Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is the seat of
Lapseki District
Lapseki District is a Districts of Turkey, district of the Çanakkale Province of Turkey. Its seat is the town of Lapseki.İlçe Belediyesi Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023. Its population is 14,984 (2021). The mayor is Atilla Öztürk ( iYi).
The district of Lapseki is known for its cherries, and a cherry festival is held annually in the town.
History
The town was founded by
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
colonists from
Phocaea
Phocaea or Phokaia (Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: Φώκαια, ''Phókaia''; modern-day Foça in Turkey) was an ancient Ionian Ancient Greece, Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Colonies in antiquity, Greek colonists from Phoc ...
in the 6th century BC, one of 4 settlements along the Dardanelles at that time. Soon afterwards it became a competitor of
Miletus
Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, MÃlÄ“tos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and ex ...
, controlling the trade routes in the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
. The modern Turkish name derives from the original Greek name.
Ancient Greek legend says that while the city was under the rule of King Mandron and named Pityussa, the king, who defended the colonists from Phocaea from the attacks of the local people, minted coins for the first time in its history in the name of his daughter Lampsace and later the city was given this name by the colonists to express their indebtedness to him. In this way, the name Lampsakos, then Lapseki, was passed down to the present day.
The city was under the Byzantines for a long period before being passed into Ottoman hands after its conquest by Süleyman Pasha in 1356. Occupied at the end of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the town was freed from the British and French forces on 25 September 1922, toward the end of the
War of Independence
Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
. In the district are the graves of 15,000 soldiers who lost their lives during the War of Independence.
Economy
The primary livelihood of the people in the area is agriculture, with fishing and tourism also being important. The most common fruits of the district include cherries and peaches. First held in 1983, the annual Cherry Festival takes place 2–12 June. A fair is also held in Lapseki on 1–4 September but shaded by the fair in nearby town Çardak in 22–26 August which closes with a wrestling competition each year - the second oldest competition in Turkey After Kirkpinar in Edirne. People come to watch the wrestlers from near provinces such as Bursa. Apart from these, the beaches and summer houses in seaside villages attract tourists as well. Numan Kurtulmuş, the deputy prime minister of Turkey, has a summer house in Suluca village of Lapseki. There are direct ferries to Gelibolu at every o'clock from Lapseki. It is an intercontinental trip from Asia to Europe.
Çanakkale 1915 Bridge
The Çanakkale 1915 Bridge is a major project planned to be completed in March 2022. It will be constructed over the Dardanelles strait from Lapseki to Sütlüce in Gallipoli Peninsula. The completion of the project is a part of the government's goals for their 2023 vision program to improve the country's infrastructure. It will provide a link from Europe to western Turkey, which is projected to boost both regional tourism and the local economy. The bridge will hold six lanes of automobile traffic. A railroad is also planned to cross on the bridge that is intended to connect the region to Istanbul or Edirne and Europe. The groundbreaking for the bridge took place on March 18, 2017. The bridge was officially opened by President Tayyip Erdogan on 18 March 2022. It is the fourth bridge over the Turkish Straits. ith a main span of 2,023 m (6,637 ft), the bridge surpassed the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan by 32 m (105 ft) to become the longest suspension bridge in the world.
See also
*
Lampsacus
Lampsacus (; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city located in modern day Turkey, strategically situated on the eastern side of the Hellespont in the northern Troad. An inhabitant of Lampsacus was called a Lampsacene. The name has been trans ...