Expansive and modern Alexandroupolis was designed in 1877 by Russian army officers out of the small quaint town of Dedeağaç that was destined to become capital of Evros Prefecture. It owes its name to King Alexander who came on a visit in 1920 after it was liberated by the Greek army. Gazing out to the open sea and the island of Samothrace this open-hearted town became the anchorage of Thrace, particularly of the town of Ainos across the Evros Delta. Many neoclassic buildings still survive in Alexandroupolis, bearing witness to the Greekness of the town. For instance, the 3rd Primary School next to the town’s Cathedral, the Church Museum (housed in the former Leontaridios School for Boys), the Zarifios Pedagogical Academy, and the Ethnological Museum (housed in the mansion of the Chrisostomos family).