Hadrianopolis
Description
In the place where the city of Edirne stands today, in the ancient period there was a Roman town. It was refounded by Emperor Hadrian at the site of a previous Thracian settlement. Hadrian developed the city, made it the capital of the Roman province of Thrace, and gave it his name - Hadrianopolis. The most visible traces of this period of Edirne's history are the walls of a Roman fortress, erected during Hadrian's reign. They are now a part of a small archaeological park, situated at the foot of the Macedonian Tower, in the very centre of the city.
Edirne Fortress was still standing until the mid-nineteenth century. It was demolished between 1866 and 1870, and the stones were used to build a hospital, a school, some government buildings, and an army barracks. Only one of the four corner towers has been preserved, transformed into a clock tower.
The Clock Tower, standing above Hadrianopolis excavations area, was built much later on the bastion known as the Macedonian Tower. This tower was originally a part of the fortifications surrounding Edirne. Its name is usually explained by the orientation of the building towards Macedonia. In 1884, Edirne governor, İzzet Pasha, ordered the construction of a wooden clock tower on the bastion. It was also referred to as the Fire Tower. There were windows on each floor of the four-storey wooden structure, which was constructed on the iron framework, narrowing from bottom to top. Original clock adorning the tower was brought to Edirne from France, but it was replaced two years later.