Explore Cretan

History

Crete’s strategic location at the crossroads of the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean is the main reason for the continuous claim of the island by many occupants.

Crete managed to keep its unique and strong character till today. Religion, glorious history and the wild Cretan terrain formed the personality of Cretans, who held their Greek soul after many centuries of slavery. Apart from the scattered archaeological sites and monuments of spiritual wealth, the visitor has the chance to see the rare and priceless findings of excavations at the various museums and collections throughout the island.

Crete is the birthplace of Zeus, the ruler of the gods, people and hospitality. Even today the hospitality of the Cretans is more than a ritual. The first European civilization, the Minoans, emerged here between 2800 BC and 1400 BC. Even today, the palaces of Knossos, Phaestus, Malia and Zakros reflect the splendor of the Minoan civilization through the masterpieces of architecture, pottery, gold, silversmithing and painting. The most powerful fleet in the then known world, as evidenced by the different findings across the Mediterranean, brought wealth to Crete from trading the famous Cretan cypress and its agricultural products. This brilliant course was terminated in 1400 BC when the Achaeans and the Dorians made their presence on the island, founding new towns (eg Lato, Polyrhenea) and gave the baton to the Classical Greek civilization.

After the conquest of Crete by the Romans, the capital moved to Gortys, which subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Crete and Cyrene. During his journey to Rome, Saint Paul stopped in Crete and proclaimed Christianity, beginning a century-old monastic tradition in more remote areas. The island became an important Christian center as depicted in hundreds of religious monuments, scattered everywhere.

In 824AD Crete was conquered by the Arabs, who turned Candia (today’s Iraklion) to a base for pirate attacks in the Mediterranean Sea. After many failed attempts, the Byzantines managed to release Crete in 961, under the commands of the later emperor Nikiforos Fokas, giving a new impetus in Christian tradition on Crete.

After the conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, the Venetians became the new rulers of Crete until 1669. During this period Crete experienced a great economic and spiritual wellbeing. The big cities were rebuilt, decorated with amazing monuments and fortified with massive walls. Moreover, the art reached its apogee with great personalities from the field of hagiography, as El Greco (Dominikos Theotokopoulos) and Michael Damaskinos. Moreover, literature, music and theater thrived and produced masterpieces, like Erotokritos and Erofili. All these were abruptly interrupted in 1669 when Candia, Crete’s last stronghold, surrendered after the longest siege in history by the Ottomans.

Successive revolutions and bloody battles led to the autonomy of Crete in 1897. In 1913 Crete became part of the Greek territory, honoring the longed dream of all Cretans for the Union with Greece. During the Union of Crete, the politician Eleftherios Venizelos came into foreground, who would later become the greatest leader that ever ruled Greece. The struggles, however, of the Cretans did not end here, as the Cretan glory emerged in the Battle of Crete in 1941 and from the ashes of the dozens of villages burnt by the Germans. Thousands of Cretans were executed with their fearless gaze towards the barrel of the German guns, helping to turn the scales in favor of the Allies.

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Oriseum Museum

The museum is a private idea of the priest Michael Georgoulakis and consists of his personal collection of folk art and historical objects.

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Vrokastro Settlement

Atop a steep peak, naturally fortified and close to Kalo Chorio, we meet the ruins of the Late Minoan settlement of Vrokastro. This settlement belongs to the dozens of settlements of the darkest period of Crete (1200BC), after the destruction of the Minoan civilization, when settlements were founded on the most inhospitable and inaccessible peaks of the Cretan mountains.

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Archaeological Collection of Malevizi

The Archaeological Collection of Malevizi exhibits about 500 ancient objects, dating all from the seasons of Cretan antiquity. The majority of the exhibits come from the collection of Metaxas, which was maintained by Nikolaos Metaxas from 1959 to 1997.

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Folklore Museum of Agios Nikolaos

The Folklore Museum of Agios Nikolaos was founded in 1978 and is housed in the Old Port Service by Lake Voulismeni. Most of the exhibited objects were donated by the Touring Club of Agios Nikolaos.

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Voukolies Tower

Voukolies village is located at the 27th kilometer of the road Chania - Kandanos - Paleochora. It was initially a Turkish village and in 1866 the Turks, in order to consolidate their position, built a strong tower southwest of the village and within half a kilometer from Voukolies.

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Fort Inadiye (Fortezza)

Fortezza is a suburb of Heraklion, built on a high hill next to the hospital of Venizelion. This hill was ideal for establishing a fortress, as evidenced by its name.

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Liopetro Fort

The fort of Liopetro was located in Fatsi position, near the village Hamezi (Sitia province). It is believed to have been built on the site of an older fort, of which the tank survives. Liopetro is built on a steep hill with panoramic views to all sides. Atop of it, there is the scenic chapel of Prophet Elias and the remains of walls, tanks and other buildings.

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Boufos Minoan settlement

The archaeological site at hill Kefali of St. Anthony or Kremasma is situated next to the sea, between the beaches Avlaki and Boufos. This point offers very good view of the canyon Selinari, which was the passage to East Crete. The excavations began in 1960 by the archaeologist Kostas Davaras and continued long after by the School of Archaeology of Belgium.

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