Xanthi’s aqueduct

Water is a key element of the natural landscape that has influenced human behavior over time. It serves as the foundation for the creation of permanent settlements. Xanthi was fortunate to have abundant water sources, including the river Kosynthos and springs known locally as “kapsikia.” However, to ensure that water could reach every area, technical works were necessary. Ottoman Xanthi featured a stone-built aqueduct, of which only a few traces remain today, and these are not easily identifiable. Nevertheless, its memory retains a tangible presence in photographs from the Belle Époque, a time when the cosmopolitan merchants from Xanthi adopted Western standards of living.

The photograph shows a postcard depicting part of Xanthi’s aqueduct, located on modern day Evripidou Chasirtzoglou Street. It was probably taken around 1900.