1. HISTORICAL INFORMATION
ABOUT EVROS RIVER AND
EVROS DELTA
Evros River was known as
“Romvos” in mythology. It took
its name after Evros, son of
Cassander, king of Thrace, who
drowned in its waters, after
having been defamed by his
stepmother because he has rejected her love. Cassander,
who did not believe Evros, pulled out his sword to kill him.
Evros, who could not avoid death, plunged into the river
waters and drowned. Evros River was also named by
Euripides as “argiroritis” (silver-carrier) because it crossed
and integrated the land making it rich and fertile. It is
finally worth mentioning that during the Persian wars
Xerxes, supplied and offered some rest to his army next to
Evros River; an incident
revealing the great richness
of the river.
Nowadays, Evros River is
called “Maritsa” by the Turks
and Bulgarians. This name is
mentioned for the first time
by Isaak Comnenos who
erected the monastery Virgin
Kosmosoteira (Saviour of the
world). However, there is another version. The Slavs trace
the etymology of the name Maritsa to Moritsi or Movaritsi
which according to the Slavic language means peace and
tranquility.

2. In the southeastern part of
Evros prefecture, next to
the border with Turkey,
Evros River creates an
extensive delta with a total
surface are of 188km2.
Evros River is the second
biggest river in Eastern
Europe and is
characterized by the large
amount of sediment that it transfers and deposits on its
delta. Evros River springs from the mountains of Rila in
Bulgaria. The total length of the river is 528km, of which
310 km belong to Bulgaria, while 218km determine the
borders of Greece with the countries of Bulgaria and
Turkey.
Evros Delta is an important wetland on a national,
European and international level. For many years it is a
Protected Area, as it has a big value for wildlife and
humanity. In Evros Delta hundreds of thousands of birds
find shelter and food all year round, while it constitutes a
very important natural resource for the local community,
because of its value for fishing, stock breeding, agriculture,
climate, flood protection,
education, recreation and
science.