Ryj, CC BY-SA 3.0
Soufli Silk
51.55 km from the center
About
Sericulture has thrived in Soufli since the 1830s, with households across the town raising silkworms on mulberry leaves. A tiny larva, no bigger than a pinhead, eats up to 500kg of leaves, multiplies its weight more than 10,000 times, and finally spins a cocoon with a thread roughly 2,500 metres long. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries Soufli had become known as the "silk capital" of the Balkans, exporting fine silk across Europe, and the prosperity of that era left behind the town's striking "cocoon houses" and mansions, with upper floors specially built for silkworm rearing, such as the Brikas mansion (1890), built by craftsmen from Bursa.
The industry suffered a sharp decline after the Second World War, with the loss of its Thracian hinterland after the Treaty of Lausanne and the rise of synthetic fibres, but a handful of family businesses kept the tradition alive, and the last silk mills in Greece still operate here. Today the Silk Museum, housed in a restored mansion, tells this story, while handmade silk goods - scarves, ties, headscarves, pareos - are still produced in town using traditional techniques.
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Useful Information
- Where to Buy
- https://silkyhouse.gr
Weather in Alexandroupoli
LiveFrom April to June and from September to October you get warm days, calm sea, and fewer crowds. July and August are hot and busy along the seafront, while winters stay mild but rainy.
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