Turkish wise man (Turkish dede) who spent much of his time under the shade of a tree (ağaç) and was eventually buried beside it. From the first days of the city's capture (May 14, 1920), the local authorities as well as the Metropolitan, decided to rename the city from Dedeağaç to Neapoli ("new city"), as it was the newest Greek city. In 1920, King Alexander I of Greece visited the city, and the local authorities renamed the city Alexandroupoli ("city of Alexander") in his honor, with the approval of the central government. History From Neolithic Period to the 19th century Human settlements appear since the Neolithic Period (4500-3000 BC) at the southeast end of Western Thrace. In the Bronze Age (3000-1050 BC) there is no strong evidence of active city participation. During the Early Iron Age (1050-650 BC) the various Thracian tribes appeared and settled in mountainous and, more rarely, in lowland areas. In the Byzantine Period, the region which covers the modern city of Alexandroupolis played a leading role, because the city bordered Constantinople. For this reason the settlement was guarded by powerful military installations. In the following years, up to the 19th century, the city seems to have been deserted and covered by forests and wild trees. Ottoman era The modern city was first settled in the 19th century, under the Ottoman Empire. Long used as a landing ground for fishermen from the opposite coast of Samothrace, a hamlet developed in the area during the construction of a railway line connecting Constantinople to the major cities of Macedonia from Kuleliburgaz. The work was part of an effort to modernise the Empire, and was assigned to engineers from Austria-Hungary. The settlement grew into a fishing village, Dedeağaç. In 1873 it was made the chief town of a kaza, to which it gave its name, and a kaymakam was appointed to it. In 1884 it was promoted to a sanjak, and the governor became a mutasarrıf. In 1889 the Greek archbishopric of Aenus was transferred to Dedeağaç. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Dedeağaç was part of the Adrianople Vilayet. Russo-Turkish War Dedeağaç was captured by the Russians during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Russian forces settled in the village. The officers in charge saw that reconstruction incorporated wide streets running parallel to each other, allowing the quick advance of troops, and avoided cul-de-sacs. This was very unlike the