| Revision as of 14:00, 22 October 2006 editPanarjedde (talk | contribs)3,432 edits There is no need to link "tree" and "monk"← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:05, 22 October 2006 edit undoBbb1992 (talk | contribs)61 edits (rv) myself and all the readers and writers of this article, since 16 april 2005, are saying that there is a need to link it to tree and to monk. Who are you to deny that?Next edit → | ||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The city's history only goes back to the ]. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the coast of ] opposite, the location was known as Dedeagatch (Greek: ''Δεδεαγάτς'' Dedeagats, and ''Dedeağaç'' in ], meaning "tree of the monk"). The name was based on a local tradition of a wise ] having spent much of his time in the ] of a local tree and being eventually buried beside it. | The city's history only goes back to the ]. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the coast of ] opposite, the location was known as Dedeagatch (Greek: ''Δεδεαγάτς'' Dedeagats, and ''Dedeağaç'' in ], meaning "] of the ]"). The name was based on a local tradition of a wise ] having spent much of his time in the ] of a local tree and being eventually buried beside it. | ||
| A small settlement developed in the area during the construction of a ] connecting ] to the major cities of ]. The work was part of an effort to modernise the ], and was assigned to engineers from ]. The settlement soon grew into a ] ], which also used the name Dedeagatch. | A small settlement developed in the area during the construction of a ] connecting ] to the major cities of ]. The work was part of an effort to modernise the ], and was assigned to engineers from ]. The settlement soon grew into a ] ], which also used the name Dedeagatch. | ||
Revision as of 14:05, 22 October 2006
Template:Infobox Town GR Alexandroupoli (also Alexandroupolis, Greek: Αλεξανδρούπολη - Alexandroúpoli, Turkish: Dedeağaç) is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros Prefecture in Thrace.
Geography
Alexandroupoli is about 14.5 kilometres west of the mouth of the river Maritsa (Evros) and the border with Turkey, 300 kilometres from Thessaloniki with the new Egnatia highway, and 750 kilometres from Athens. At the 1991 census, the main city had a population of 36,994, and the municipality had a population of 38,220. Current metropolitan population estimated at about 70,000 inhabitants.
History
The city's history only goes back to the 19th century. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the coast of Samothrace opposite, the location was known as Dedeagatch (Greek: Δεδεαγάτς Dedeagats, and Dedeağaç in Turkish, meaning "tree of the monk"). The name was based on a local tradition of a wise dervish having spent much of his time in the shade of a local tree and being eventually buried beside it.
A small settlement developed in the area during the construction of a railway line connecting Constantinople to the major cities of Macedonia. The work was part of an effort to modernise the Ottoman Empire, and was assigned to engineers from Austria-Hungary. The settlement soon grew into a fishing village, which also used the name Dedeagatch.
Dedeagatch was captured by the army of Imperial Russia during the last Russo–Turkish War of 1877–1878, and Russian forces settled in the village. The officers in charge put some effort into urban planning, with an emphasis on the design of wide streets, allowing the quick advance of troops. The streets run parallel to each other, and cul-de-sacs were avoided as too confusing. This was very unlike the narrow allies, cobbled streets, and dead-ends that were characteristic of Ottoman cities at the time. The city returned to Ottoman control by the end of the war, but the brief Russian presence has had a lasting influence in the design of Alexandroupoli' urban streets.
The building of a railway station in Dedeagatch led to the development of the village into a town, and a minor trade centre by the end of the century. The town became the seat of a Pasha with administrative duties. The Ottoman control of the town would last until the Balkan Wars. On 8 November 1912, Dedeagatch and its station was captured by Bulgarian forces with the assistance of the Hellenic Navy. Bulgaria and Greece were allies during the First Balkan War, but opponents in the Second Balkan War. Dedeagatch was captured by the Hellenic Army on 11 July 1913. This would prove short-lived, for the Treaty of Bucharest (10 August 1913) determined that Dedeagatch would be returned to Bulgaria along with the rest of Western Thrace.
The defeat of Bulgaria by the Allies in World War I (1914 - 1918) ensured another change of hands for the town. The Treaty of Neuilly (27 November, 1919) required the ceding of Western Thrace from Bulgaria to Greece. However Bulgaria retained the right to use the port of Dedeagatch to transport goods through the Aegean Sea. The change of guard between Bulgarian and Greek officials occurred on May 14, 1920. The city was soon visited by Alexander I of Greece amidst great celebration. He was the first King of Greece to visit the town which was renamed in his honor.
Following the defeat of Greece in the Greco-Turkish War (1919 - 1922), forces of the Hellenic Army retreated from Eastern Thrace to the area of Alexandroupoli under the leadership of General Theodoros Pangalos. Bulgaria used the opportunity of the Greek defeat to demand for Alexandroupoli to be either returned to its control or to be declared a neutral zone under international control. Both demands were rejected by the Greek leadership and found no support in the League of Nations.
The Treaty of Lausanne (24 July, 1923) affirmed that Western Thrace and Alexandroupoli would continue to be controlled by Greece. The previous agreement allowing a Bulgarian presence in the town port had expired. Representatives of Greek Prime Minister Stylianos Gonatas offered a renewal of the agreement in an apparent attempt to improve the relationship between the two Balkan countries. Their Bulgarian counterparts informed Prime Minister of Bulgaria Aleksandar Tsankov and returned with a negative reply.
Bulgaria used its alliance with Nazi Germany to regain control of Western Thrace during World War II (see Axis Occupation of Greece during WWII). Alexandroupoli remained under Bulgarian occupation between May, 1941 and 1945. The city suffered disaster of buildings and loss of population during the war but was largely spared of the effects of the Greek Civil War (1946 - 1949). Forces of the communist Democratic Army of Greece in and around the town area were small and loosely organized, resulting in the absence of major battles in the area.
The return of peace allowed for Alexandroupoli to grow from a town of 16,332 residents (1951) to a city of 35,999 residents by 1981.
Other
Alexandroupoli has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, a post office, beaches, a sporting centre, a train station (Thessaloniki - Drama - Alexandroupoli) and squares (plateies).The medical school and the Department of educational Studies of the Democritus University of Thrace are situated there too.
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Municipal population | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 35,999 | - | - | - |
| 1991 | 36,994 | 995/27.9% | 41,860 | - |
External links
More info,photos and links about Alexandroupolis at http://hotel-erika.gr
