1. “On declaring the old city of Xanthi as a place in need of special state protection”::

• (ΦΕΚ 661/Β/1976)
• (ΦΕΚ 142/Β/1977) Declassification of the southernmost part of the conservation area

The old town of Xanthi is one of the best preserved historical settlements in Greece and largely preserves its original architectural heritage. It was rapidly rebuilt from 1830 onwards, after the devastating earthquake of 1829, until the first decades of the 20th century. These were the years of the city’s heyday, due to the great development of the tobacco trade. The wealthy tobacco merchants operating in the town built their luxurious houses, with obvious influences from the European architectural trends of the time. In its neighbourhoods, buildings of the Urban-Loyal type, with strong Western influences and rich decoration, both internally and externally, coexist with buildings of traditional style, with elements of Macedonian architecture. The dominant materials are stone and wood. At the same time there are many notable administrative buildings, shops, churches, squares, which create a particularly remarkable and interesting architectural ensemble that exudes harmony and balance, despite the inevitable later alterations.