Neoclassical and eclectic buildings of Old Xanthi

This route is about 3 km, about 80 minutes and of moderate difficulty. It starts from Antikas Square and ends at the border of the old town with the modern city to the west. Through this route, the visitor has the opportunity to get to know the practice of neoclassicism and eclecticism, as expressed in about 50 buildings of old Xanthi.

Neoclassicism appeared in the 18th and 19th centuries and is strongly influenced by the principles governing the architecture of classical antiquity. The buildings are distinguished for the simplicity of their geometric forms, the Doric detail, the simplicity, the absolute symmetry, the dividing lines of the vertical spreads and the pilasters with false capitals at the corners.

Eclecticism, on the other hand, is the architectural style of the 19th and 20th centuries, in which a variety of elements from various eras and styles are selected and used, in a single building. The eclectic buildings in Xanthi are influenced by neoclassicism (e.g. absolute symmetry, verticality), while individual elements are influenced by Art Deco (e.g. strong decorative mood), central Europe (e.g. turret roof configuration or turret development), English Baroque (e.g. the use of red brick) and Romanesque style (e.g. arched openings and curved arches).

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31. Two-storey brick house

Brief documentation:

The building was erected in the early 20th century.
It is a narrow-fronted middle-class residence, built in the district of Agios Georgios. The building has a semi-basement, ground floor and first floor, with these various levels separated by a flat or stepped cornice, on the ground floor and on the first floor respectively. There are decorative cornices on the coronation of the masonry.
The entrance to the building is placed on the right side of the house, while the façade is dominated by many windows, which give plenty of light to the interior of the house. Above the central arched entrance there is an arched skylight and above it a balcony with iron railings. Under the window openings, decorative frames are created, which recede in the ground floor and protrude in the first floor, while on either side of the windows decorative false pillars are formed, which are crowned with false capitals.
The building was created in imitation of similar constructions in England. Its main feature is that it is made and decorated with red plinths.

Category of thematic interest: ARCHITECTURAL / HISTORICAL INTEREST

History:

The building was erected in the early 20th century.

Elements of architecture:

It is a narrow-fronted middle-class residence, built in the district of Agios Georgios. The building has a semi-basement, ground floor and first floor, with these various levels separated by a flat or stepped cornice, on the ground floor and on the first floor respectively. There are decorative cornices on the coronation of the masonry.
The entrance to the building is placed on the right side of the house, while the façade is dominated by many windows, which give plenty of light to the interior of the house. Above the central arched entrance there is an arched skylight and above it a balcony with iron railings. Under the window openings, decorative frames are created, which recede in the ground floor and protrude in the first floor, while on either side of the windows decorative false pillars are formed, which are crowned with false capitals.

Description of other elements:

The building was created in imitation of similar constructions in England. Its main feature is that it is made and decorated with red plinths.

Purpose - Use: Residence

Characterization: ΔPreservable, 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

Location of the monument: 41.14272, 24.88619

Bibliographic references:

• D. Mavridis (ed.). Xanthi, the city with a thousand colors. Xanthi, PAKETHRA 2008, p. 185

Address: Taxiarchon 12

Visitable: No