City Centre

This story will take you through Preveza's historical city centre

A carnet de voyage was published by Actia Nicopolis Foundation, back in 2011, to accompany the "refined" visitors of Preveza, not only as a guide, but also as an excuse for drawing their own sketches and write down their thoughts.

Pavlos Habidis, a well known artist in Greece and the EU, was invited by the Foundation to sketch places of interest in and around Preveza. With his brushwork, ink, and colours he drew corners that identify the history and character of the area, and which illustrate the Carnet.

Preveza's Town Hall, stands next to the National Bank's building. It was built in 1974, and it embeds traditional architectural elements of northwestern Greece.

A Swedish made lighthouse stood on Preveza's port since 1929 and till 1963, when the new harbour was constructed. In 2008 a replica of the lighthouse was placed on the same spot where the old one stood.

A visionary mayor of Preveza, Vassilios Balkos, constructed the covered market in the 1930's.
It was one of the first  reinforced-concrete buildings of the city.

The large building was used as a covered market until the late 1980's, when another visionary mayor of Preveza, Nikos Yiannoulis, transformed it into a multi-purpose centre.

There are many fishermen in Preveza, and if you take an early morning walk down the seafront, you could always buy fish from a fresh catch.

Red mullet from the Amvrakikos bay, mullus barbatus  scientifically, koutsoumoura in Greek, is one of the tastiest small fish you can eat in Preveza.

Potamianos was a prominent seafaring family, which settled in Preveza in the late 19th century. Their house has been restored into a boutique hotel, named The captain's house.

The open air yard of Captain's house is decorated by a stone fireplace façade, picked by Nantia Potamianos for this purpose.

Walking down Dardanellion street, your nose will pick a distinct odour of distilled alchohol. The Roumbos family has been in this business for more than a century and keeps going.

If the smell of Roumbos' ouzo whets your appetite, you only have to pick one of the many tavernas, mainly fish tavernas, which are abundant in the nearby narrow alleys of Preveza's historical centre.

If you never noticed it, call back the 007 movie For your eyes only, to find out (around the 63rd minute) what James Bond ordered in Corfu for lunch.

Shrimps and fresh fish can be picked in many fishmongers places of the city.

The Venetian clock tower is the centre of many activities and a meeting point in the city's centre.

A Roman sarcophagus, from the nearby ancient city of Nicopolis, decorates the façade of St. Charalambos' church in the city centre.

The Venetian clock tower of Preveza was built in 1792, towards the end of the Venetian era of Preveza, and was decorated with stone engravings depicting the city's heraldic symbol of the time.

Next to the Clock tower stands the city's cathedral church of St. Charalambos.

The templon (iconostasis) of St. Charalambos' church was carved out of walnut wood in 1827, by the Skalistis brothers of Turnovo, Epirus.

The gilding of the templon is the work of the Epirot painter Dimitrios Papadiamantis, from Zagori, and it was done in 1836.

Very close to St. Haralambos' church there is a slopped narrow street, known with its Ottoman name, Seitan bazar, Devil's market, with a colour of the past.

One of the oldest barber's shop in the city, that of Timoleon Veskas, reminds of the old styled barber shops.

There are some old coffee shops in Seitan bazar, where you could enjoy a short drink, along with your coffee...

The coffee shop of Kostas Stavros, from Ano Vlanto, has kept a lot from the ambiance of the past.

A well known Greek poet, Kostas Karyotakis, stayed in Preveza for just over a month, in 1928, and committed suicide by the bay of Vathy, nearby Preveza. The house where he stayed is still standing, in the Seitan bazar area.

Opposite to the house where Karyotakis stayed, there is a charming ouzo-shop, named after the Seitan bazar itself.

A small square, next to the place where Kostas Karyotakis lived, is named after him. With his poem titled Preveza, he established the city as one of the most active symbols of modern Greek poetry, and placed it exuberantly and gloriously in the field of modern Greek poetry.

A bronze bust of the poet adorns the small square that bears his name.

One of Preveza's merchants, with origin from the mountainous village of Syrrako, has donated his house to the community, and it now houses the Syrrakiots’ Folklore Museum.

One of the last handmade iron balconies in Preveza, has survived in Apostolos Rizos' house.

One of the surviving iron-made doorways of Preveza.

Next to St. Athanasios church

The so-called Ionian-Islands-type-bell-towers are common in Preveza. The oldest one is that of St. Athanasios church.

One of the oldest merchant houses in Preveza's old market street, Bizaniou street, is that of the Kavagias family, established in 1880.

Another example of handmade iron work.

named after the Greek Nobel laureate poet.

An example of Preveza's picturesque house inner yards.

A typical Preveza's house in the neighbourhood of Androutsos.

A number of Preveza's old houses survive in this narrow street, named after Odysseas Androutsou.

Another example of a handmade iron doorway, that once decorated most of the city's houses.

Several of Preveza's old houses still preserve their old wooden doors. Here the Konkouri family house door, at 36, Moustaki street.

The Tzilvitzis' old wooden house door, at 38, Moustaki street.

This historic building, was erected in the mid 1920's.

The football ground hosts Preveza's Football Club, whose symbol is a seahorse.

Next to the football grounds there is an old coffee shop called Agapi, Love.

The old road taking you out of Preveza is named after the Greek Prime Minister Panagis Tsaldaris. Under an old plane tree there is a tabacconist shop, a periptero in Greek, where you can find the bare essentials, and more ...

In the same street, there is a colourful and picturesque manaviko, greengrocer's shop.