Heraklion

The Small Serai is located at 21 Evropis Street and was used as the residence of Little Bey, a wealthy Muslim Cretan. Today it is a privately property and operates as a restaurant.

Revolutionary in its time, this was the first multi-storey building to appear in Heraklion and the first apartment block to be equipped with a lift. It was built between the years 1926-1930.

The Church of Saint Demetrius near the Venetian harbor of Heraklion is built on the site of an older church of St. Demetrius, who was the patron saint of the carpenters of Heraklion during the Venetian era (every profession then had its patron saint!). The only surviving part of the initial church is a part of frescoes inside the sanctuary.

The house of John Chronakis is a beautiful Ottoman house in the center of Heraklion, which belonged to the Bey Rasih Asprakis. It was restored in 1991 and houses various art objects. Apart from the exhibits, the visitor can see the hammam, the indoor fountain, the murals, the woodwork and rich decorations of ceilings of this excellent sample of Ottoman mansion.

This house is one of the most elegant examples of the late 'romantic' Neoclassicism. It was built in the first decade of the 20th century by the architect D. Kyriakou, probably influenced by the bilding of Stathatos at Queen Olga avenue, Athens (architect Ernst Ziller).

The deserted today Pananio Municipal Hospital was constructed at the expense of Pananos Theodoulakis and his wife Athena Anemogianni. Its construction began in 1895, but it was interrupted due to the great revolution of 1896 and restarted in November 1896, to stop again in 1897. During the Cretan State era works started again (in 1900) and on 10 February 1902 the hospital opened its gates. After the operation of the new Pananio-Venizelio general Hospital near Knossos in 1953, the hospital stopped its operation.

It is a characteristic example of the Balkan architecture with clear neoclassical influence. The size, the structure of the rooms, the variety of the forms of the other parts and the high aesthetic conception establish the building unique in Heraklion.

Opposite the Great Koules of Heraklion (Rocca al Mare), which still dominates the entrance to the Venetian port of the city, the Turks founded a smaller tower. It was the only fortification work that the Turks added to the harbor area throughout the period of their domination on the island.