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Didymóteicho (Greek: Διδυμότειχο, IPA: [ðiðiˈmo̞tixo̞], formerly Διδυμότειχον, Didymóteichon, from δίδυμος, dídymos, "twin" and τεῖχος, teîchos, "wall" ) is a town located in the eastern part of the Evros Prefecture of Thrace, Greece. The Bulgarian rendering of the town's name is Димотика (Dimotika); in Turkish, it is known as Dimetoka. It is the seat of the municipality and the province of the same name. It is located around 12 km from Turkey and the western banks of the Evros. It is the easternmost municipality on the mainland of Greece (in its town of Pythio). In the west, much of the land is mountainous and forested, while farmlands are located in the central and the northern part. It is on the railway line Thessaloniki-Istanbul and the Greek road 51 (Alexandroupoli - Orestiada - Edirne in Turkey and Svilengrad in Bulgaria). The town (pop. 8,799 in 2001) sits on a plain and located south east of Svilengrad, south of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, west of Uzunköprü, about 20 km north of Soufli and about 90 km north of Alexandroupoli. The Municipality of Didymóteicho has a land area of 354.134 km² and a population of 18,998 inhabitants. Its largest other towns are Lagós (pop. 1,403), Koufóvouno (958), Sofikó (926), Ellinochóri (756), and Karotí (723).
[edit] GeographyForests dominate the banks and parts of the plain. Much of the area is used for farming. The main produce is cattle, fruits and vegetables and some flowers. The hills dominate further west. Near the area lies the great forest of Dadia. [edit] Municipal districtsThe municipality of Didymoteicho is subdivided into the following districts:
[edit] History[edit] Ancient timesThe area around the town was founded at neolithic times. It was an important Thracian and Hellenistic town. The town was sacked by the Romans in 204 BC. In the early 2nd century, the Roman emperor Trajan created a new city between the two hills surrounding the town and named it Plotinopolis after his wife Pompeia Plotina. The city would later be one of the most important town in Thrace, having her own assembly. Its remains are now known as the Kale, after the Turkish for "castle". In the 1980s, a solid gold bust of Trajan was found on the site of Plotinopoulis and is now in the museum at Komotini. [edit] Medieval eraIn medieval times, known as Demotika, it was an important market town and one of the finest hunting places for emperors and later Sultans. It was well fortified by the Byzantines, and after 1261 and the reconquest of Constantinople by the Greeks, it became the most important city in Thrace and Byzantine Macedonia. The city was besieged several times by the Second Bulgarian Empire, and during the Byzantine civil wars of the 14th century, it rose to prominence as the seat of Andronikos III Palaiologos and John VI Kantakouzenos. The city was also the birthplace of emperors John III Vatatzes and John V Palaiologos.[2] [edit] Ottoman eraFurther information: Ottoman Greece The Battle of Demotika, the Ottomans' first victory in Europe, was fought before the city in 1352 during yet another Byzantine civil war. In 1361, and after several years of siege, the Ottomans succeeded to conquer the city. Unlike its neighbouring Adrianople which was burnt to the ground, they kept the town intact and turned her to capital of the Ottoman Empire for a short time. It was then that they build the great mosque and the baths of the town, both of which are the first of their kind in the European continent. Under Turkish rule it was known as Dimetoka or Demotika. The Ottoman sultan Bayezid II was born there. After the Poltava, the exiled King Charles XII of Sweden lived in the town (1713–1714). During the Ottoman period, the town was a major center for the Bektashi Sufi order. [edit] Modern eraIn 1912 the town was briefly occupied by the Bulgarians during the First Balkan War, only to return to the Ottomans a year later. The latter offered the city to Bulgaria in 1914, as a reward for entering World War I at the side of the Central Powers. The town was withdrawn from Bulgaria under the terms of the 1919 Treaty of Neuilly.[3] As the other places in Western Thrace Didymoteicho was under temporary management of the Entente led by French General Sharpe. In the second half of April 1920 in San Remo conference of the prime ministers of the main allies of the Entente powers (except USA) Western Thrace was given to Greece. The Second World War devastated Didymoteicho. The town was considerably affected by the Evros river flooding of February 17 to 22, 2005. Flood warnings were reported at that time. It devastated much of the town on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 and continued for several days. On Friday, March 4, flood waters began to ebb slowly. Over 5,000 mm of rainfall caused the river to overflow its banks. Buildings, properties and stores were flooded, leaving people stranded. It was the worst flood in nearly 50 years. The railway line south of Didymoteicho and near the station was also flooded and was closed. Serious flooding was also experienced in March 2006 throughout the city and the general Evros area. [edit] Landmarks
[edit] Historical population
[edit] Notable people
[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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