greek hotels - Chania - History The County of Chania has a long history. The first signs of life date back to Neolithic times. The settlements and buildings of the Minoan era at various sites bear witness to particular activity developed in the area at that time. Kidonia developed in subsequent years, and the capital of the County is built on its ruins. According to mythology, King Kidonas, grandson of Minoas, inhabited this town. Later on, in 824 BC, Arab invaders renamed the town Al Chanim and this is probably the origin of the town's modern name. From 961 to 1204 AD, the County like the entire island came under Byzantine occupation. Then a new wave of invaders, the Venetians, arrived and caused huge turmoil. Among other things, they influenced culture. However, in 1645, the Turks occupied the entire County except for Sfakia and it was annexed to the Ottoman Empire until 1825 when the Gramvoussa peninsula became the centre of revolutionary activity and the revolution spread throughout western Crete. The battle of Frangokastello took place in 1828 underthe Greek leader Xatzimihalis Dalianis who was badly defeated by the soldiers of Mustafa Pasha. During the period 1830-1840, Crete passed into the hands of the Egyptians. During the Cretan revolution, the inhabitants of Chania under Yiannis Zimvrakakis revolted; their decisive password was "Unification or stop " and they fought for unification with the rest of Greece. In 1905, a revolution started in Therissos under the leadership of Venizelos, requesting the island's unification with Greece. This was achieved in 1913. As far as modern history is concerned, the County played a main role during the Second World War when it participated in the resistance against the Germans. Glorious pages in modern history have been written at Maleme and Galatas thanks to the hearty ideology of the inhabitants of Chania. A tour around the County of Chania will offer you a magic journey through time and inform you about the history of the area that dates back thousands of years. From the ruins of ancient settlements to Byzantine churches, from Roman buildings to Venetian forts and from the cenotaphs of 1921 revolutionaries to the statues of contemporary fighters, all are blended into a uniform whole that composes the history of the County of Chania. The graves of the local Venizelos family on the Chania Peninsula and the fact that this site was a base for revolutionaries will give you an idea of the area's modern history. Daskalogiannis at Anopolis hoisted the first flag of the revolution on the slopes of the White Mountains, while a Minoan town once stood on the same site. Revolutionary movements for the unifcation of Crete with the rest of Greece, under the guidance of Venizelos, started at Therisos. Roman buildings have been discovered at Kandanos. At Agia Marina - Nerospilia, near Chania, you will see one of our ancestors' places of worship. Modern Kastelli used to be the port of the once powerful Minoan Polirrinia, while during Roman times it prospered and was thus adorned with many important buildings. Polirrinia itself still has remains of the ancient town and subsequent times when it was under Roman rule, and its cultural activity was important. At Kolymbari, the various invaders, due to its persistent militant activity, have destroyed the Monastery of Odigitria many times. Many people visit Maleme every year. It is famous for its glorious resistance activity against the German army; the German graveyard in situated outside Maleme and is an attraction for many tourists. The village of Mournies, birthplace of Venizelos, attracts persons of modern history who visit his house in order to admire some of the personal objects and manuscripts of this famous politician. In Omalos, you will see the grave of the brave leader ChatzimihalEs Giannaris. Ancient Lissos that still has important ancient monuments was built near Sougia. Aptera where you will see Roman ruins stood on the site of modern Souda. At Falasama, there are buildings and a fort dating from the Byzantine era. The Venetian fort of Frangokastello near Chora Sfakion will impress you. There is a Historical Museum at Paleochora. There are over 5,000 churches of different styles in Crete, which tell the history of the island. The oldest ones date back to the 4th century. The incorporation of Crete in the Byzantine Empire, its surrender to the Venetians and its occupation by the Turks contributed to the fact that the same sites were often used as places of worship by different dogmas. As a result, architectural features were added of removed. As in the rest of Crete, Chania County has numerous churches and it is practically impossible to record them fully. If you wish to visit a small church, a resident in the nearest settlement usually keeps the key. For example, in the town of Chania, you can visit the Chania Cathedral, the Church of Trimartiri or Isodlon. In the Municipality of Kissamos, you can visit the churches of Saints Polikarpos, Nikolaos and Polikarpos. The country church of Agia Irini in Gramvoussa is also worth visiting. There is a small church, Kimisi tis Theotokou, in the settlement of Polirrinia. At the Acropolis of ancient Polirrinia there used to be a temple of Diktini Artemis (4th century BC) and it is on this site that (around 1894) the church of Agii Pateres was built. In the Municipality of Mithimna, you can visit the churches of Agios Pandeleimonas, Agios Georgios, Agia Paraskevi and Agia Triada; in the Municipality of Pelekanos, the church of Agios loannis, Mihail Archangelos and Agia Paraskevi. Near the fort of Frangokastello, towards the sea, are the ruined church of Agios Charalambos and the church of Agios Nikitas ( 1371) where traces of an old Christian basilica have been preserved, etc...

