Karaağaç railway station

Karaağaç Railway Station
The front facade of the railway station after redevelopment.
Owned by	Trakya University
History
Opened	1873
Closed	1971

The Karaağaç Railway Station (Turkish: Karaağaç Garı), or before 1971 the Edirne Railway Station (Turkish: Edirne Garı) was the name of the former railway station in Edirne, located 4 km (2.5 mi) south-west of the city. Currently, it houses Trakya University's Faculty of Fine Arts.

History

In 1868, the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Orientaux (CO), Orient Railway Company, received a concession to build a railway to Vienna, Austria via Edirne. In 1871, the line reached Edirne but in order to avoid building a bridge across the Maritsa River, the station was built in Karaağaç. Edirne was always a favored city in the Ottoman Empire, and famous for its grand architecture, so in 1890 the station was built that stands today. After the Turkish Independence War, and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, the Turkish-Greek border was on the Maritsa River except the Karaağaç section that remained in Turkish territory.

The line was used by the Greek State Railways (OSE) until 1971 when the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) built a line from Pehlivanköy through the city of Edirne to the Bulgarian border, and OSE built a short cut-off between Marasia and Nea Vyssa to avoid Turkish territory near Edirne. This resulted in the abandonment of the station in 1971.

Today

Following redevelopment works, the railway station building was converted into Faculty of Fine Arts of Trakya University in Edirne. Opened in 1998, the Treaty of Lausanne Monument and Museum are located next to the former railway station.