Komotini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Komotini Κομοτηνή |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
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| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | EET/EEST (UTC+2/3) |
| Elevation (center): | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Government | |
| Country: | Greece |
| Periphery: | East Macedonia and Thrace |
| Prefecture: | Rhodope |
| Districts: | 7 |
| Mayor: | Dimitrios Kotsakis |
| Population statistics (as of 2001[1]) | |
| City Proper | |
| - Population: | 52,659 |
| - Area:[2] | 385.386 km² (149 sq mi) |
| - Density: | 137 /km² (354 /sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal: | 691 00 |
| Area: | 25310 |
| Auto: | ΚΟ |
| Website | |
| www.komotini.gr | |
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Komotini or Komotene (Greek: Κομοτηνή; Turkish: Gümülcine), is a city in north-eastern Greece. It is the capital of the periphery of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Rhodope Prefecture. It is also the administrative center of the Rhodope-Evros super-prefecture. The city is home to the Democritus University of Thrace, founded in 1973. Komotini is notable for its Turkish-speaking minority which constitutes 50% of the city's population[3]
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Geography
The city stands at an altitude of 32-38m on the Thracian plain near the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains. There is little urban planning in the older parts of city, in contrast to more recently developed quarters. According to the 2001 census, the city's population amounts to 52,659, a number that does not include approximately 13,000 resident students, trainees and soldiers. Komotini is near two airports. The nearest is in Alexandroupoli (65km), and the other is in Kavala (110km). It has good rail and bus links to all continental Greek cities as well as Istanbul, and the good provincial road network has been supplemented by the new Egnatia Motorway.
History
Eastern Roman/Byzantine Era
The city's history is closely connected with that of Via Egnatia, the Roman trunk road which connected Dyrrhachium with Constantinople. The Roman emperor Theodosius I built a small rectilinear fortress on the road at a junction with a route leading north across the Rhodope Mountains toward Philippopolis. For most of its early existence the settlement was overshadowed by the larger town of Mosynopolis to the west, and by the end of the 12th century, the place had been completely abandoned. In 1207 following the destruction of Mosynopolis by the Bulgarian tsar Kaloyan, the remnant population fled and established themselves within the walls of the abandoned fortress. John Kantakouzenos mentions the place for the first time under the name Koumoutsinas in his account of the Byzantine civil war of the early 14th century.[4]
Ottoman Era
In the Ottoman Era, Komotini was known as Gümülcine. Its historical population has included Greeks, Turks, Jews, Armenians, Bulgarians and Pomaks. The city continued to be an important hub connecting the capital city of Constantinople with the European part of the Empire, and grew accordingly. Many monuments in the city today date to this era.
First Balkan War
During the first Balkan War, Bulgarian forces captured the city, only to surrender it to the Greek army during the second Balkan War on July 14, 1913. The Treaty of Bucharest, however, handed the city back to Bulgaria. Despite various schemes by Greek inhabitants to avoid Bulgarian occupation, the city was part of Bulgaria until the end of World War I. In this period, a short-lived independent state, the Republic of Gumuljina, was established in Western Thrace. Komotini, was declared as capital city of that state. In 1919, in the Treaty of Neuilly, Komotini was handed back to Greece, along with the rest of Western Thrace.
Modern Komotini
At the heart of the city lie the evergreen Central Park of Agia Paraskevi and the 15 m-high WW2 Heroes' Memorial, locally known as 'The Sword'. The revamped Central square or Plateia Irinis (Square of Peace) is the focus of a vibrant nightlife boosted by the huge number of students living in the city. The Old commercial centre is very popular with tourists as it houses traditional shops and workshops that have long vanished from other Greek cities. In addition, in the northwestern outskirts of the city (Nea Mosinoupoli) locals and tourists alike flock into a modern shopping mall: Kosmopolis Park, which houses department stores, shops, supermarkets, a cinema complex, cafés and restaurants.
