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Crete is the largest island in Greece and the fifth biggest in the Mediterranean Sea. It sprawls to an area of 8336 square km, 260 km in length from the east to west and 12 to 60 km in width.
Heraklion is the largest city in the island. Its international airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” is 5 km from the center of the city, while its port connects the island with Piraeus and Cyclades. The Venetian Castle Koules, the Morosini Fountain and Agios Markos Basilica constitute the most important monuments of Heraklion.
Koules was built to protect the old port of Heraklion. It was completed by the Venetian conquerors in the 16th century. Koules means “Water Tower” in Turkish. There used to be two fortresses but only one survived.
Morosini Fountain is located in the Eleftherios Venizelos Square or mostly known as Lions Square. It was inaugurated on 25 April 1628, St. Mark's Day. It was a concept of Francesco Morozini, the Captain-General of the Venetian forces on Crete. Morosini Fountain brought water to Candia (current Heraklion) from the sources of Giouchtas (Archanes), a mountain located 15 km from Heraklion.
Agios Markos Basilica is opposite Morosini Fountain. It was dedicated to Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. It was built at the beginning of Venetian rule in 1239. It used to be the place where rulers assumed their duties and the people sought the protection of the Saint. It also served as the tombs for dukes and members of the Venetian nobility. At this moment, it hosts exhibitions of the Heraklion Municipal Art Gallery.
The famous writer Nikos Kazantzakis was born in Heraklion, in 1883. At that time, Crete was still under Ottoman rule. Nikos Kazantzakis received the International Peace Award in Vienna in 1956. His tomb is within the old town walls of the city.
The palace of King Minos as well as the city around the palace are both called Knossos. They are situated 5 km from the city of Heraklion. King Minos was known of his wisdom and his justice. Ιt was Arthur Evans, a British archeologist who first discovered Knossos and named the “Minoan civilisation”because of King Minos. In Greek mythology, Minos was the son of Zeus, the king of the gods and Europa, a Phoenician princess (the name “Europe” of the continent comes from Europa).
Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros were the biggest cities in the minoan period with great palaces. Knossos was the most impressive palace of them all. It was mythical Athenian architect Daedalus who created Knossos. It was so complex that it looked like a labyrinth including endless corridors, four and five floors, fifteen hundred rooms and enchanting frescoes.
The Minoan civilization flourished in the Bronze Age from about 3000 B.C to about 1100 B.C. It is considered that Knossos was destroyed by an earthquake, around 1400 BC.
Phaistos was an ancient palace city, at 63 km southwest of Heraklion where the Messara plain ends. It was the second most important Minoan city after Knossos. The Phaistos Disc was discovered inside the palace of Phaistos. It is a unique and still enigmatic artifact in a spiral pattern. Its content is related to Linear A, Linear B and Cretan Hieroglyphic.
Gortyn or Gortyna is the biggest archaeological site on Crete and one of the biggest in Greece. It is 45 km south of Heraklion. Gortyna dominated Phaistos during the 3rd century B.C. It had two ports: Levina (current Lentas) and Matala. When the Romans occupied the island, Gortyna became the capital of Crete from 69 BC to 824 BC. Gortyna was also the first Cretan city to embrace Christianity.
Chania is located in Western Crete. Ιt is the second largest city of Crete with an airport at 12 km northeast of the town. It used to be the third largest town in Minoan Crete. The Minoan town Kydonia was built in the same location of the old town of Chania. During the Byzantine era, it was fortified. It was the Venetians that transformed the city into a strong fortress. During the Ottoman Empire, Chania became the capital of Crete until 1971. Ιt is remarkable that Chania became the capital of Greece during the Second World War when the seat of the Greek government was installed in the city. Chania was the last European city to be liberated from the German occupation in May 1945.
Spinalonga is an islet located opposite well-known Elounda which is 70 km from Heraklion. From 1903 until 1957, Spinalonga constituted the last leper colony in Europe. The ruins of shops, the hospital and the houses indicate that the exiled lepers could have a better life. During the Venetian period, a fortress with 40 cannons was built in the islet and the islet was named “Spina-Longa”, which means “long thorn” because of its shape.
Dikteon Cave or Dikteon Andron or the cave of Zeus is located in Lassithi Plateau (in East Crete), at an altitude of 1025m. According to the Greek mythology, this is the place where Zeus, the father of gods and men, was born and raised with the help of the Nymphs and the Kouretes. The cave covers an area of 2200 square metres and is full of immense stalagmites and stalactites.