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XANTHI

Xanthi is a Thracian town, capital city of the homonymous Prefecture. Built on the foothills of Rodopi mountain range, at the beginning of a valley which expands towards south to the Thracian Sea.

The Municipality of Xanthi is one of the 7 Municipalities of the Prefecture of Xanthi.

In 1997 when the Administrative reform “Ioannis Kapodistrias” took place the Municipality of Xanthi got other two municipal urban districts, the former communes of Evmoiro and Kimmeria.

The extent of the Municipality of Xanthi is 153.116 acres. Its population based on the census of 2001 is the 51.3% of the total population of the Prefecture. The capital city of both the Prefecture and the Municipal, meaning the town of Xanthi, has around 62000 citizens.

The town of Xanthi, Kimmeria and Evmoiro are the main settlements of the Municipal. Furthermore, 19 smaller settlements are mentioned, which have from 0 to 1092 citizens.

Xanthi is the commercial and spiritual centre of the region and one of its characteristics is its multicultural aspect as well as the harmonically co-existence of both the Christians and the Muslims.

The contemporary town is a pole of attraction for everyday life. Shops, squares, parks, halls of entertainment such as cafes, restaurants, taverns, etc, with great aesthetic, candy shops which are known not only to all over Greece but also Europe having special tastes such as the ones that karioka and saragli have.

Entertainment, another part of everyday life, is characterized as vivid. It is especially lively and multi-coloured: young hoods, cinemas, bars, etc.

The famous in all over the world aromatic tobacco called Mpasmas is produced in the region of Xanthi. In earlier days Xanthi was called as the “arxontisa” (noble woman) due to the prosperity that came through tobacco merchandise and this way Xanthi was became popular up until the end of the world and acclaimed glamour and huge popularity.

The tobacco stores which are preserved until today are characterized as architectural behemoths which narrate the old glory and the economic prosperity of both the town and the region.

Today, Xanthi is called as the Town of thousands of colours and the visitor comprehends the reason just when he/she strands through the town.

The town of Xanthi is at the centre of the chain of the urban centres of North-East Greece, that consist a “net” of lands filled with specific natural, ecological, historical, archaeological and cultural interest.

This axon of the urban centres is the axon roads of communing between the land towards East Thrace (Turkey) and the Black Sea (Efksinos Pontos) and it may be a part of the historical road that connects Thessaloniki and Konstantinople with Balcanic west coast (Egnatia-New Egnatia).

From the edges of the axon and across certain valleys (Serres-Strimonas, Nestos, Alexandroupolis-Evros) road connections are expanded towards Bulgaria, North Balcanic and the Central and East Europe respectively.

Basic structures of the broader region is Egnatia Road and the vertical axons connecting Bulgaria that are under construction, two airports “Kavala” and “Alexandroupolis”, harbours of Alexandroupolis, Kavala and P. Lagos, industrial regions of the urban centres, the big hydroelectric stations at the Prefecture of Drama.

The Municipality of Xanthi has a significant position not only geographically but also at urban centres net of East Macedonia and Thrace, having advantages since it is a powerful commercial, manufacturing, cultural and traditional centre, centre of development of special services, research pole and innovation, exploiting the existence of the Polytechnic School of Democritus University of Thrace.

As far as the influence of the Municipality of Xanthi towards the other settlements of the Prefecture is concerned, the Town of Xanthi gathers all the services and functions of a contemporary centre and services the population from all over the Prefecture. Peripheral and Prefecture Services, Banks, Merchants, Health are on the peak of the provision.

Parallel is the state as far as work is concerned. At the Town of Xanthi and the broad region i.e. industrial area daily transfers are converged.

The work positions at the secondary section are gathered at the industrial area of Xanthi and to different industries throughout Xanthi-Genissea-Avdira, Xanthi-Kimmeria-Pigadia, Janthi-Toksotes-Evlalo and Xanthi-Magiko-Magkana axons.

Since 1975 the town of Xanthi hosts the Polytechnic School, which is a part of Democritus University of Thrace, in which around 4000 students study, which is an alive lung of the town. The scientific and cultural creation of both students and professors offer an alternative suggestion of living in this town as well as they give a different power and new inspiration.

The cultural life of the town is intense, as well as its rhythms of life. The Thracian Folk Festival-Xanthian Carnival, known to all over Greece, Europe and lately all over the world, the Old Town Festival, unique in its kind and popular for its multiform, Manos Chatzidakis Festival, are insurmountable institutions that give the characteristic of the cultural orgasm at our town, reinforcing events, sectors and clubs.