Families of Old Xanthi
The route is about 2 km long, lasts about 80 minutes and is of moderate difficulty. In it you will meet the families of old Xanthi, which in various ways contributed to the history of Xanthi, but also to the form that the old town has today. Touring the residences of old families of Xanthi, unknown aspects of their family stories will unfold and important personalities of the city will be pulled out of oblivion.

Some of the most important Christian families are: Chasirtzoglou, Stalios, Sigalas, Valixoglou, Michaloglou, Metaxas, Leontaridis, Blatsios, Angelos, Alexiou, Kalevras, Kougioumtzoglou, Kaloudis, Adamides, Christidis, Karadimoglou, Alatas. Also important were the families of Ottoman officials, such as Hamdi Bey, Muzaffer Bey, Hilmi Pasha and Memet Pasha, as well as the Jewish families of Moses and the Cohens.

Thus, the population composition of the city, the religions combination that existed and exists until today, the economic and social stratification in relation to the type and form of residence and the type of professions that found fertile ground to develop will be revealed. Many names, marking streets in old Xanthi, will come alive through this route.

13. House of Kountoglou – Alata

Brief documentation:

This house was built in the district of Kavaki, near the Christian church of Pammegistoi Taxiarchs, during the late Ottoman period by Kyriakos Kountoglou and in 1911 it was sold to colonial goods dealer Leonidas Alatas. In 1929 the building was resold by him to Loukas Tsolakidis, who was also a merchant by profession. A few years after his death, in 1976, his wife sold this house to a relative, Emmanuel Vafiadis. Today the building still serves as a residence.
It is a two-story tiled residence of middle class character, which is built with symmetry and according to the standards of neoclassicism. It has a semi-basement, ground floor and upper floor. The exterior of the building includes quite simple decoration with false pillars and false capitals, a stepped cornice on the windows but also between the ground floor and the first floor, as well as on the coronation of the masonry. There are also elaborate iron bars with propellers on the ground floor windows.


Category of thematic interest:  ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST


History:

This house was built during the late Ottoman period by Kyriakos Kountoglou in the district of Kavaki and in 1911 it was sold to the colonial merchant Leonidas Alatas. In 1929 the building was bought by Loukas Tsolakidis, who was also a merchant by profession. A few years after his death, in 1976, his wife sold this house to a relative, Emmanuel Vafiadis. Today the building still serves as a residence.


Elements of architecture:

It is a two-storey tiled residence of middle class character, which is built with symmetry and according to the standards of neoclassicism. It has a semi-basement, ground floor and upper floor. The exterior of the building includes quite simple decoration with false pillars and false capitals, a stepped cornice on the windows but also between the ground floor and the first floor, as well as on the coronation of the masonry.


Description of other elements:

There are elaborate iron bars with propellers on the windows of the ground floor.


Purpose - Use: Residence


Characterization: Preservable, Institution of the Ministry of Education, Category "A", Decision 5385, Government Gazette 1097/95


Dating (period): Early 20th century


Year of construction: Early 20th century


Monument location: 41.144640, 24.889309


Bibliographic references:

•    Thomas Exarchou, Islets of Xanthi 2, Xanthi 2003
•    Katsari-Vafiadis, J. Ed. 2023. "History and recording of the neoclassical buildings of the traditional settlement". Xanthi: Municipality of Xanthi, p. 66


 Address: Orfeos 66


Visitable: No

 

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