Orestiada
Encyclopedia
Orestiada is the northeasternmost and northernmost city of Greece
and the second largest city of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace
. The population is around 25,000. Orestiada is only 2 km west of the banks of the Evros
, which forms a natural border between Greece and Turkey
. Orestiada is located 23 km S of Edirne
, about 64 km SE of the Greek-Turkish-Bulgaria
n border, 66 km SE of Svilengrad
, about 110 km N of Alexandroupoli
, N of Didymoteicho
, ENE of Soufli
, about 110 km ENE of Alexandroupoli
and 460 km ENE of Thessaloniki
.
GR-51/E85
once ran through Orestiada, which today is bypassed 1 km to the west.
It is a modern and contemporary city, only 75 years old. In ancient times, there was a small settlement on this site which legends claim was founded by Orestes
, the son of Agamemnon
and Clytemnestra
. Ancient Orestiada was located in present day Turkey, across the river from the town of Kastanies. Nea Orestias or New Orestiada was founded in 1922 when the population exchange occurred between Turkey and Greece, in which the Evros River became the new border between the two countries. The site of the original Orestiada was founded around 3000 years ago and remains fairly undeveloped as it is near the much larger city of Edirne
.
Orestiada has a train station, a Medical Centre, a Philharmonic and a Choir as well as a sugar factory, outside the city which processes locally grown sugar beets. Asparagus, potatoes, tobacco, watermelons and corn are also grown. As well, a cattle breeding fund gives commercial impetus to the city and the whole area which is in such an economically strategic location in Europe.
It is also the site of the Fylakio detention center for illegal immigrants
. In November 2010, the European Union
sent Frontex
forces to Orestiada to help Greek police
patrol the local section of the border with Turkey. Some 31,400 people crossed just that portion of the border in the first nine months of 2010.
In 1999, Orestiada became the fourth city to host university departments (faculties) of the Democritus University of Thrace
. The faculties based in Orestiada are the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Forestry, Environmental Management and Natural Resources. Both faculties have a five year curriculum. More than 800 students live in the city.
The population of the settlements within the municipal district Orestiada at the 2001 census was:
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and the second largest city of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace
Western Thrace
Western Thrace or simply Thrace is a geographic and historical region of Greece, located between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country. Together with the regions of Macedonia and Epirus, it is often referred to informally as northern Greece...
. The population is around 25,000. Orestiada is only 2 km west of the banks of the Evros
Maritsa
The Maritsa or Evros , ) is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
, which forms a natural border between Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Orestiada is located 23 km S of Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
, about 64 km SE of the Greek-Turkish-Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n border, 66 km SE of Svilengrad
Svilengrad
Svilengrad is a town in Haskovo Province, South-central Bulgaria, situated at the border of Turkey and Greece. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svilengrad Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 18,132 inhabitants....
, about 110 km N of Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli , is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros peripheral unit in Thrace. Named after King Alexander, it is an important port and commercial center of northeastern Greece.-Name:...
, N of Didymoteicho
Didymoteicho
Didymóteicho is a town located in the eastern part of the Evros peripheral unit of Thrace, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town sits on a plain and located south east of Svilengrad, south of Edirne, Turkey and Orestiada, west of Uzunköprü, about 20 km north...
, ENE of Soufli
Soufli
Soufli is a city in the Evros peripheral unit, Greece, notable for the silk industry that flourished there in the 19th century. The town stands on the eastern slope of the twin hill of Prophet Elias, one of the easternmost spurs on the Rhodope Mountains...
, about 110 km ENE of Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli
Alexandroupoli , is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros peripheral unit in Thrace. Named after King Alexander, it is an important port and commercial center of northeastern Greece.-Name:...
and 460 km ENE of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
.
GR-51/E85
European route E85
European route E 85 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 85 starts from Klaipėda runs south through Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria to Greece, ending at Alexandroupolis....
once ran through Orestiada, which today is bypassed 1 km to the west.
It is a modern and contemporary city, only 75 years old. In ancient times, there was a small settlement on this site which legends claim was founded by Orestes
Orestes (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Orestes was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness and purification, which retain obscure threads of much older ones....
