Alexandroupolis – the distant past combined with the beauty of today
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The city of Alexandroupoli combines the memory of the distant past with the beauty of today. The city is located in the eastern part of Greece, near the border with Turkey. It seems to connect Europe and Asia, West and East, providing communication with the outside world and the rest of Greece, both by land, sea and air.
Sightseeing in Alexandroupolis
Alexandroupoli – a city of tradition and modernity, a city of recreation and entertainment, sea and tourism. Situated on the azure Aegean coast and formerly known as a small fishing village, today Alexandroupoli is a beautiful modern city with interesting museums, wide beaches and a rich history.
Apart from the excellent seaside resorts, the city also offers a wide cultural and educational program. For example, you can take a walk to the central square of National Independence, where the marble building of the Academy of Zarifios is located. Or visit the Cathedral Square (Platia Metropolis), where you will find the beautiful Leontridios School, St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Thrace Art Gallery.
Another opportunity for entertainment in Alexandroupoli is to organize a “museum day” for yourself and your companions during your trip to this not so popular tourist destination. Visit the church museum, located in the building of the school Leontridios, where you will find very rare icons, church robes, books, ceramics and carvings. The next stop is the Botanical Garden, historical and folklore museums with rich collections of books, clothes and household items of the ancient inhabitants of the city.
You can then walk to the snow-white lighthouse on the city embankment, and then enjoy a delicious dinner in one of the city’s taverns. Alexandroupoli is popular with a number of beautiful beaches where you can indulge in a complete vacation.
A large number of attractions are concentrated in the vicinity of the city. There are ancient churches, both Byzantine and early Christian, as well as national nature parks – Dadias Forest and the Evros River Delta. This forest is located in the village of Soufli and is famous for having many trees and plants that are unique to all of Europe – they can be found only here!
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If you have the opportunity, we advise you to rent a car and visit the nearby villages, such as the village of Soufli with its old mansions or the village of Avantas with the cave of Agion Theodoron, painted with intricate frescoes from the Byzantine era. Or you can visit the village of Trianupolis with healing thermal springs and spa resorts.
The history of the city of Alexandroupolis has been repeatedly associated with Russia in the past. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, troops of the Russian Empire were stationed here, and it was to them that the city owed a number of neoclassical buildings and a well-planned layout of wide streets laid perpendicular to the embankment.
At the beginning of the twentieth century it was at the center of the Balkan Wars: initially it belonged to Turkey, then passed into the hands of Bulgaria and finally in 1920 it passed to Greece. At that time, Dedeağaç was renamed Alexandroupoli in honor of the Greek Tsar Alexander I (son of the Hellenic king, George I and Olga Konstantinovna Romanova).
In the last fifteen years, the city’s population has grown from 35,000 to 70,000. There are many interesting places for nature lovers in the vicinity of the city, including national biosphere reserves open to the public.
