Edirne’s former name is Adrianople (Hadrianoupolis), i.e. “City of Hadrianus”, named after the Roman emperor who founded the city on the site of Thracian village of Uskudama.

In the 14th century, the Ottomans captured the city and made it their capital, this lasted until the Fall of Constantinople. Even after the dynasty moved to Constantinople in the mid 15th century, Edirne was one of, if not the most, important centers of the European part of the Ottoman Empire.

Edirne functioned as a semi-capital of the empire, with some sultans even favoring the city over Istanbul and whispering about returning the throne back to the city.

Dramatic changes started in the early 19th century and the city suffered heavy depopulation due to the Russo-Turkish wars of 1829. Another war with Russia in 1878, when Russians occupied lands extending to the western suburbs of Istanbul, along with the Balkan Wars of late 19th/early 20th century caused further depopulation.

Lands which were part of the city during the Ottoman Era, along with Western and Northern suburbs were lost to the redrawing of borders in the 1910s and 20s. During WWII when Nazi armies were only miles away from the city, on the opposite banks of the rivers, the population was moved to interior Turkey.

Some of those who could not flee died of starvation during this period. This depopulation slowly but constantly continued until recently, with a recent census showing only 140,000 people. Although it is quite a lively city when compared to other Turkish cities of this size, only a fraction of its former glory remains.