Demirköy (, "iron village"; known as Малък Самоков, ''Malak Samokov'' in

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

) is a town and district of

Kırklareli Province Kırklareli Province ( tr, ) is a province in northwestern Turkey on the west coast of the Black Sea. The province neighbours Bulgaria to the north along a long border. It borders the province of Edirne to the west and the province of Tekirda ...

in the Marmara region of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. According to the Ottoman population statistics of 1914, the

kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...

of Demirköy had a total population of 9.133, consisting of 5.110

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

and 4.023 Muslims. The inhabitants are mainly descendants of Muslims from the village of Tisovo and other villages from the Greek side of the

Chech Chech ( bg, Чеч, el, Τσέτσι) or Chechko ( bg, Чечко) is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe in modern-day Bulgaria and Greece. It consists of about 60 settlements and was traditionall ...

region who were settled in Demirköy during the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey ( el, Ἡ Ἀνταλλαγή, I Antallagí, ota, مبادله, Mübâdele, tr, Mübadele) stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at ...

in 1923/1924. Prior to that, the village was known as Samakovo ( el, Σαμάκοβο) or Samokov ( bg, Самоков). The mayor is Muhlis Yavuz ( MHP). In 2020, the population of the town was 3.400 and the district 8.829.

Visitor attractions

A historic metalworking facility dating back to the 15th century, the Demirköy Foundry ( tr, Demirköy Dökümhanesi), currently an archaeological site, is located southeast of Demirköy. The

Dupnisa Cave The Dupnisa Cave ( tr, Dupnisa Mağarası), aka Dupnisa Caves, is a show cave located in Kırklareli Province, northwestern Turkey, close to Bulgarian-Turkish border. The cave itself, unlike what the original name suggests, is actually three, inter ...

( tr, Dupnisa Mağarası) is a show cave located deep in the Strandzha forests southwest of the town. The

İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park The İğneada Floodplain Forests National Park ( tr, İğneada Longoz Ormanları Milli Parkı), established on November 13, 2007, is a national park located within Kırklareli Province in Marmara Region of Turkey. The national park covers an area ...

( tr, İğneada Longoz Ormanları Milli Parkı) is at east of Demirköy near

İğneada İğneada (Greek: Thynias) is a small town within the district of Demirköy, Kırklareli, Demirköy in Turkey's Kırklareli Province. It lies on the Black Sea coast and is approximately south of the Rezovo River, Mutludere river which forms the b ...

. The

Lake Saka Nature Reserve The Lake Saka Nature Reserve ( tr, Saka Gölü Tabiatı Koruma Alanı) is a nature reserve at Sivriler, Demirköy, Sivriler village of Demirköy, Kırklareli, Demirköy district in Kırklareli Province of Turkey close to İğneada on the Black Se ...

is situated inside the national park.

References

Populated places in Kırklareli Province Districts of Kırklareli Province Pomak communities in Turkey {{Kırklareli-geo-stub