Sights
include the entire old city, mansions, churches, small
squares and inns still in
a good state of repair. In a town house dating from
the 19th century is the Folk Museum with wall paintings
by German
artists. Three monasteries surround the city of Xanthi,
the Virgin Archangeliotissa, the Virgin Kalamou and
the Monastery
of the Almighty Archangels (Panmegiston Táxiarchon)
which houses the Seminary behind which are the remains
of parts
of the walls of Byzantine Xanthi. The sights of the
city also include the areas around the river Kosynthos
which flows
through the city and the natural history museum. Noteworthy
too are the Thracian popular festivals which are held
every year during carnival season and a plethora of
cultural events
which have preserved ancient Thracian customs, as well
as the old Town Festival in Autumn. Starting off from Xanthi one can easily visit the area of Stavroupoli set
among a hilly, semi mountainous landscape or north to magnificent mountains
in the
Rhodopi mountain range with their dense forests of soaring beech, oak,
fir, pine and so on or the virgin forest of Haidou. In this area the visitor
will encounter
the European path E6 and it is worth following it from the village of Livaditi
because it leads to an extremely beautiful waterfall 45m high. East of
Stavroupoli lies Komnina where there is an impressive Macedonian style
tholos grave. Alternatives
in the area are the castle at Kalyva or the riverside castles of Paschalia
or Aerikos. In the area of Echinos, north of Xanthi, which is inhabited
by a non-
Turkish Muslim minority known as Pomaks, which is of outstanding natural
beauty the visitor will find old stone bridges and traditional villages
where fortifications
are still to be seen. Further north near the village of Thermes a sanctuary
to Mithras bas been uncovered with a relief carved into a rocky outcrop. To the west and south at Avdira, an ancient city on the coast bas been
excavated to a large extent, a city which was home to Democritus and Protagoras,
which
thanks to a new archaeological museum presents the unfolding culture of
the area. In the modern village of Avdira ' one can see old mansions which
have' survived
with their traditional Thracian architecture. Around Avdira are the beaches
of Myrodatos and Mangana, ideal for : swimming and water sports.
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Heading south one
passes by the hot spa springs at Nea Kessani whose waters
are recommended for rheumatic complaints. Another ideal spot
to visit is Lake Vistonis protected by the Ramsar Convention.
It is a significant lake covering 4200 hectares with an average
depth of 2.5m. The northern end of the lake is fresh water
while its southern 'end is salt water. It is home to 285
different species of birds all year round, the most important
colony of herons being at 'Porto Lagos while there is also
an important flamingo population. Porto Lagos was the name
of the small port given by old sailors, in other words the
port of the lake, since the town was built on a thin strip
of land dividing the sea from the Lake Vistonis. Here according
to mythology was the kingdom ruled by Diomedes whose horses,
Hercules came to take. 1 km outside of Porto Lagos is the
white chapel of St. Nicholas, which is a metochi, or dependency,
of the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. The chapel stands
on the site where Byzantine metochi from the 14th century
once stood. The chapel is located on a small island which
is connected to the land by a narrow bridge 50 m long.
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