Iráklion

Iraklion Ηράκλειο
The Venetian fortress of Rocca al Mare (1523-1540) guards the inner harbor
Location
Heraklion
Coordinates	35°20′N 25°8′E / 35.333°N 25.133°E / 35.333; 25.133Coordinates: 35°20′N 25°8′E / 35.333°N 25.133°E / 35.333; 25.133
Government
Country:	Greece
Periphery:	Crete
Prefecture:	Heraklion
Mayor:	Giánnis Kourákis
Population statistics (as of 2001[1])
City
- Population:	137,711
- Area:	109.026 km² (42 sq mi)
- Density:	1,263 /km² (3,271 /sq mi)
Other
Time zone:	EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)
Elevation (min-max):	0 - 33 m (0 - 108 ft)
Postal:	70x xx, 71x xx, 720 xx
Telephone:	2810
Auto:	HK, HP
Website
www.heraklion-city.gr

Heraklion or Iraklion (Greek: Ηράκλειον IPA: [iˈɾaklio̞]; Venetian: Candia), is the largest city and capital of Crete. It is also the fourth largest city in Greece. Its name is also spelled Herakleion, a transliteration of the ancient Greek and Katharevousa name, Ἡράκλειον, or Iraklio, among other variants. For centuries it was known as Candia, a Venetian adaptation of the earlier Greek name Χάνδαξ (Chandax, "moat") or Χάνδακας, which in turn came from the Arabic rabḍ al-ḫandaq. The English form Candy, derived from French Candie, meant the city of Candia or all of Crete (as in Twelfth Night 5.1). Under the Ottoman Empire, it was called Kandiye. In the local vernacular, it is often called Κάστρο (Kástro, "castle") and its inhabitants Καστρινοί (Kastrinoí, "castle dwellers").

Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion Prefecture, with an international airport named after the writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby.

History

The snake goddess in Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of Knossos, which in Minoan times was the largest centre of population on Crete. Though there is no archaeological evidence of it, Knossos may well have had a port at the site of Heraklion as long ago as 2000 BC.

Founding

The present city of Heraklion was founded in 824 AD by the Saracens who had been expelled from Al-Andalus by Emir Al-Hakam I and had taken over the island from the Byzantine Empire. They built a moat around the city for protection, and named the city ربض الخندق, rabḍ al-ḫandaq ("Castle of the Moat"). The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Byzantine shipping and raided Byzantine territory around the Aegean.

Byzantine Era

In 961, the Byzantines, under the command of Nikephoros Phokas, later to become Byzantine Emperor, landed in Crete and attacked the city. After a prolonged siege, the city fell. The Saracen inhabitants were slaughtered, the city looted and burned to the ground. Soon rebuilt, the town of Chandax remained under Byzantine control for the next 243 years.

Venetian Era

Α part of the Venetian walls in Heraklion

The Venetian loggia (1626-28) of Heraklion

In 1204, the city was bought by the Republic of Venice as part of a complicated political deal which involved among other things, the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade restoring the deposed Byzantine emperor Isaac II Angelus to his throne. The Venetians improved on the ditch by building enormous fortifications, most of which are still in place, including a giant wall, in places up to 40 m thick, with 7 bastions, and a fortress in the harbour. Chandax was renamed to Candia in Italian and became the seat of the Duke of Candia. As a result, the Venetian administrative district of Crete became known as "Regno di Candia" (Kingdom of Candia). The city retained the name of Candia for centuries and the same name was often used to refer to the whole island of Crete as well. To secure their rule, Venetians began in 1212 to resettle families from Venice on Crete. The coexistence of two different cultures and the influence of Italian Renaissance lead to a flourishing of letters and the arts in Candia and Crete in general, that is today known as the Cretan Renaissance.

Ottoman Era

The Ottoman Vezir Mosque (1856), built on the site of the Byzantine St Titus, and now the basilica of St Titus

After the Venetians came the Ottoman Empire. During the Cretan War (1645–1669), the Ottomans besieged the city for 22 years, from 1648 to 1669, the longest siege in history. In its final phase, which lasted for 22 months, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans and slaves and 29,088 of the city's Christian defenders perished.^[2] Under the Ottomans, the city was known officially as Kandiye (again also applied to the whole island of Crete) but informally in Greek as Megalo Kastro ("Big Castle"). During the Ottoman period, the harbour silted up, so most shipping shifted to Hania in the west of the island.

Modern Era

An outdoor market in Herakleion

In 1898 the autonomous Cretan State was created, under Ottoman suzerainty, with Prince George of Greece as its High Commissioner and under international supervision. During the period of direct occupation of the island by the Great Powers (1898-1908), Candia was part of the British zone. At this time the city was renamed "Heraklion", after the Roman port of Heracleum ("Heracles' city"), whose exact location is unknown.

With the rest of Crete, Heraklion was incorporated into the Kingdom of Greece in 1913.

Transportation

Port

The port

Heraklion is an important shipping port and ferry dock. The public can take ferries and boats from Heraklion to a multitude of destinations including Santorini, Ios Island, Paros, Mykonos, Rhodes, and mainland Greece.

Airport

Heraklion International Airport, or Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is located about 5 km east of the city. The airport is named after Herkalion native Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer and philosopher. It is the second busiest airport of Greece, mostly due to the fact that Crete is a major destination for tourists during summer. There are regular domestic flights to and from Athens, Thessaloniki and Rhodes with Aegean Airlines and Olympic Airlines. Also flying to and from Athens is Athens Airways, whereas Cyprus Airways and Aegean Airlines fly to Larnaca. Furthermore, Sky Express operates direct flights to Aegean islands such as Rhodes, Santorini, Samos, Kos, Mytilini and Ikaria. During the summer period, traffic is intense and the flight destinations are from all over Europe (mostly Germany, UK, Italy and Russia). The airfield is shared with the 126 Combat Group of the Hellenic Air Force. The take off in western direction leads directly over the town of Heraklion, which makes it a very noisy city.

