Crete : History - Sightseing - Museums - Nature - Maps (German)

Crete, the southernmost region of Greece and the lowest point of Europe, is located in the center of the eastern Aegean. The island with a population of 600,000 is divided into 4 prefectures: Chania, Rethymno, Heraklion and Lassithi. The island, which has been celebrated a thousand times over, with its eventful historical and cultural background, had the privilege of being the cradle of the famous Minoan civilization and the home of Zeus.

The greatest of all gods, around whose person a colorful mythology was spun, in which well-known figures such as Europa, Minos, Pasiphae, the Minotaur and others appear, was born in the Dikti Mountains and raised in the forests of Psiloritis. Unique archaeological sites such as Knossos, Festos, Malia and Zakros were uncovered, which revealed the greatness of the Minoan culture, which flourished not only in the Aegean but throughout the Mediterranean. It is noteworthy that in this limited geographical area the culture never died out over the centuries, neither in the Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman eras, nor in the Byzantine and Venetian days.

All epochs “left” impressive traces on the island and formed a diverse cultural landscape - the magnificent, colorful and pulsating scenery of a continuous historical evolution, which through the sounds of the lyre, the mantinades and the pounding dance steps, the passion and pride of the people up to echoes into the present day. A pride that "matured" on the rugged mountain peaks, in the imposing gorges and inaccessible caves,