Alexandroupoli
Tree of the Grandfather
General Information
Other Name: -, District: Evros , State: East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
Area: 0 -
Languages Spoken: Greek,French, Italian, and German
Long Distance Code: 25510
Importance: The city is famous for the many painters that where born here over the years.
Best Time to Visit: September to October and May-June
International Access: Conhnected to all the major cities of Greece.Description
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 grandfather") The word dede means "grandfather" and the word ağaç means "tree" in Turkish. 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 Istanbul to the major cities of Macedonia from Kuleliburgaz. 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.Location
Alexandroupoli is about 14.5 km (9 miles) west of the delta of the river Evros, 40km from the border with Turkey, 300 km (186 mi) from Thessaloniki on the newly constructed Egnatia highway, and 750 km (466 mi) from Athens.Climate
Mediterranean Climate