The cultivation of tobacco is what helped the financial prosperity of Xanthi. Many of the buildings which decorate the city today, used to be trading centers in the past. They were built in the late 19th and early 20th century and some of them are unique in Europe. The warehouses were built in the plains, south of the old city, but today the region is included in the outskirts of the center. All buildings have a basement and an attic which were the necessary premises for the processing of tobacco.