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Σάββατο 29 Ιουνίου 2013

The old town of Xanthi (Ξάνθη in greek)



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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