If you are interested in Greek history, consider a tour of a cluster of historic sites on the east end of Chania in or near the old neighborhood of Halepa (Χαλέπα). The sites are approximately 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Gavalochori. To begin the tour, take the National Road to one of the Souda (Σούδα) exits, which will take you to the west edge of Souda Bay (Κόλπος Σούδας). You can close out your tour with lunch by the sea at one of the fish restaurants in the Tampakaria (Ταμπακαρι) district, which was for years a center for tanning hides.
A good place to begin is with the Souda Bay War Cemetery, and it’s a stop that won’t take long. This cemetery contains the remains of approximately 1500 combatants from the famous Battle of Crete of World War II along with some who died in World War I. The well-kept cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is a tranquil memorial space with an impressive view of the length of Souda Bay. More information about the cemetery can be found here.
Not far from the cemetery are the Venizelos Tombs. Eleftherios Venizelos, one of Greece’s most important historical figures who is considered to be the father of the Greek state, is buried in a large park overlooking the city of Chania. His son Sophoklis, who was also a prime minister of Greece, is buried there, too. Venizelos was born in 1864 on Crete and was active in Greek politics his entire adult life until his death in 1936. Serving eight times as prime minister, he is credited with unifying and expanding Greece, modernizing the country, and generally setting it on a course to be a Western democracy. He also presided over major historic events such as the implementation of the “exchange of populations” that brought 1,221,489 Greek refugees to Greece from Turkey and expelled almost 400,000 Turks from their homes in Greece and sent them to Turkey. Find out more about Venizelos here.
Located at Elena Venizelou Square, the Venizelos home was the primary residence of Eleftherios Venizelos for 30 years. Now restored, the site displays objects from his life and the times in which he lived and does a good job telling the story of his political career. More information is available here.
The Archaeological Museum of Chania is a large, modern museum, completed in 2021, that features three major permanent exhibitions. The first presents prehistoric life in the area, including the Minoan culture, and the second covers the development of city states such as that of nearby Aptera. The third exhibition tells the story of everyday life during various time periods through the use of artifacts in the collection. More information about the museum can be found here.
If you are interested in Greek history, consider a tour of a cluster of historic sites on the east end of Chania in or near the old neighborhood of Halepa (Χαλέπα). The sites are approximately 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Gavalochori. To begin the tour, take the National Road to one of the Souda (Σούδα) exits, which will take you to the west edge of Souda Bay (Κόλπος Σούδας). You can close out your tour with lunch by the sea at one of the fish restaurants in the Tampakaria (Ταμπακαρι) district, which was for years a center for tanning hides.
A good place to begin is with the Souda Bay War Cemetery, and it’s a stop that won’t take long. This cemetery contains the remains of approximately 1500 combatants from the famous Battle of Crete of World War II along with some who died in World War I. The well-kept cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is a tranquil memorial space with an impressive view of the length of Souda Bay. More information about the cemetery can be found here.
Not far from the cemetery are the Venizelos Tombs. Eleftherios Venizelos, one of Greece’s most important historical figures who is considered to be the father of the Greek state, is buried in a large park overlooking the city of Chania. His son Sophoklis, who was also a prime minister of Greece, is buried there, too. Venizelos was born in 1864 on Crete and was active in Greek politics his entire adult life until his death in 1936. Serving eight times as prime minister, he is credited with unifying and expanding Greece, modernizing the country, and generally setting it on a course to be a Western democracy. He also presided over major historic events such as the implementation of the “exchange of populations” that brought 1,221,489 Greek refugees to Greece from Turkey and expelled almost 400,000 Turks from their homes in Greece and sent them to Turkey. Find out more about Venizelos here.
Located at Elena Venizelou Square, the Venizelos home was the primary residence of Eleftherios Venizelos for 30 years. Now restored, the site displays objects from his life and the times in which he lived and does a good job telling the story of his political career. More information is available here.
The Archaeological Museum of Chania is a large, modern museum, completed in 2021, that features three major permanent exhibitions. The first presents prehistoric life in the area, including the Minoan culture, and the second covers the development of city states such as that of nearby Aptera. The third exhibition tells the story of everyday life during various time periods through the use of artifacts in the collection. More information about the museum can be found here.
