Archaeological sites
Crete has served as the crossroads between several cultures for centuries. The stunning scenery was alluring to many nations who have left their mark through time, either as visitors or as conquerors. The Archaeological services are in constant effort to uncover, study and conserve them. Aptera, Polyrrhenia, Falasarna, Kissamos, Kydonia and Lissos offer visitors a complete view throughout the area’s history. Temples, tombs, fortifications, reservoirs and mosaics represent the cultural importance that Crete maintained in the Mediterranean.
Museums
The district of Chania hosts several museum exhibits that showcase the local culture and the ways the local economy developed through time. The Archaeological Museum of Chania, the Archaeological collection of Kissamos, with the numerous in situ roman mosaics, the Byzantine Collection of Chania, the Naval Museum, the Fisheries Museum in Kolymbari, the Museum of Typography in Souda, the Olive Museum in Vouves and last but definitely not least the Eleftherios Venizelos Residence are there to assist visitors enjoy a genuine timeless, local, experience.
Byzantine, Post-Byzntine, Ottoman and Modern Monuments
The lasting presence of Byzantines, Genoese, Ottomans and other nationals, gave Chania a complex array of religious and other monuments. The unique paleo Christian rotunda in the diocese of Kissamos, the catholic monasteries in Aghia Triada, Gouvernetos and Gonia, the Byzantine and Post Byzantine temples in Kyriakoselia and Apano Floria, the Ottoman mausoleums in Souda, the Castles in Paleohora, Askifou, Gramvousa, the old stone olive mills, as the one in Dromonero and the school buildings that were constructed within the short era between the two world wars, altogether craft a network of everlasting public buildings.
Town of Chania
Inhabited since the neolithical ages, the old town of Chania offers its’ visitors a true journey through time, inspired by it numerous well maintained sights. Minoan-era houses and streets, Hellenistic and Byzantine fortresses, Venetian building and walls and Ottoman mosques embrace a picturesque port that acts as the centermost point of life for the visitors as well as the locals. The town extends to the outskirts of the Venetian walls, showcasing noticeable neoclassical elements, like the Chalepas quarter. Add to that, a long façade of industrial buidings starting at the east and spanning all the way to the “Nea Hora” completes this great city’s unique character.
