Kastanies Καστανιές | |
|---|---|
  Kastanies | |
| Coordinates:41°39′N26°29′E / 41.650°N 26.483°E /41.650; 26.483 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | East Macedonia and Thrace |
| Regional unit | Evros |
| Municipality | Orestiada |
| Municipal unit | Vyssa |
| Elevation | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Community | 698 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 680 08 |
Kastanies (Greek:Καστανιές, meaning "chestnuts",Turkish:Kestanelik which means "chestnut" too) is a town located in northern part of the regional unit ofEvros,Greece, and is part of the municipal unit ofVyssa. It is situated at the border withTurkey.
Kastanies is situated in the low plains near the confluence of the riversEvros andArdas, on the south bank of the Ardas. The area consists of farmlands, with some forests at the banks of the rivers. There are two road bridges and one railway bridge across the Ardas. Kastanies is 2.5 km south ofMarasia, 4 km west ofKaraağaç (Turkey), 5 km northeast ofRizia, 8 km northwest ofNea Vyssa, 8 km southwest ofEdirne (Turkey) and 16 km north ofOrestiada.
TheGreek National Road 51/E85, which connectsAlexandroupoli with the Bulgarian border nearSvilengrad passes west of Kastanies. A smaller road connecting the E85 withEdirne in Turkey by way of the border crossingKaraağaç passes through Kastanies.
Kastanies has astation on theAlexandroupoli–Svilengrad railway, served by trains from Alexandroupoli toOrmenio. TheOtoyol 3 (O-3) to Istanbul begins a few km directly north of Kastanies. The O-3 is part ofAsian Highway 1 to Tokyo and is also part of theE80 to Lisbon.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,186 |
| 1991 | 951 |
| 2001 | 1,251 |
| 2011 | 1,059 |
| 2021 | 698 |
The village during theOttoman administration was called "Çörekköy"[2] and in the past had experienced great economic growth, from the cultivation of the broom. TheBalkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 heavily affected Kastanies. In March 2018, at the Greek-Turkish border in Kastanies, two Greek officers were captured by a multi-member Turkish patrol.[3] At the beginning of 2020, the village became widely known due to the incidents of the2020 Greek-Turkish border crisis.
Kastanies is the last village on theSultans Trail hiking path within the territory ofGreece. There are 2 sections ready in Greece one coming fromSvilengrad,Bulgaria viaOrmenio and other coming fromIvaylovgrad,Bulgaria viaKomara and following the river Ardas.
It's not permitted by the Turkish border guards to cross into Greece from Turkey on foot via the border crossing northeast of the village.