English
The city of Komotini
Komotini is the capital of the prefecture of Rodopi and the center of the region of the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. It is a modern economic and administrative center of the whole region where the European and oriental elements are perfectly combined in the architecture of the buildings and in the traditional cultures that live together for centuries in the same town.
A fast look in Komotini brings us in the old market with its narrow streets and low houses with tiled roofs, in Irinis square, in the most authentic and unfeigned statue of East and West. Locals and visitors join here gazing the shops with the antiques, jewelries, pastourma and kavourma , soutzouk loukoum and tahini shops, the traditional dry nut shops with their ovens that make the most delicious roasted chick peas in the country, while everywhere in the air spreads the fragrance of baked Greek coffee that comes from the coffee shops of the area.
Just a few kilometers outside of the town, someone can have a walk in the suburban forest of Nymphea and enjoy the coffee in the touristic kiosk located there, looking the entire town and the valley from above.
Slightly higher than the touristic kiosk is the fortress of Nymphea. The place is public to every visitor who can tour in the historical war museum the battles that took place in the region during the Second World War. For those who like walking or mountain bike, the European hiking trail E6 that starts from Sweden and crosses the green ash with elms, hazels, walnuts and cedars in Rodopi’s mountain sides , rewards with the wide variety of landscape and its altitude.
In the Southern part of the prefecture lie wonderful well-organized beaches but also small and beautiful with steep reddish cliffs. At that area there are the cosmopolitan resorts of Fanari and Arogi with the infinite and clean sandy beaches, but also the beaches of Mesi, Prophet Ilia, Alkyona, Plataniti and the peninsula of Molyvoti. These places are another interesting view of Rodopi prefecture, where someone can enjoy swimming and taste fresh fish from the restaurants nearby.
The ancient theater of Maroneia is located in the south of the homonymous village, in the "Kabana" location of the Rodopi prefecture. It is located in the fortification enclosure of ancient Maroneia and has three building phases. The theater was built in the early Hellenistic period. Its capacity amounted to 1200 - 1300 spectators.
Along the coastal zone of the prefecture is located the area named Maroneia, known for its history and noble physiognomy. The Homeric Era clues, the ancient theater and the sanctuary of Dionysus, the mosaic floor in a house of the 3rd century BC, the wall and the portico of the Roman Era, the tower of the Byzantine fortifications, are examples of an uninterrupted presence of a very important ancient culture in this region. Anyone visiting the region can wonder the clues of this ancient culture, resting by the plane trees in the village square, gazing the sea, the vineyards and the olive trees.
For more information about the city of Komotini, its attractions and of the wider region click here