Southwest of the central square one can find the Open-air Municipal Theatre, which hosts many cultural shows and events such as the cultural summer (πολιτιστικό καλοκαίρι = politistiko kalokairi). There is a Regional Theatre (DIPETHE) whose company produces many plays all year round. Komotini has several museums including the Archaeological, Byzantine and Folklore museums. 6 km NE of Komotini is the Nymfaia forest. It has recreational facilities which comprise trails, courts, playgrounds and space for environmental studies. The forest is divided by a paved road which leads to the Byzantine fortress and the historical fort of Nymfaia.
The population is quite multilingual for a city of this size and it is made up of local Greeks, Greek refugees from Asia Minor and eastern Thrace, Greek Muslims, Turks, Pomaks, Roma, descendants of Armenian refugees, and recent refugees, including Greeks, from the countries of the former USSR (mainly Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan).
Municipal Districts
- Central
- Historic Commercial Centre, Plaka, Armenio
- West
- Nea Mosinoupoli, Remvi
- South-West
- Kavakliotika, Stathmos, Ergatika Stathmou, Ergatika DEI
- South
- Zimvrakaki
- South-East
- Agios Stylianos
- East
- Neoktista
- North
- Agia Varvara/Stratones
Suburbs
- Komotini Industrial Zone (SE, 9km from City centre), with dozens of factories and an environmentally friendly natural gas-fuelled power plant.
- Panepistimioupoli/Democritus University Campus (NW,3km from City Centre) home of D.U.TH.
- Ifaistos (NW,adjacent to Nea Mosinoupoli), home of a large Roma community
- Roditis (SE,5km from City Centre), residential area with upmarket properties
- Karidia (NE,4km from City Centre), residential area with upmarket properties
- Kosmio (S,3km from City Centre), residential area
- Thrilorio (SE,8km from City Centre), residential area
- Ampelokipoi (SE,2km from City Centre), residential area
- Kikidio (SE,2km from City Centre), mixed residential-business area
- Ifantes (W, 2km from City Centre), mixed residential-business area
Other
Komotini is the administrative seat of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region, the Democritus University (third biggest in the country) and numerous governmental organisations. It has primary schools, gymnasia, lyceums, a Police Academy, Army bases, 7 University departments, banks, a post office, 3 Sports centres, a train station (Thessaloniki - Drama - Alexandroupoli) an Intercity Bus Station and several squares (plateies). Komotini also has one of the biggest and better organised Industrial Areas in Greece.
Education
Komotini is a well known university city in the North of Greece. It is home to the central administration and several departments of the Democritus University of Thrace including the Law School, the Sports Academy, and the International Economic Relations and Development Department. The Komotini campus has a population of approximately 5-10.000 students and a major part of social life evolves around it. The founding of the University of Thrace in 1973 has had a significant influence in the whole area.
Sports teams
- Panthrakikos - B' Division Football team, promoted to Alpha Ethniki in the 2007-2008 season.
- G.A.S. Komotini - Basketball, Football and Swimming teams
- A.E.Komotini - Basketball, Volleyball and Football teams
- Olympiada - Track and Field
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Municipal population | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 37,487 | - | 40,141 | - |
| 1991 | 37,036 | 461/-1.20% | 45,934 | 5,793/14.432% |
| 2001 | 40,141 | 3,105/+9% | 52,659 | 6,725/16% |
Notable people
- Katerina Stikoudi (1985) fashion model
See also
References
- ^ PDF (875 KB) 2001 Census (Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ). www.statistics.gr. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
- ^ (Greek) Basic Characteristics. Ministry of the Interior. www.ypes.gr. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ Demetriou, Olga (May 2006). "Streets Not Named: Discursive Dead Ends and the Politics of Orientation in Intercommunal Spatial Relations in Northern Greece". Cultural Anthropoplogy 21 (2): 295-321. doi:.
- ^ Kiel, Machiel (1971). "Observations on the History of Northern Greece during the Turkish Rule: Historical and Architectural Description of the Turkish Monuments of Komotini and Serres, their place in the Development of Ottoman Turkish Architecture and their Present Condition". Balkan Studies 12: 417.
External links
- Komotini's City Portal
- Komotini's Commercial Portal
- Umbrella organisation of Western Thrace Turks and UN-ECOSOC member: Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe
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