Chania Crete Chania Greece City of Hania holiday Information chania holidays |
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Chania Crete Island of Crete Chania, a Cretan City with History Chania, the second largest city in Crete has a long history beginning with Neolithic settlements. Minoan, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian cultures blend, leaving many signs of the towns many change of hands. Today the many cultures can be seen in the arts offered in Chania. On the north coast of Crete lays its second largest city, Chania. The greater area host a population of 70,000 in this city built on a plain, but sprawling into hilly suburbs. Chania has a long, very extensive history. It appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic period. The central part of town, on a small hillside right on the seafront, next to a fertile valley was home to Stone Age people. Historically, Chania is the site of the Minoan town of Cydonia, which means quince. After the Minoan period, the settlement reemerged as an important city during the Classical period. The first wave of settlers arrived around 1100 BC. Cydonia was frequently at war with other Cretan cities. Then, in 69 BC, Roman conquerors granted the city independent city-state statues. Cydonia began minting its own coins, and continued doing so until the Third Century AD. During the time of the Byzantine Empire, the city was renamed Chania, and was ruled by the Arabs. Christians were persecuted and fled to the hills. Then the Fourth Crusade, 1204, sent Chania into the hands of the Venetians, then to the Genoans. Greek and Italian cultures intertwined, and the city became known as La Canea. Fortifications, still seen today, were created, then strengthened. Priests, monks and artists took refuge in the city, creating the blend of Byzantine/Venetian/Classical Greek cultures still felt today. La Canea was the site of much intellectual activity. More turmoil was on the way for this city with the Turkish invasion of 1645. The Pasha of Crete took up residence in Chania. Then the Greeks rose against the Ottomans in 1821. Treaties led to a semi-autonomous Cretan state. Chania again minted its own coins and issued its own stamps. Parts of the city were bombed during World War II. The Jewish community was completely eliminated. By the 1970's, Chania had recovered. Crete was becoming a major tourist attraction, and the city's economy improved drastically. Today Chania is a center of music, films, theater, arts, festivals. It celebrates the many cultures of its history as well as the European, Asian and African cultures of its close neighbors. In summer, it is easy to find outdoor concerts or theater productions. The old town, remnants of its Venetian history, survives with some of the walls intact. This is right on the harbor. The old town's central square is the heart of tourist activities. To the west is the Topanas District, a very colorful and picturesque area with narrow alleys and old, restored buildings. The harbor also has surviving old buildings which are not part of the city's nightlife. The oldest district of the modern city dates from the early 1700's. In older neighborhoods, narrow lanes lead directly to the fishing harbors. Chania is a family oriented place where one can find traditional tavernas as well as foreign restaurants. It is a place where tourism is developing even more as local and specific knowledge is shared through ecotourism and agrotourism opportunities. |
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