Metaxades
Metaxades is a large village, municipal unit and a former municipality in the Evros regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece.
This lowland settlement, situated at an altitude of about 120 meters, is celebrated as the most picturesque in the wider area, and has been officially designated as a traditional settlement for its special architectural features.
Name
Metaxades has undergone significant naming transitions throughout its history, with its modern designation reflecting the village's primary economic occupation.The settlement has been known by successive names across different eras: the oldest known name is Lazina, followed during the Byzantine era by Dogantzia, also referred to as Liakoup Dogantzia, and Tokmakköy during the Ottoman occupation. Finally, it adopted the name Metaxades in its modern Greek form following the liberation of Thrace and its integration into Greece in 1921.
Byzantine name
According to local historical tradition and manuscript research documented by Konstantinos Gergenis, a long-time resident and historian of the village, the settlement was known as Δογάντζια or Δουγάντζια during the Byzantine period. This original settlement was supposedly located approximately two kilometers west of the modern village's present location.The etymology of Dogantzia derives from the Greek term δουγάντζι, which means bird of prey, such as an eagle or hawk. The name likely reflected the geographical and environmental characteristics of the original settlement, which was situated in a rocky and mountainous terrain that would have been suitable habitat for raptorial birds. As such, it functioned as a descriptive toponym, indicating both the natural features of the landscape and the fauna prevalent in the area.
Ottoman name
During the Ottoman occupation, the village became known as Tokmakköy. The etymology of this name derives from the Ottoman Turkish term tokmak, meaning a wooden hammer or mallet used by stonemasons and craftspeople. This occupational designation reflects the village's primary economic activity during the Ottoman occupation, stone masonry and construction work. The distinctive light beige stone quarried in the region, known locally as "lithopetra", became characteristic of the village's architecture and was exported to surrounding areas like Alepochori, Avdella, and Paliouri, where similar stonework traditions persisted.The transition to the Ottoman Turkish name during the Ottoman occupation was part of a broader pattern of Turkification integration in occupied territories. While some scholars have attributed the name to a founder figure named Dimitrios Toukmatsis or Toukmakiotis, historical documentation of this individual remains unclear, and the occupational etymology appears to be the more substantiated origin of the settlement name during Ottoman administration.
Current name
Following Greece's liberation of Eastern and Western Thrace in 1919 after the Balkan Wars, the newly acquired territories underwent systematic administrative reorganization, including a comprehensive toponymic reform. This process was undertaken to Hellenize the settlement names of the region, which contained numerous Ottoman-era and non-Greek designations.The renaming of settlements in Thrace did not follow the established procedures of the Toponym Committee, the centralized body that had overseen Greek name changes since 1909. Instead, the Greek authorities established a special three-member committee to oversee the toponymic changes in Thrace. This committee comprised K. Geraga, D. Karachalio, and G. Lambousiadis.
As part of this broader administrative effort, the village known as Τουκμάκι during the Ottoman occupation was renamed Μεταξάδες in 1921. The official announcement of this renaming, along with 380 other settlements in Western Thrace, was published on 18 September 1921 in the Official Government Gazette under reform Β1/1921. The gazette was printed in Adrianople and covered settlements in the prefectures of Adrianople, Forty Churches, Raideston, Gallipoli, Evros, and Rhodope.
The new name Metaxades derived from the Greek word μετάξι, meaning "silk", reflecting the primary economic activity that had become dominant in the village by the early 1920s, sericulture, or silk farming. This practice of naming settlements after their principal industries or products was consistent with Greek toponymic conventions, where the suffix "-ades" indicated a place associated with a particular commodity or characteristic.
Location
The area of Metaxades, located near the Greek-Bulgarian border, is 28 kilometers west of Didymoteicho and three kilometers east of the border line with Bulgaria.Municipal unit
In addition to being a village, Metaxades also serves as the center of the eponymous municipal unit, which is named after the village due to its size and significance, and is officially designated as the Municipal Unit of Metaxades. It forms the western part of the municipality of Didymoteicho, encompassing half of its total area with a size of 211.238 km2.Additionally, the unit includes the villages of Asproneri, Chionades, Doxa, Elafochori, Giatrades, Savra, Vrysi, and Vrysika, and the neighboring villages Alepochori, Paliouri, Polia, Ladi, and Avdella, the last of which, together with the village of Metaxades, forms the Community of Metaxades, following the 2011 Greek administrative reform Kallikratis.
Local geographic overview
It is an area with mild geomorphology, characterized by low hills. Its northern side is mainly covered by agricultural zones that make up 35% of the area, while in the southern part, near the settlements of Metaxades and Paliouri, deciduous forests and pastures prevail, occupying 52% and 9% of the area respectively. On the western border side and to the north, the river Erythropotamos flows.The ravines of the area are usually shallow and meet the Erythropotamos or its tributaries, contributing to the water coverage that reaches 3% of the total land. The altitude of the area ranges from 80 to 306 meters.
Access and local services
In terms of access, Metaxades is located at a distance of approximately 25–30 kilometers from the main road of Alexandroupoli – Orestiada, while it is directly connected to National Highway 53. The connection with the rest of the prefecture and the country is primarily via Didymoteicho, which is served by long-distance buses operated by KTEL, based in the town.The services provided are limited, [|as they mainly focus on food and coffee within the village] but also in the surrounding villages.
History
The history of Metaxades before the Ottoman occupation is not well documented, with the earliest accounts based on oral traditions. However, the town later rose to prominence, flourishing as an important trade center and serving as the setting for pivotal events that shaped the region and influenced the Greek Civil War.Byzantine era
According to the locals and some folklorists, near today's Metaxades, about two kilometers west of the village, was an old village called "Dogantzia" or "Dougantzia". The name is likely derived from the word dougantzi, which refers to a bird of prey and reflects the mountainous and rocky terrain of the village's location.That village was the site of the first settlement of the inhabitants of Metaxades, until 1285, when a cholera epidemic forced the inhabitants to leave the settlement, and later to look for a new place of settlement.
Survivors either sought refuge in the towns of Varna and Sozopol or fled to nearby forests to escape the epidemic. As winter approached, those who had taken shelter in the forests returned to their village, only to find it uninhabitable due to the overwhelming stench from the unburied corpses. Consequently, the survivors abandoned the village permanently and began searching for a new location to establish their homes.
During their search for a new settlement, the survivors chose a forested site, drawn by the presence of a young field elm tree and the prospect of finding water. Historical manuscripts mention that a well was dug near the tree, which remained functional until 1928, when it was covered by the then local president of the village, Athanasios Papapanagiotou, during the redesign of the village square. The tree itself survived in the square until recent years but eventually dried up due to the effects of cement in its surroundings.
The original inhabitants were later joined by several families from the neighboring village of Paliouri, as well as others from Epirus, Thessaly and Cyprus. These migrations were likely influenced by the village's healthy climate and advantageous geographical location. The settlement is situated among four hills: Prophet Elias, Pano Toumba, Kato Toumba, and Asvestaria. These hills played a crucial role in providing refuge during critical times.
Ottoman Occupation
Ottoman Invasion
In 1361, after the founding of the village, the Turks led by Sultan Murad I invaded Didymoteicho and the surrounding area after a 12-year siege. In the same year, they also occupied the region from Edirne to Plovdiv.Other historians, relying on Byzantine and other sources, mention that the capture of Edirne took place either in 1369 or after 1371, and they also note that the operations were not directed by Murad but by Turkish beys who were only theoretically subordinate to the Ottomans, as communications between Thrace and Anatolia were cut off from 1366 to 1377.