Cool things to see in Evros, Greece
Evros is a special region of Greece. It is located in Thrace and is the northeasternmost prefecture of the country. It shares borders with Bulgaria and Turkey. Here are some very cool places in it.
Alexandroúpoli(s)
Alexandroupoli is the major city of the region and one of the youngest in the country, founded as a mere fishing village in the 19th century. Its most notable attractions are the waterfront promenade and the lighthouse, which was built in 1880 and is one of the tallest in Greece.
Photo by Athanasios Sismanis on 500px.
The National Park of Evros Delta
This national park is one of the most environmentally significant ecoregions of Europe. There are more than 300 plant species, 40 mammal species, 28 reptiles and amphibians, 46 species of fish and more than 320 bird species recorded!
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
The National Woodland Park of Dadiá - Lefkimmi - Souflí
Evros is blessed with another of the most significant ecoregions in Europe. Shortly known as Forest of Dadia, it is one of the first Greek regions to receive protected status. For a good reason: the forest is home to about 380 plant species, 60 mammal species, 29 reptilian species, 13 amphibians, 17 fish species. But once more the most important reason for its protection is the endangered birds of prey in particular (36 species). The forest of Dadia is home to three of the four vulture species you can see in Europe.
Black woodpecker in the Forest of Dadia. Photo by Al. Gassios on Wikimedia Commons.
Souflí
Soufli is a small town close to the forest and it is famous because it flourished in the 19th century as the best silk producer in the region. At some point the small town had four different silk factories! Traditional silk production has now faded but now the town is in a process of reviving itself through several types of tourism. There are many museums for its size, two of which are for the silk production and silk cloth making alone.
Inside the “Art of Silk” Museum. Photo by Ali Crumbie on TripAdvisor.
Orestiada
Now, to be fair, there isn’t much to lose your mind over in Orestiada but this town has two cool fun facts about it. a) It is the youngest town in Greece, built in 1923 by Greek immigrants from Eastern Thrace (Turkey) and b) it is the northernmost urban centre in the country. Its population is rather young and thus there are many amenities, cafes, cool restaurants, bars, clubs etc. There is also a small forest in the town, where you can enjoy your coffee. The town is pretty active culturally. And as the newest town it is also one of the most navigable, because most Greek cities are old and chaotic.
Graffiti in the town, for the Greek migration. Photo by Vangelisg4 on Wikipedia.
Ardas river
Ardas is overshadowed by the large Evros river, however it is a very beautiful river running through Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. People visit the river and pass the borders. In the summer, there is a music festival taking place there with artists from all ethnicities. There you will also find Kastanies village, our only border with Turkey in land. (The rest of the border is naturally marked by the presence of Evros river, each bank belonging to one country.)
Ardas in the borders of Greece and Bulgaria. Photo by Evgeni Dinev on Wikimedia Commons.
and, of course,
Didymóteicho
Didymoteicho is so special it has even become a song (Didymoteicho blues) for its military camps. However, there is so much more than that. The town was for a while the capital of the Byzantine Empire and here Ioannes (John) VI Kantakouzenos was crowned emperor in 1341. Another emperor was born there, also Ioannes III Doukas Vatatzes in 1193, the Emperor of Nicaea (subregion of the shrinking Byzantine Empire), who was ascended to saint as Saint John the Merciful. The town has numerous Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman attractions. Didymoteicho has the largest mosque in the Balkans and the oldest on European ground. It is the Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Mosque, also known as the Bayezid Mosque and the Great Mosque, completed in 1420. The mosque does not operate, however there is another one which does. In the town you will also see the prisons where the Ottoman Turks had confined the King of Sweden Charles XII in 1713 (long story). I told you, the place is cool.
Church of Virgin Mary the Liberator and the statue of Constantine XI Dragases Palaeologos, the last emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Photo by Pjposullivan on Wikipedia.
Post concept inspired by this Greek article by Maria-Christina Doulami.
