Elounda Salt pans
On the road that connects Elounda with Kolokitha peninsula, on the site of the ancient city Olous, we meet the Venetian salt pans that functioned until 1972. We see dozens of cisterns separated by walls in the shallow sea, where water from the lagoon of Elounda was trapped early spring, around April. The water was then evaporated throughout the summer and in September the harvest of salt started, which was then stored in large warehouses, traces of which are still around the lake.
The Venetians built the salt panes in the 15th century to produce salt, which was then exported to Europe. When the Ottomans conquered Cyprus in 1570, where the Venetians took advantage of some other saltpans, Elounda pans were upgraded and larger tanks were built to cover the lost quantity. After the conquest of Crete by the Ottomans in 1669, the salt mines covered the needs of the Turks. After the liberation of Crete, the salt of Elounda was produced till 1972, when the pits seized their function. In recent years, some actions have been made to reopen them. Fishing is forbidden in the salt lake.
