Alexandroupolis (, ), Alexandroupoli, or Alexandrople is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,601, and is an important port and commercial center for northeastern Greece.
The city was first settled by the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and grew into a fishing village, Dedeağaç. In 1873, it became a kaza and one year later was promoted to a sanjak. The city developed into a regional trading center. Later, it became a part of Adrianople Vilayet. During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), it was briefly captured by the Russians. Ottoman rule ended with the First Balkan War, when the city was captured by Bulgaria in 1912. In the Second Balkan War, Greece took control of the city. With the Treaty of Bucharest (10 August 1913), the city returned back to Bulgaria.
With the defeat of Bulgaria in World War I, the city came under Greek control for the second time. In 1920, the city was renamed to honour the King of Greece, Alexander. With the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, Alexandroupolis became an official part of Greece.
The modern city is near the site of ancient Sale, a colony of Samothrace. Alexandroupolis, as well as the whole area from the Evros Delta to Lake Vistonida and the foothills of Rhodope Mountains, was inhabited by Cicones, a Thracian people with whom, according to mythology, Odysseus and his comrades clashed on their return from Troy.
Alexandroupolis benefits from its position at the centre of land and sea routes connecting Greece with Turkey. Landmarks in Alexandroupolis include the lighthouse in the port, the archaeological sites of the Mesimvria Zone, the city's waterfront (the centre of commercial activity), the Ethnological Museum of Thrace, the thermal springs (Hana) of Traianoupoli, the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus and the nearby Evros delta.
Alexandroupolis has developed into a strategic port for both Greece and NATO in 2022, complementing the port of Souda in southern Greece.
Name
The modern city of Alexandroupolis was founded as a small fishing village in the early 19th century under the Ottoman Empire, by fishermen from Ainos and the villages of Makri and Maroneia. It became known as Dedeağaç (; ; ). The name supposedly comes from an old Turkish wise man (Turkish dede) who spent much of his time under the shade of a tree (ağaç) and was eventually buried beside it. From the first days of the city's capture (May 14, 1920), the local authorities as well as the Metropolitan, decided to rename the city from Dedeağaç to Neapoli ("new city"), as it was the newest Greek city. In 1920, King Alexander I of Greece visited the city, and the local authorities renamed the city Alexandroupoli ("city of Alexander") in his honor, with the approval of the central government.
History
From Neolithic Period to the 19th century
Human settlements appear since the Neolithic Period (4500-3000 BC) at the southeast end of Western Thrace. In the Bronze Age (3000-1050 BC) there is no strong evidence of active city participation. During the Early Iron Age (1050-650 BC) the various Thracian tribes appeared and settled in mountainous and, more rarely, in lowland areas. In the Byzantine Period, the region which covers the modern city of Alexandroupolis played a leading role, because the city bordered Constantinople. For this reason the settlement was guarded by powerful military installations. In the following years, up to the 19th century, the city seems to have been deserted and covered by forests and wild trees.
Ottoman era
The modern city was first settled in the 19th century, under the Ottoman Empire. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the opposite coast of Samothrace, a hamlet developed in the area during the construction of a railway line connecting Constantinople to the major cities of Macedonia from Pythio. The work was part of an effort to modernise the Empire, and was assigned to engineers from Austria-Hungary. The settlement grew into a fishing village, Dedeağaç.
In 1873 it was made the chief town of a kaza, to which it gave its name, and a kaymakam was appointed to it. In 1884 it was promoted to a sanjak, and the governor became a mutasarrıf. In 1889 the Greek archbishopric of Aenus was transferred to Dedeağaç. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Dedeağaç was part of the Adrianople Vilayet.