Guided tour of Drama

Guided tour
Getting to know the city of Drama begins at the museum and through the archaeological findings of the area we get a first insight into the history of this city. We then walk through the modern center and today’s market to look for streets and buildings from the city’s Byzantine and Ottoman past as well as all those features that at the turn of the century made it a rich tobacco town. Walls, inns, cafes, churches that were converted into Muslim mosques and mosques that were converted into churches are some of the sights that we will encounter. At the same time, through the flavors and aromas of grocery stores and restaurants, we will have the opportunity to get to know the different origins of today’s Draminas and their habits. The tour ends at the city’s largest park, at the Springs of Agia Varvara.

Historical reference
Drama is located at the northern limits of the large plain formed between Pangaeo and Falakro. In the area there are several archaeological findings, of which the oldest Neolithic settlement is the prehistoric settlement of Sitagro. The oldest traces of human presence in the area of the current city of Drama appear on the hill of the “Arkadikos” area, where one of the important Neolithic settlements of the plain of Drama is located. Inside the city of Drama, and in the area of the workers’ homes, the excavation research brought to light a Neolithic village, the oldest permanent prehistoric settlement of Drama. The existence of a Hellenistic-era settlement in Drama was confirmed in 1978 by the discovery of a Macedonian-style tomb on Troias Street dating to the 2nd century BC.
The Romans, in their world empire plan, saw Macedonia as an obstacle to their conquering goals, so they opportunistically looked for the right moment to attack and subjugate it. In Drama at that time there was a station between Philippi and Heraklia, on the Egnatia road, the Roman road “Via Egnatia”, connected Rome with Constantinople. The city of Drama was a “come” (vicus) of the Roman colony of Philippi and received the influence of Roman culture. From the inscriptions found from time to time in the city, the early mixing of the local Thracian population with the Greek can be seen.
The rule of the Franks in the region lasted only 17 years, from 1206 until 1223, when it was overthrown by the ruler of the Despotate of Epirus. In 1230 it was occupied by the Tsar of Bulgaria and in 1245 it returned to the Byzantines and remained Byzantine until the time of its occupation by the Serbs (1344 – 45), knowing in the meantime the destructive fury of the civil wars.
Drama was subjugated to the Turks in 1373 or 1384. In 1825 the Greek population of Drama was greatly reduced. Thus, the Metropolis was transferred to Alistrati, where the Turkish element was minimal compared to the Greek one. The population of the city increased significantly in the last forty years of the Turkish rule (1870 – 1910) compared to the previous forty years (1830 – 1870). In 1840, the city’s schools operated in the narthex of the church. Later, the so-called “School” was created, where the school and the girls’ school were housed. This “School” was maintained until 1881. The peaceful period of the Greeks of Drama did not last long due to the Balkan wars. On 23.10.1912 Drama was conquered by the Bulgarian army. On 1-7-1913, the 7th Division of the Greek army liberated Drama, which after 540 years of slavery lives free. Then a new Bulgarian occupation (1916 – 1918) appeared during the first world war. In September 1918, Drama is liberated and becomes the capital of Eastern Macedonia and the headquarters of the General Administration of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace.

Byzantine Walls
There is no castle in Drama, but there are remains of the Byzantine walls of the city where several sections are preserved in the northern quarter of the city, around the church of Agia Sophia. Towards the end of the classical period or at the beginning of the Hellenistic period (end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd century BC) a polychne was created in the place of Drama, whose inhabitants cultivated the vine and worshiped the god Dionysus, in a special sanctuary. Polichni remained active during Roman and Byzantine times. Throughout the late Byzantine period (early 130s AD – 1453) Drama constantly changed rulers, like all Byzantine provinces. After the capture of Drama by the Ottomans in 1383, the city is still a small castle in the sultan’s territory, cut off both from the city, until the fall of 1453, and from Thessaloniki, until its capture in 1430. Not known when exactly the walls were built, but logically the construction should have been the result of multiple interventions from antiquity to the years of the Turkish occupation. It seems that the surviving walls of Drama are entirely of Byzantine origin. There are no signs of Roman fortification, while it seems that there were no serious interventions even during the Turkish occupation.

Flour mills
The flour mills of Drama, until the liberation of the city from the Turkish yoke, belonged to Turks and served its inhabitants and those of the neighboring villages. Flour mills were powered by water, which is why they were called water mills or water mills. They ground all kinds of grains, namely wheat, corn, rye, and some of them also had a stone for grinding sesame and making tar. For grinding these cereals, they used pairs of horizontal circular stones, one on top of the other, the well-known millstones, and sieves, the so-called burata. After 1922 and the exchange of populations, many of the water mills came to the D.A.P. from which they were bought by various Greeks, while others were bought directly by the Turkish owners. They were usually built near running water, and since the many springs of Drama had an abundance of such water, several watermills operated. Today there are only three water mills in Drama, which are located in the area of the Springs of Agia Varvara. To the east is the mill of Pantoulis, across from it is the mill of Dimiropoulos and lastly to the west is the mill of Zonke.
Venizelou Street
Venizelou Street was the street for strolling in the 1950s and 60s, but also the most commercial street with the storefronts that drew people’s attention. Times have changed and the “Turkish houses” have turned into alternative bars, traditional taverns while some shops still exist there. The old churches and city walls stand proud of time. In the summer months, Venizelou Street ‘comes to life’, as crowds of people stroll through its narrow streets.

History of Tobacco
During the twenty years 1840 – 1860 the cultivation of tobacco had expanded so much that its export quantity was very important. Of the total area of the arable land of Drama, 80000 acres, that is, almost 1/7, was devoted exclusively to the cultivation of tobacco. The trade in tobacco, which was the main product of production and cultivation in the area of Drama, showed a steady increase from 1860 onwards. In 1874, the first tobacco shop was built in the area of the springs by I. Anastasiadis, while a few years later, around 1880, the tobacco warehouses of the French tobacco monopoly were rebuilt. Tobacco warehouses are still today the surest sign of the city’s economic progress and prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The high-rise buildings of the tobacco warehouses, which survive today, are large solid buildings, made of stone and brick with iron doors and usually with deep basements and large storage areas in the attics. In addition to their functional purpose, “tobacco shops”, as they are often called, emphasized the economic power of their owner. Today, five tobacco warehouses are preserved and have been considered preserved monuments. They are all located in the area of the Springs of Agia Varvara, and they are as follows:
A) Anastasiadis Tobacco Warehouse (where today the Museum of Photography and Cameras is housed, the only one of its kind in the whole country)
B) Athanassopoulos Tobacco Warehouse
C) Portokaloglou Tobacco Warehouse or S.E.K.E.
D) Protopapa Tobacco Warehouse (Michaelidis)
E) Spirer Tobacco Warehouse (which currently operates as a hotel under the name “Hydrama Grand Hotel”).