One can travel to a number of scenic places across Greece to spend holidays there. Chania, the second largest city of the Greek Island Crete, is among many such locations. We are going to quickly look at some interesting information regarding Chania’s past and present to know why it was seen with awe in the tourism annals. Holidaying in Chania is made affordable, easy and full of excitement due to the vast range of tourism packages available for staying there. Several accommodation plans, which includes staying at among the hoards of self-catering apartments in Chania, along with the rest others, makes part of many such tour packages.
Chania is thought to be settled by the humans since the Neolithic times before being ruled by several known empires. It was the place where the Minoan settlement took place – remains of the Minoan city were excavated during the last hundred years beneath the ground where the district of Kasteli stands right now. The first settlers from the mainland Greece were the Dorian Greeks who landed in Cydonia, another name for the Minoan settlement, in around 1100 BC. The place was governed by the Byzantine rule from 395 – 824 AD and subsequently by the Arabs, who gave it the name Chania. Byzantine Empire, which was the cause of spread of Christianity in the region, came back to power in 961 AD. Later, the area went under the Venetian and Ottoman rules as well.
During the modern times, Eleftherios Venizelos, who was born and brought up in Chania, led an uprising in the years 1896-97 to oust the then existent Ottoman rule. He went on to become the Greek Prime Minister and was well regarded for his statesmanship in the entire world. He was given a state burial across one of the scenic hills overlooking Chania, after his demise. The city was made capital of the semi-autonomous Cretan state in the year 1898, under the aegis of Prince George of Greece. This was the time when Chania was beginning to have a cosmopolitan and modern outlook, and many new buildings were being built around. Plenty of intellectual and artistic activities were taking place as well and the state was fully supportive to all those involved. Several consulates and embassies of that period could still be found standing as it is even today. Incidentally, apartments in Chania around these historic locations are among the most sought after ones.
The invasion and occupation of Chania by Adolf Hitler’s army during the Word War II is yet another significant aspect of its modern history. The British army, as part of the allied forces, gave stiff resistance to the advancing German fire power and made them retreat in 1941. However, Chania did have to go through the human and material damage, which was reminiscent of the painful events of the World War II. A significant number of its human population was either executed and imprisoned or forced to go into an exile. The later years saw Chania quickly regaining its lost glory back though, and the war imprints had evaporated significantly. Since the 1970s the Cretan tourism began soaring up high, and Chania was brought to the attention of the world for the very first time.
Today’s Chania is a great composition of traditional Greek and cosmopolitan values. The traditional Greek aspect floats mainly around one’s family life, and it may be witnessed flourishing across Chania during the winter months. However, the summer transforms this state of affairs substantially as tourists begin pouring in from all over the globe. A wide range of food choices, including that of the Greek tavernas, some traditional Cretan specialties and plenty of foreign cuisines, could be found at offer across, both old and new townships. However, many of these are presently stationed mainly in and around the old township only. The old township does also carry many bars and cafes, which are beautifully carved into the remains of the Venetian era.
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