The Prefecture of Chania is located to the west of the island offering long sandy beaches with clean blue waters. In contrast, the backdrop of the White Mountains home to the Samaria Gorge, famed for its natural beauty and the longest gorge in Europe at 18 km. The main town of Chania is bustling with activity.
The Prefecture of Rethymnon is home to the mountain range of Psiloritis, the highest peak of the island. The main town of Rethymnon has an old town with many fish tavernas and bars overlooking the fishing harbour and Venetian Fortress. On its south coast is the resort area of Agia Galini and close by the Monasteries of Prevali and Archadia. Every part of this island offers breathtaking natural rugged scenery and sandy beaches lapped by clear blue sea.
The Prefecture of Heraklion is located in the centre of the island and houses the capital city of the island with many museums, archaeological sites and steeped in history. The Minoan Palace of Knossos is just a few kilometres to the south of Heraklion and the Palace of Malia to the east. The finds of these palaces and many others can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. With so much to see and do you will come back again and again just to do it all.
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| HISTORY OF LASSITHI |



Lassithi

Lassithi is on the east part of the island, covering an area of 1,818 sq km and its population is 70,000 habitants. It has long sandy beaches, small isles scattered around the blue waters and green valleys with small villages.

The capital of the prefecture is Agios Nikolaos, a picturesque harbour built in the Mirabello Bay. Its population is 10,000 inhabitants. This cosmopolitan port gathers all the elements a visitor may come across in the Prefecture. The wonderful atmosphere of the harbour with its fishing boats and traditional cafes, the developed tourism, the hospitable people and the vivid rhythm of everyday events are all an indication of the varicoloured texture of this special place.

Other developed towns are: the Port of Sitia to the east and the cosmopolitan Elounda. Many villages present a special beauty in the Prefecture, such as the beautiful Lassithi plateau, with hundreds of windmills, the famous Vai area with a dense forest of 5,000 palm trees.

Lassithi Prefecture has a part in the long Cretan history. It is a place with many remarkable Venetian, Turkish monuments and with important archaeological sites. The most well-known is the ancient Minoan Palace in Zakros. Many interesting ancient monasteries, superb buildings of the Venetian era, Turkish mosques and Byzantine churches in various harbours and villages of the Prefecture.

During your visit to Lassithi Prefecture you will find that life has its own rhythm, the traditions are carefully followed and the people always take time to enjoy their most precious possession, the wonderful landscape of Lassithi.

Agios Nikolaos

The town of Agios Nikolaos was named after the Byzantine chapel built on "Nissi" during the 7th c AD and its history begins in ancient times when it was the port for Lato, a powerful city during Hellenist times. The harbour was still used during Roman times and the first Byzantine period. After that and till 1206, when the Genoas built the chapel of "Mirabelo" nothing important happened. During the Turks' rule, the town was uninhabited, but its harbour still continued to be used and was known as Mandraki. Only after 1870 did people move here, mainly to escape from Turkish persecution. During the later years of Turkish occupation, a small settlement grew around the port, which took the name of Aghios Nikolaos from the old domed church with a single nave, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, which stood on the small peninsula in the harbour.
The lake of Agios Nikolaos is the most beautiful ornament of the town. Legend has it that Athena and Artemis Vritomartis were washing their hair in the deep blue waters of the lake. The Christian commissioner Costas Adossidis Passa connected the lake to the sea in 1867 and its stagnant waters became clear.

Spinaloga

The peninsula of Spinalonga is situated in the northeast Bay of Elounda. It is united with the land with an isthmus, the well-known isthmus of Poros. In the northern part of the peninsula the rock-island-fortress of Spinalonga. For the protection of the port of Elounda a fortress was built during antiquity. Because of its strategic importance the Venetians built a powerful fortress in 1579, which is considered one of the most important of Crete. The fortress passed under the domination of the Turks from 1715 until 1903. Its gates opened again after the decision of the state of Crete for it to receive the lepers of Crete until 1957. The name Spinalonga is a paraphrase of the Greek phrase "Elounda", "Stinelonda", which Venetians made Spina=akantha, loga=makra, Makrakantha. In 1954, the islet was renamed Kalidonia.

Spinalonga is a small rocky islet, in the entrance of the lagoon. The name Spinalonga is Venetian (Spina=thorn, longa=long). Spinalonga, since antiquity, has protected the harbour of ancient Olous. It used to be one of the most powerful fortresses of the Venetian Crete and it was never conquered. Its high walls were built in 1579 and are preserved today intact. In 1630, it had 35 cannons. For half a century after the Turkish conquest of Crete, Spinalonga remained in the hands of the Venetians and was a refuge for many Christians who fled there to escape from the Turks. In 1715, the islet was handed over to the Turks with the conclusion of a treaty. From 1912 to 1958, the islet served as a sanatorium for the lepers of Crete. Today the entrance is free for the visitors who are attracted by its history and architecture.

Ierapetra

The town of Ierapetra is southeast, at the narrowest point of the island. It is easily seen from the sea and on approach the Venetian Castle and Clock Tower in the harbour become evident. There are 2 buoys at the mouth of the harbour marking submerged rocks. The entrance is between these and the harbour wall. Ierapetra has good shopping for all provisions. Fuel refill can be arranged and water is on the quay. There are post and telephone offices as well as banks. There are: Harbour Police and Customs authorities. Ierapetra is not a Port of Entry. There is a General Hospital, private doctors, dentists, and pharmacies. There is a ramp for small boats.
The harbour has stern-to and bow-to moorings providing good shelter in all weather conditions except strong southerly winds. There is a light on the SE harbour wall. Night entry should not be attempted because of the narrow harbour mouth and difficult approach.

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The Prefecture of Lassithi is located at the eastern end of the island, home to Agios Nikolaos, the exclusive resort of Elounda and the island of Spinalonga. The picturesque fishing harbour of Agios Nikolaos has many tavernas and bars surrounding its inner lake. The palm beach at Vai gives the impression of being on a tropical island, is well worth a visit. The archaeological sites of the Minoan Palace of Phaistos and Gournia can be found to the south on the way to Ierapetra, the most southern town in Europe.