Greece Tours Guide explore greece, all the times

GREEK CITIES AND GREEK ISLANDS
ABOUT KOMITINI
Komotini stands near the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains. There are two airports near Komotini: in Alexandroupoli (65km), and in Kavala (110km). 6 km NE of Komotini is the Nymfaia forest. The forest is divided by a paved road which leads to the Byzantine fortress and the historical fort of Nymfaia.

The city's history is closely connected with that of Via Egnatia, the Roman trunk road which connected Dyrrhachium with Byzantium (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.

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 the Ottoman era.

Nowadays the city has good rail and bus links to all continental Greek cities, and the good provincial road network has been supplemented by the new Egnatia Motorway.

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, cafes 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).

There is a Regional Theatre (ΔΙΠΕΘΕ) whose company produces many plays all year round.

Komotini has several museums including the Archaeological, Byzantine and Folklore museums.
Modern Komotini
Komotini's Clock Tower
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, cafes 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 extremely multilingual for a city of this size and it is made up of local Greeks, Greek refugees from Asia Minor, Greek Muslims, Pomaks, Roma, descendants of Armenian refugees, and recent refugees from the countries of the former USSR (mainly Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan).