The city of Heraklion named after the Greek Hero Herakles (Hercules) , lies
midway along the northern coast of Crete and is not only the islands capital city,
but is a commercial and cultural centre. The city houses around 130,000
inhabitants, making it a busy and bustling city.
The Archaeological Museum has been claimed to be one of the best in Europe,
housing many important Minoan artifacts recovered from the across the Island,
including original fresco's found at the Palace of Knossos, discovered by Sir
Aurthur Evens in the early 20th century.
There is a magnificent Venetian fortress on the waters edge along the break water
which is open to visitors daily. The tall walls are metres thick and are built from
blocks of yellow stone, weathered by centuries of age and attack. The Venetian
name for this fortress was Rocca al Mere, meaning The Rock in the Sea. The
Saracen's originally built a small fort here and in the 13th century, the Venetians
constructed the larger fortification that can be seen today on this site.
Around the East side of the Harbour can be found a number of large hollow stone
arches. These were used for the construction and preparation of ships in the 16th
century. These arsenali, built by the Venetians, are now in the process of being
renovated to reflect their original grandeur.
Heraklion houses a large daily market, selling fruit and vegetables, meat and many
crafts and souvenirs and is always a hub of activity harking back to the days
when it was the Turkish bazzar.
The port of Heraklion is the main import / export centre of the island and ferries
connect the island with the main land and other islands with regular scheduled
services. The airport, Nikos Kazantzakis (HER) lies to the East of the city and is
the major airport of Crete, with domestic, international and charter flights arriving
there.
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