The Mansion Greek Urban School (Mansion Tsanakli) is one of the most impressive buildings in Komotini. Built according to the principles of eclecticism - the dominant architectural view of the 19th century - it was inaugurated in 1907. It was named Tsanakleios School in honour of the benefactor of the city, who for several years sent the sum of 200 golden pounds to cover the salaries of the teachers of the Greek community. For the construction of the Greek Urban School, the then Ottoman administration granted him the site of the then Municipal Garden, in the centre of the Greek Quarter.
The school successively housed the Orphanage (1919), the General Administration of Thrace (1922-1945), the Prefecture of Rhodope (1945-1972) and the Rectorate of the Democritus University of Thrace (until 2000).
Since 2020 the building has housed the Municipal Library of Komotini, which was founded in 1954 and is a source of learning, education and information accessible to all citizens. The library has 30,000 books, magazines and archives of the local press since 1965, while on the second floor there is a reading room. Special attention has been paid to the children's and young people's section, as well as to the local history and folklore collection.
Description