Evros (regional unit)

Evros (

Its capital is Alexandroupolis. Together with the regional units Rhodope and Xanthi, it forms the geographical region of Western Thrace. The population density was 34.77 per km² (2011).

Geography

Evros is one of the largest regional units of Greece. It forms the eastern part of the geographical region

The Rhodope Mountains lie in the west and the southwest. The Aegean Sea lies to the south. The Evros valley is flat. Samothrace is mountainous.

The coastal area has a predominantly Mediterranean climate, whereas the northern part and the mountains have a colder continental climate.

Administration

The Evros regional unit is subdivided into 5 municipalities. These are (number as in the map in the infobox):^[1]

• Alexandroupolis (1)
• Didymoteicho (2)
• Orestiada (3)
• Samothrace (Samothraki, 4)
• Soufli (5)

Prefecture

Evros was established as a

• Province of Orestiada - Orestiada
• Province of Didymoteicho - Didymoteicho
• Province of Soufli - Soufli
• Province of Alexandroupolis - Alexandroupolis
• Province of Samothrace - Samothrace

Note: Provinces no longer hold any legal status in Greece.

History

As a part of

During the

• Egnatia Odos/E90 motorway (... Komotini - Alexandroupolis - İpsala (Turkey))
• Greek National Road 2 (... Komotini - Alexandroupolis - Feres)
• Greek National Road 51/E85 (Svilengrad (Bulgaria) - Orestiada - Didymoteicho - Feres)
• Greek National Road 53 (Ormenio - Metaxades - Aisymi - Alexandroupolis)

A railway line connects Alexandroupolis with Thessaloniki via Komotini, Xanthi and Drama. Another line connects Alexandroupolis with Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria via Didymoteicho and Orestiada, with a branch line from Didymoteicho to Uzunköprü, Turkey.

The

Sights

The most important sights of the prefecture are:

• Church of Theotokos Kosmosoteira. The church was founded in 1152. It is considered one of the best examples of Byzantine art in Greece.
• Samothrace with the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and its Archaeological Museum.
• Evros Delta National Park
• Lighthouse of Alexandroupolis
• The post-Byzantine churches in the villages of Alepochori (Church of Saint Athanasius), Metaxades (Church of Saint Athanasius) and Paliouri (Church of Saint Pantaleon)
• The ancient Mesimvria-Zoni
• Dadia Forest
• Fossilized Forest of Lefkimmi
• Cyclops Polyphemus Cave in Makri
• Burial Tomb of Mikri Doxipara: Roman Tomb which dates from the 2nd century
• Didymoteicho
  • Byzantine Castle
  • Çelebi Sultan Mehmed Mosque
  • Hamam of Oruç Paşa
  • Türbe of Oruç Pasha
  • the Kayali Cave and the Vouva Cave
• Castle of Pythio
• The thermal baths of Traianoupoli
• Castle of Avanta-Potamos
• The Ethnological Museum of Thrace in Alexandroupolis
• The Silk Museum of Soufli
• Zourafa islet
• The village Metaxades with its traditional architecture
• The Pomak villages Goniko and Roussa with the traditional architecture
  • The Seyyid Ali Sultan Tekke near Roussa

Notable people

• Hrysopiyi Devetzi (1976, Alexandroupolis), Greek silver Olympic Champion in triple jump (Athens, 2004)
• Demis Nikolaidis (1973, Alexandroupolis), Greek international footballer, European Champion with Greece National football team (Portugal, 2004)
• Stelios Venetidis (1976, Orestiada),Greek international footballer, European Champion with Greece National football team
  (Portugal, 2004)
• Athanasios Tsigas (1982, Aristeino Alexandroupolis), Greek footballer
• Lefteris Hapsiadis (1953, Kila Feres), Greek lyricist and writer
• Andreas Andreadis (1982, Provatonas Soufli), Greek international volleyball player
• Marios Giourdas (1973, Alexandroupolis), international volleyball player
• Thanassis Moustakidis (1962, Soufli), Greek international volleyball player, player with the most appearances with Greece National football team
• Nikos Samaras (1970-2013, Orestiada), Greek international volleyball player, player-symbol for the Greek volleyball
• Constantin Carathéodory (1873-1950, Nea Vyssa), Greek mathematician
• Dimosthenis Michalentzakis (1998, Feres), Greek Gold Paralympic Champion Swimmer in category S9 (Rio, 2016)
• Marinos Ouzounidis (1968, Alexandroupolis), former international Greek footballer, now football coach
• Manolis Siopis (1994, Alexandroupolis
  ), Greek international footballer
• Dimosthenis Magginas (1982, Alexandroupolis), Greek middle-distance, long-distance runner
• Fotis Kosmas, (1926-1995), Alexandroupolis) Mediterranean and 7th Olympic winner in decathlon
• Kostas Gatsioudis (1973, Didymoteicho), 6th Olympic winner, Mediterranean and Silver World champion, in Javelin throw
• Nikos Alavantas (1959, Krios Orestiada), former Greek international footballer
• Giannis Matzourakis (1949, Didymoteicho
  ), former footballer, now football coach
• Nikos Hadjinikolaou (1962, Alexandroupolis), Greek journalist
• Renos Haralampidis (1970, Spilaio), Greek actor, film director
• Yannis Stankoglou (1974, Thourio), Greek actor
• John III Doukas Vatatzes (1192–1254, Didymoteicho), emperor of Nicaea
• John V Palaiologos (1332–1391, Didymoteicho), Byzantine Emperor
• Bayezid II (1481–1512, Didymoteicho) Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
• Eugenios Eugenidis (1882–1954, Didymoteicho), shipping magnate
• Grand Vizier
  of the Ottoman Empire
• Konstantinos Malamatinas, founder of
  retsina Malamatina^[3]
• Paraskevas Tselios (1997, Alexandroupolis), Greek international volleyball player with Greece men's national volleyball team
• Savvas Gentsoglou (1990, Alexandroupolis), Greek football player
• Gregoris Mentzas (1960, Alexandroupolis), Greek management scientist and professor at the National Technical University of Athens
• PAOK
• Arete Kosmidou (1997, Alexandroupolis), Greek singer
• Anestis Dalakouras (1993, Alexandroupolis), international Volleyball player with Greece men's national volleyball team
• Stavros Stathakis (1987, Alexandroupolis), Greece footballer
• Nikos Alavantas (1959, Orestiada), former international footballer with Greece national football team
• Stefania Liberakaki (2002), Greek-Dutch singer originally from Sofiko, a village near Didymoteicho