Attractions, monuments and places you must not miss.
Where Greece meets the East, at a crossroads of cultures, religions, customs, flavors, aromas, and different people, Komotini presides imperially. A distinctive destination, with the region’s history unfolding before the visitor’s eyes and the rich natural environment with its habitats and forests impresses, it still retains the character of the «virgin» and the authentic.
The once Byzantine city of Koumoutzina, which was conquered in 1361 by the Ottoman Gazi Evrenos, passed into Bulgarian hands in 1912 and was united with Greece on 14 May 1920, today is a multicultural city with a strong university town character (more than 10,000 students live here). It consists of native Greeks, Greek descendants of refugees from Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace, members of the Greek minority (Turkish-speaking, Pomaks and Roma, mainly Muslim by religion) and descendants of Armenian refugees.
For all the above reasons, the sights and the museums are numerous and particularly significant. Start your tour at the Archaeological Museum, with the golden bust of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, the Folklore Museum, which has been operating since 1962 and is housed in the Peidis mansion, a characteristic example of local vernacular architecture, and the Ecclesiastical Museum, housed in a building considered one of the oldest surviving examples of Ottoman architecture in Europe. Step inside the «Karatheodori» Museum, dedicated to the foremost modern Greek mathematician, and visit the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin, which dates from 1800.
A monument that draws visitors’ interest is the Eski Mosque, which was rebuilt in 1608/9, as well as the Yeni Mosque, an important Ottoman monument, which has a square prayer hall with a unique dome, thanks to its decoration with Nicaea tiles. Its construction dates to the period between 1600 and 1618.
A hallmark of Komotini, the Clock Tower, which is an example of Ottoman modernization, the Holocaust Memorial for the Jews of Komotini in Agia Paraskevi Park, as well as the World War II Memorial, known as «Sword from the sword» that is depicted on its 15-meter-high marble column.
Flavors and aromas
Some of the most renowned open-air markets take place in Komotini! That’s why, don’t miss a stroll through the one between Anchialou and Dimokratias streets, where Christians, Muslims, Roma and Pomaks sell everything from clothes to spices. Continue your tour on Bakalbasi Street with its coffeehouses, traditional coffee roasters, patisseries with buttery sweets and antique shops. Komotini’s contemporary face is also charming, with great spots for meze, tasteful bars and clubs that fill with students.
