The town was built after
1829. It was the year when strong earthquakes
destroyed the former settlement. The town is built on the remains having the
churches which pre-existed from the Byzantine Xanthia as the core, as the town was called in
the ancient times. Xanthi is described as being a small country town with 8000
citizens during the 19th century. However, it prospered economically due to the
cultivation, processing, manufacturing and distribution of tobacco and its
products, as well as due to the advantageous position of merchant routes. The town is characterized by the labyrinth
form of tilled alleys and is filled with residences, inns, shops, typical
churches of the last Ottoman period but at the same time with western styled
neoclassical mansions whose owners were mainly tobacco merchants. Its rich
architectural decoration in every narrow lane gives visitors the opportunity to
travel back in time and at the same time experience the local modern way of
living. The Old Town of Xanthi is one of the best preserved
architectural complexes in Greece. It was declared a preserved settlement in
1976. In
October of 1996, the municipality was awarded at Lisbon, Portugal with a plaque
for its strategy and projects in the framework of Europe‚ Äôs Sustainable
Cities and Towns Campaign.
The old town by night
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