 12th century, dedicated to Our Lady, Savior of the World (Theotokos Kosmosoteira)
- West
Mesembria
- 4 Mesimvria archaeological site (Αρχαιολογικός χώρος Μεσημβρίας). Mesimvria was a colony of Samothrace from the 7th century BC. Archaeological excavations have unearthed remains of the fortress wall with towers, private houses, a road network, public buildings, a sanctuary of Demeter and a temple of Apollo. Inside the sanctuary of Demeter, silver, gold, silver and gilded relief panels have been found, all connected to the cult of Demeter. The archaic temple of Apollo was part of a larger building complex (35 x 45 m) with a central paved courtyard, surrounded by a stoa. Inside the temple, fragments of pottery were found with inscriptions engraved from the 6th to the 5th century BC.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Alexandroupolis
Commons contains images or other files on Alexandroupolis