, the son of Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
and Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra or Clytaemnestra , in ancient Greek legend, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Mycenae or Argos. In the Oresteia by Aeschylus, she was a femme fatale who murdered her husband, Agamemnon – said by Euripides to be her second husband – and the Trojan princess...
. Ancient Orestiada was located in present day Turkey, across the river from the town of Kastanies. Nea Orestias or New Orestiada was founded in 1922 when the population exchange occurred between Turkey and Greece, in which the Evros River became the new border between the two countries. The site of the original Orestiada was founded around 3000 years ago and remains fairly undeveloped as it is near the much larger city of Edirne
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
.
Orestiada has a train station, a Medical Centre, a Philharmonic and a Choir as well as a sugar factory, outside the city which processes locally grown sugar beets. Asparagus, potatoes, tobacco, watermelons and corn are also grown. As well, a cattle breeding fund gives commercial impetus to the city and the whole area which is in such an economically strategic location in Europe.
It is also the site of the Fylakio detention center for illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
. In November 2010, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
sent Frontex
Frontex
Frontex is the European Union agency for external border security...
forces to Orestiada to help Greek police
Greek Police
The Hellenic Police is the national police force of Greece. It is a very large agency, its responsibilities ranging from road traffic control to counter-terrorism....
patrol the local section of the border with Turkey. Some 31,400 people crossed just that portion of the border in the first nine months of 2010.
In 1999, Orestiada became the fourth city to host university departments (faculties) of the Democritus University of Thrace
Democritus University of Thrace
Democritus University of Thrace was established in July 1973. It is based in Komotini, Greece and has campuses in the Thracian cities of Xanthi, Alexandroupoli and Orestiada. The university accepted the first students in the academic year 1974–1975...
. The faculties based in Orestiada are the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Forestry, Environmental Management and Natural Resources. Both faculties have a five year curriculum. More than 800 students live in the city.
Municipality
The municipality Orestiada was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:- KyprinosKyprinosKyprinos is a town and a former municipality in the Evros peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Orestiada, of which it is a municipal unit. Its 2001 population was 1,157 for the village and 2,915 for the municipal...
- Orestiada
- TrigonoTrigonoTrígono is a former municipality in the Evros peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Orestiada, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population is 6,656 . The seat of the municipality was in Dikaia. Its area is...
- VyssaVyssaVyssa is a former municipality in the Evros peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Orestiada, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 8,184 . The seat of the municipality was in Nea Vyssa. It is named after a...
Communities
The municipal unit Orestiada is subdivided into the following communities (constituent settlements in brackets):- Orestiada (Orestiada, Lepti, Neos Pyrgos, Palaia Sagini, Sakkos)
- Ampelakia
- ChandrasChandrasChandras is a village in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece. The area is mainly made up of hills and mountains, farmlands dominate the area.-Location:...
- Megali DoxiparaMegali DoxiparaMegali Doxipara is a village in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece. Chandra are connected with two roads connecting the GR-51 and a minor paved road with Mikri Doxipara. The area are mainly made up of hills and mountains, farmlands dominate the...
- Neo Cheimonio
- NeochoriNeochori, EvrosNeochori is a village and a municipal district in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece. The municipal district includes the village Patagi.-Geography:...
(Neochori, Patagi) - ThourioThourio, GreeceThourio is a village in the northwestern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece located between Orestiada and Didymoteicho]. Thourio is in the municipality of Orestiada...
- ValtosValtos, EvrosValtos is a village in the municipality of Orestiada in the northern part of the Evros Prefecture in Greece. It is 17 km west of the centre of Orestiada on the GR-51 and Valtos Kyprinos and another road with Fylakio, it is located between Orestiada and Lepti...
Population
| Year | Population town | Population municipal district | Population municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 14,727 | - | - |
| 1991 | 12,691 | - | 19,669 |
| 2001 | 15,246 | 17,194 | 21,862 |
The population of the settlements within the municipal district Orestiada at the 2001 census was:
- Orestiada 15,246
- Lepti 793
- Neos Pyrgos 894
- Palaia Sagini 13
- Sakkos 248