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Paleochora

 
 
Palaiochora
Taxi & Mini Bus Services, Paleochora Crete

Paleochora is a small town in Chania in Greece. Located 77 km south of Chania, on the southwest coast of Crete and occupies a small peninsula of 400m width and 700 meters length. The city is 11 km along the coast of the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of the municipality Kantanos - Selino and its population was 2,213 at the 2001 census.

Paleochora has crystal clear water, well organized beaches, beautiful and isolated small ports. It is served by many hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars. Infrastructure Paleohora include bank branches, a post office, a central office phone capability, health center, doctor's offices, dental offices, pharmacies, a police station, a coast guard and customs, and many kinds of shops. Small ferry boats connecting Paleochora with Sougia, Agia Roumeli, Loutro, Sfakia and Gavdos.

Local attractions include the observation of wild flowers in the spring, the chance to see Venetian and Byzantine frescoes in some of the local churches (those found in Anhydrous location and Voutas is particularly impressive). The nearby village Azogires, 5 km., includes a museum dedicated to the region, and the, now empty, Monastery of the 99 Holy Fathers and the largest tree on the island.

In 2009 it is planned to open a number of marked hiking trails in the area and the city is on the European path E4 Distance..

 
Time for some history

In 1278, the Venetian general Marino Gradenigo built a fort in Paleochora, called "Celery Kastelli". The fortress gave its name to the entire province, previously called "Mountain", which was later renamed "Celery". The fort was destroyed in 1332 and rebuilt in 1334. Near the fortress, the Venetians founded a new settlement for workers and merchants called Vourgo.

The pirate Barbarossa destroyed the fort in 1539, but later in 1595 Dolf renewed. In 1645, the Turks conquered the town and modified the fort to suit their needs.

In 1834 an English traveler Robert Pashley, found the fort completely destroyed and the whole area, without inhabitants and with only a granary and one or two small buildings left. In 1866 the return of Paleohora residents began.

In December 1866 during the Cretan uprising against the Turks, the British ship naval Assurance carrying some 340 women and children from Paleochora, then known as Selino Kastelli / Kissamos, Piraeus for his safety.

This caused a diplomatic incident since the Ottoman authorities accused Britain that helps with the Cretan rebels. Russian warships followed the example of the British with the refugees from Loutro Sougia, east of Paleochora.

During the Battle of Crete during World War II, the city took many battles between the motorized troops of the German 95th Battalion and the Eighth Greek Constitution (provisional) with elements of the Cretan Gendarmerie. The Germans built a series of artillery from the Venetian Castle Fortezza and their remains, still exist.

The general phase of urbanization started in other parts of Greece in the 1960s, took place in 1950 in the neighboring island of Gavdos. During this period the islanders exchanged their land on Gavdos for ex-Turkish land on Crete, which had now become exchangeable a state program.

They created a community known as "natives found refugee" section of the "old city" of Paleochora.