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The County of Chania has a long history. The first signs of life date back to Neolithic times. The settlements and buildings of the Minoan era at various sites bear witness to particular activity developed in the area at that time. Kidonia developed in subsequent years, and the capital of the County is built on its ruins.
According to mythology, King Kidonas, grandson of Minoas, inhabited this town. Later on, in 824 BC, Arab invaders renamed the town Al Chanim and this is probably the origin of the town's modern name. From 961 to 1204 AD, the County like the entire island came under Byzantine occupation. Then a new wave of invaders, the Venetians, arrived and caused huge turmoil.
Among other things, they influenced culture. However, in 1645, the Turks occupied the entire County except for Sfakia and it was annexed to the Ottoman Empire until 1825 when the Gramvoussa peninsula became the centre of revolutionary activity and the revolution spread throughout western Crete.
The battle of Frangokastello took place in 1828 underthe Greek leader Xatzimihalis Dalianis who was badly defeated by the soldiers of Mustafa Pasha. During the period 1830-1840, Crete passed into the hands of the Egyptians. During the Cretan revolution, the inhabitants of Chania under Yiannis Zimvrakakis revolted; their decisive password was "Unification or stop " and they fought for unification with the rest of Greece. In 1905, a revolution started in Therissos under the leadership of Venizelos, requesting the island's unification with Greece.
This was achieved in 1913. As far as modern history is concerned, the County played a main role during the Second World War when it participated in the resistance against the Germans. Glorious pages in modern history have been written at Maleme and Galatas thanks to the hearty ideology of the inhabitants of Chania. A tour around the County of Chania will offer you a magic journey through time and inform you about the history of the area that dates back thousands of years. From the ruins of ancient settlements to Byzantine churches, from Roman buildings to Venetian forts and from the cenotaphs of 1921 revolutionaries to the statues of contemporary fighters, all are blended into a uniform whole that composes the history of the County of Chania.
The graves of the local Venizelos family on the Chania Peninsula and the fact that this site was a base for revolutionaries will give you an idea of the area's modern history. Daskalogiannis at Anopolis hoisted the first flag of the revolution on the slopes of the White Mountains, while a Minoan town once stood on the same site. Revolutionary movements for the unifcation of Crete with the rest of Greece, under the guidance of Venizelos, started at Therisos. Roman buildings have been discovered at Kandanos. At Agia Marina - Nerospilia, near Chania, you will see one of our ancestors' places of worship. Modern Kastelli used to be the port of the once powerful Minoan Polirrinia, while during Roman times it prospered and was thus adorned with many important buildings. Polirrinia itself still has remains of the ancient town and subsequent times when it was under Roman rule, and its cultural activity was important. At Kolymbari, the various invaders, due to its persistent militant activity, have destroyed the Monastery of Odigitria many times. Many people visit Maleme every year. It is famous for its glorious resistance activity against the German army; the German graveyard in situated outside Maleme and is an attraction for many tourists. The village of Mournies, birthplace of Venizelos, attracts persons of modern history who visit his house in order to admire some of the personal objects and manuscripts of this famous politician. In Omalos, you will see the grave of the brave leader ChatzimihalEs Giannaris. Ancient Lissos that still has important ancient monuments was built near Sougia. Aptera where you will see Roman ruins stood on the site of modern Souda. At Falasama, there are buildings and a fort dating from the Byzantine era.
The Venetian fort of Frangokastello near Chora Sfakion will impress you. There is a Historical Museum at Paleochora.
There are over 5,000 churches of different styles in Crete, which tell the history of the island. The oldest ones date back to the 4th century. The incorporation of Crete in the Byzantine Empire, its surrender to the Venetians and its occupation by the Turks contributed to the fact that the same sites were often used as places of worship by different dogmas. As a result, architectural features were added of removed.
As in the rest of Crete, Chania County has numerous churches and it is practically impossible to record them fully. If you wish to visit a small church, a resident in the nearest settlement usually keeps the key. For example, in the town of Chania, you can visit the Chania Cathedral, the Church of Trimartiri or Isodlon. In the Municipality of Kissamos, you can visit the churches of Saints Polikarpos, Nikolaos and Polikarpos. The country church of Agia Irini in Gramvoussa is also worth visiting. There is a small church, Kimisi tis Theotokou, in the settlement of Polirrinia. At the Acropolis of ancient Polirrinia there used to be a temple of Diktini Artemis (4th century BC) and it is on this site that (around 1894) the church of Agii Pateres was built. In the Municipality of Mithimna, you can visit the churches of Agios Pandeleimonas, Agios Georgios, Agia Paraskevi and Agia Triada; in the Municipality of Pelekanos, the church of Agios loannis, Mihail Archangelos and Agia Paraskevi. Near the fort of Frangokastello, towards the sea, are the ruined church of Agios Charalambos and the church of Agios Nikitas ( 1371) where traces of an old Christian basilica have been preserved, etc...