eTourist

The Fortress of Avadas

Avantas in Evros, Greece

On the outskirts of Alexandroupolis, close to the village of Avadas rises the medieval Castle of Potamos or Avadas Castle, where walls from the ancient and the Byzantine period have been preserved. They are dated from the second half of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century. They tower over the gorges, elevations and steep slopes. The Fortress of Avadas is formed by an ordinary transverse wall, which obstructs access to the slope and the top of the elevation. Potomas has three towers that make up the inner fortification, surrounded by a bigger outer wall.
If you look from the village you can see a steep, cone-shaped elevation with a stone hood and green attire of thick shrubs. It takes twenty minute  to climb from the foot of the hill through the brushwood and reach the western side which is not visible from the village and find yourself in front of an old wall that rises five to eight meters high.
This place has been inhabited for ages. The surrounding ridges and mountains are dotted with old fortresses and traces of settlements from the Neolithic period onwards. Avadas used to be a pass as it is located at a small river and  is easy to pass from the mountain to the sea region with a milder climate. This explains the remains of fortification facilities at the different gorges around. An imposing gate, framed by trees and bushes, growing from between the stones still meets visitors here. Even in the cracks of the fortified walls there is brushwood and grass whose branches cover the walls. The tall towers still rise on both sides of the gate. The stairs inside the wall leading to the embrasures have survived to the present day. The corridors, along which the defenders of the fortress moved have also survived. 
 

---