Edirne trip planner

Edirne is a city in the northwestern Turkish province of Edirne in the region of East Thrace, close to Turkey's borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the third capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1363 to 1453, before Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) became the empire's fourth and final capital. The city's estimated population in 2014 was 165,979.EtymologyThe city was founded as Hadrianopolis, named for the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This name is still used in the Modern Greek (Αδριανούπολη). The Turkish name Edirne derives from the Greek name. The name Adrianople was used in English, until the Turkish adoption of Latin alphabet in 1928 made Edirne the internationally recognized name. Одрин, Edrenë, Одрин and Једрене / Jedrene are adapted forms of the name Hadrianopolis or of its Turkish version; see also its other names.HistoryThe area around Edirne has been the site of no fewer than 16 major battles or sieges, from the days of the ancient Greeks. Military historian John Keegan identifies it as "the most contested spot on the globe" and attributes this to its geographical location.