The Ministry of Culture has secured the concession of a historic tobacco warehouse in Xanthi, owned by the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in order to house the city’s Diachronical Museum. The concession, lasting 25 years and without compensation, paves the way for the creation of a modern center of knowledge and culture, which will highlight the historical and cultural identity of the region, while simultaneously strengthening its tourist and economic development.
The property, located at the intersection of Avdira and Ellis streets, has a total area of 1,848 sq m. and consists of a basement, ground floor and first floor. It is built on a plot of 617 sq m. and has been recorded in the descriptive database of the Xanthi Land Registry.
The Tobacco Warehouses of Xanthi: Monuments of another era
The tobacco warehouses are a trademark of Xanthi and are linked to its economic and social development in the 19th and 20th centuries. The city experienced great prosperity thanks to the processing and trade of tobacco, attracting investors and a workforce. The lands of Xanthi were the most suitable for the development of varieties that were among the best in the world, with tobacco traveling from ports such as Kavala to reach Constantinople and then to many parts of the world. Consequently, these imposing buildings that stored the tobacco, with their characteristic high ceilings and sturdy construction, testify to the industrial and commercial heyday of the era.
Today, many of the tobacco warehouses have been abandoned or changed use, with some being converted into cultural spaces. The transformation of this historic tobacco warehouse into a Diachronic Museum is an important opportunity for the preservation of the architectural and economic heritage of Xanthi. The Ministry of Culture is called upon to proceed immediately with the preparation of the building program and the required studies, so that the building can be restored and function as a modern cultural reference space.
