The 25th European Congress of Arachnology was held in the city of Alexandroupolis, from 16 to 21 August 2009. It was jointly organised by the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Democritus University of Thrace and the Natural History Museum of the University of Crete. Arachnologists from all over the world arrived to this little point at the north-eastern border of Greece to attend this meeting, the 25th in a series which started in 1972 in Strasburg. The arachnological meeting has passed through many countries of Europe, but this was the first time that has taken place in Greece. 90 participants, including 30 students, from 28 representative countries from all five continents and 17 accompanying persons attended this meeting. The scientific programme comprised 51 oral presentations and 34 posters from various thematic fields such as taxonomy and faunistics, phylogenetics, biogeography, phylogeography, physiology, behaviour, ecology and others. 18 papers were submitted for evaluation for the proceedings volume and of these, 11 were selected for publication after peer review by two referees each
