30-10-2007
Schools in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in late 19th and early 20th century

Thanailaki Kalliopi Source: CETI © Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

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In Eastern Macedonia and Thrace at the turn of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century there was an important number of schools operating for the Greeks. Each region with population over 1000 inhabitants had, apart from the schools of primary education, the so-called "urban" schools for boys and girls, which had two more grades in their curriculum and followed the four-grade primary schools. Fundamental role in the intellectual and cultural development of the place played the big growth of the tobacco trade which the local people cultivated in the regions of Drama, Xanthi and Kavala and it constituted the most important export product. Xanthi was a big commercial center and had the required elements for intellectual and cultural blossoming. In Dedeagats [Alexandroupolis] the first Greek school was founded as early as in 1866. In the city of Drama in 1876 functioned a boys' school. In Kavala during this period there were two "urban" schools operating. In the Greek-speaking community of Komotini there were also schools.

Bibliography
Konstantinos A. Vakalopoulos, History of the Greater Thrace: From the Earlier Phase of the Ottoman Rule till our Days, Ant. Stamoulis Editions 2004, pp. 353-357.
Ozdemir Bulent, Ottoman Reforms and Social life. Reflections frοm Salonica 1830-1850, The Isis Press, Istanbul, 2003, p. 124.