By Nicolas Bard

The country of Samothrace, also known as Samothraki, is the capital of the island and is commonly one of the most beautiful countries all over the Aegean. Built amphitheatrically on the lush slopes of Mount Saos, and at an altitude of about 300 meters, it has panoramic views of the sea, and is just 4 kilometers from the port of Kamariotissa. At the edge of the settlement is dominated by the medieval castle of Gatelouzi, the Venetian rulers of the island in the 14th century, who left fortified works also known as Gatelouzi towers in various parts of Samothrace.

The country’s houses are very traditional, usually two -storey with thick, stone walls, beatings and tiled roofs. Among the houses there are many paved narrow streets, the so -called alleys, which usually lead to a fountain, square or church. In the central square of the settlement there are many centuries -old plane trees, which offer their thick shade to travelers, and very close is the most important church of the country, which is none other than the Assumption (1875). It is a imposing stone building of the 19th century, where the chains of the five martyrs of Samothrace and the icon of the Virgin Mary of Krimniotissa are kept.

Outside the church there is the famous plane tree who gave his name to the special, Platanissio dance, danced around him at the festivals. In one of the many traditional mansions of the settlement, the Folklore Museum of Samothrace is also housed. It is one of the sights of the country where many tools of the daily life of the inhabitants of older times are exhibited and many clothes used by the villagers. It also contains a multitude of relics of traditional island life, as well as a representation of old Samothrace.

The picturesque houses of the country develop around the historical and imposing fortress, which has been standing up for many centuries, and is a witness to the large and hectic history of the island. The hill in which the castle is located was inhabited by the Neolithic era, as evidenced by megalithic finds, and has never ceased to be inhabited since then. During the Middle Ages, the island is a little mentioned by sources, as opposed to antiquity, up to the Late Roman period, when the island’s radiation had surpassed Greece, and Samothraki had evolved into an international religious center due to the Kaviri mysteries and its existence.

After the 4th century, when the Mysteries were abolished, Samothraki began to decline and became an exile for the Byzantines, while in the 8th and 9th centuries it had great disasters from the raids of Slavs and Saracens. The Castle offered complete supervision throughout the area and a safe refuge to the residents of the settlement. Although relatively small (1880 sqm), it has two fortifications. Ano Envolos, also known as the “Acropolis” of the Castle, occupies the ellipsoid level of the rock peak on the west side, while the lower enclosure is slightly lower, on the east side of the rock, above the last houses of the settlement.

Palamidis Gatelouzos was the one who undertook the reconstruction of the Castle of the country and the ancient fortification in Paleopolis. We learn from the built -in inscriptions on the two Genoese Towers of the Castle, which have dates of 1431 and 1433. At this point it is worth pointing out that beyond the two rectangular towers added by Palamides, otherwise the rebuilding of the castle was limited to either. He managed to have good relations with the Ottomans and did not lose the territories of his hegemony during the stormy era shortly before and shortly after the fall. Indeed, in 1455 (or perhaps in 1453) Mohammed the Conqueror also granted Imbros.

The well -preserved mansions, the picturesque churches and the historic castle, combined with the plane trees and the running waters, create a rare and beautiful residential ensemble, which we hardly find in the Aegean area. We could say that the country of Samothrace has enough of the charm of mainland Greece, but at the same time an authentic island identity, which is an irresistible combination.