Highway Network

European route E75 runs through the city and connects Heraklion with the three other major cities of Crete: Agios Nikolaos,Chania, and Rethymno.

Public transit

There are a number of buses serving the city and connecting it to many major destinations in Crete.

Climate

Crete has a warm Mediterranean climate. Summers in the lowlands, are hot and dry with clear skies. Dry hot days are often relieved by a system of seasonal breezes. The mountain areas are much cooler, with considerable rain. Winters are mild in the lowlands with rare frost and snow. Although Heraklion is further south than Athens, it has a milder climate.

Colleges and Universities

• University of Crete
• TEI of Crete
• Foundation for Research & Technology - Hellas

Culture

The Phaistos disk in Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Museums

• Heraklion Archaeological Museum
• Historical Museum of Crete
• Natural History Museum
• The Battle of Crete and National Resistance Museum
• Museum of The Saint Catherine's Monastery of Sinai
• Museum of Visual Arts

Sports

The city hosts three football clubs:

• OFI Crete in Heraklion, plays in the second division.
• Ergotelis FC - in Heraklion, plays in the first division.

Both OFI and Ergotelis FC use the Pankritiko Stadium, which was built for the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics.

• Atsalenios - Football Club of Heraklion which plays in the third division.

Famous natives

Nikos Kazantzakis

Heraklion has been the home town of some of Greece's most significant spirits, including the novelist Nikos Kazantzakis, the poet and Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis and the world-famous Greek painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco).

Nicholas Kalliakis (1645-1707) Heraklion born Greek Scholar and philosopher.^[4]

Literature

• Elli Alexiou (1894-1988) author
• Aris Diktaios, poet and translator
• Minás Dimákis (1913-1980) poet
• Odysseas Elytis (1911-1996) Nobel awarded poet
• Rea Galanaki (1947-present) author
• Galatea Kazantzaki author
• Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) author
• Ioannis Kondylakis (1862-1920) author
• Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553-1613) author
• Stephanos Sahlikis (1330-after 1391) poet
• Lili Zografou (1922-1998) author

Scientists and Scholars

• Nicholas Kalliakis (1645-1707)- Greek Cretan scholar and philosopher^[5]
• Francesco Barozzi (1537-1604) mathematician and astronomer
• Manolis Hatzidakis, archaeologist
• Fotis Kafatos biologist, President of the European Research Council
• Maximos (Emmanuel) Margounios (1549–1602) scholar, theologian, poet and writer, titular bishop of Kythira
• Marcus Musurus (Markos Mousouros) (1470-1517) scholar and philosopher
• Nikolaos Panagiotakis (1935-1997) byzantinologist
• Peter Phillarges (ca. 1339-1410) (also Pietro Di Candia, later Pope Alexander V)
• Joseph Sifakis (1946-present) computer scientist, co-recipient of the 2007 Turing Award
• Gerasimos Vlachos (1607-1685), scholar

El Greco

Painting

• Theophanes (ca.1500-1559) painter of icons
• Michael Damaskinos (1530/35-1592/93) painter of icons
• El Greco (1541-1614) mannerist painter, sculpturer and architect
• Georgios Klontzas (1540-1607) painter of icons
• Theodoros Poulakis (1622-1692) painter of icons
• Andreas Ritzos (1422-1492) painter of icons
• Emmanuel Tzanes (1610-1690) painter of icons
• Aristidis Vlassis (*1955) painter
• Konstantinos Volanakis (1837-1907) painter

Film industry

• Giorgos Anemogiannis, scenographer
• Rika Diallina (1934), actress and model, Miss Hellas
• Ilya Livykou (1919-2002), actress
• Sapfo Notara (1907-1985), actress
• Aleka Paizi, actress
• Yannis Smaragdis (1946), film director

Music

• Rena Kyriakou (1918-1994) pianist
• Fragiskos Leontaritis (Francesco Londarit) (1518-1572) composer
• Christos Leontis (1940) composer
• Giannis Markopoulos (1939) composer
• Manolis Rasoulis (1945) lyrics writer
• Notis Sfakianakis (1959) singer

Sports

• Nikos Machlas (1973) footballer
• Georgios Samaras (1985) footballer

Business

• Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (1955) business woman and politician

Politics

• Leonidas Kyrkos, politician
• Aristidis Stergiadis (1861-1950) High Commissioner of Smyrna
• Georgios Voulgarakis (1959) conservative politician

Law

• Romilos Kedikoglou (1940) President of the Court of Cassation of Greece

Clergy

• Maximos Margunios (1549-1602), bishop of Cyrigo (Kythira)
• Kyrillos Loukaris (1572–1637) theologian, Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I
• Meletius Pegas, Patriarch of Alexandria
• Theodore II (1954) Patriarch of Alexandria

Fashion

• Maria Spiridaki (1984) fashion model and television presenter

Local TV stations

• Channel 4
• Kriti TV
• MyTV
• tvCreta

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

• Constanţa, Romania
• Pernik, Bulgaria

See also

• Centre for Technological Research of Crete
• European Network and Information Security Agency
• Foundation for Research & Technology - Hellas
• Handakos Street
• Minoan civilization
• Siege of Candia (1648 - 1669)
• TEI of Crete
• University of Crete

Notes

• The War for Candia by the VENIVA consortium provides details of the siege of Candia, including estimated number of deaths.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Herakleion

• Municipality of Heraklion
• Heraklion: a city through the ages
• Heraklion Information about the city of Heraklion by the TEI of Crete
• Heraklion travel guide from Wikitravel
• Heraklion at the Open Directory Project

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