Heraklion
Heraklion, spelt Heraclion an Iraklion (Greek: Ηράκλειο Greek pronunciation: [iˈraklio]) an aw, is the lairgest ceety an the admeenistrative caipital o the island o Crete, Greece. It is the 4t lairgest ceety in Greece.
Heraklion Ηράκλειο | |
|---|---|
 The Venetian fortress o Rocca al Mare (1523–1540) guards the inner harbour o Heraklion. | |
  Heraklion Location within the region  | |
| Coordinates: 35°20′N 25°8′E / 35.333°N 25.133°ECoordinates: 35°20′N 25°8′E / 35.333°N 25.133°E | |
| Kintra | Greece |
| Admeenistrative region | Crete |
| Regional unit | Heraklion |
| Destricts | Nea Alikarnassos, Gazi |
| Govrenment | |
| • Mayor | Ioannis Kourakis (PASOK) |
| Area | |
| • Municipality | 120 km2 (50 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 33 m (108 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
| • Municipality | 173450 |
| • Municipality density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Heraklian, Heraclian |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 70x xx, 71x xx, 720 xx |
| Aurie code(s) | 2810 |
| Vehicle registration | HK, HP |
| Website | www.heraklion-city.gr |
Heraklion is the caipital o Heraklion regional unit. The ruins o Knossos, which wur excavatit an restored bi Arthur Evans, are nearbi. The Heraklion Internaitional Airport is namit efter Nikos Kazantzakis.
Name
eeditThe Arab raiders frae Andalusie who foondit the Emirate o Crete muivit the island's caipital frae Gortyn tae a new castle thay cried rabḍ al-ḫandaq 'Castle o the Moat' in the 820s.[2] This wis hellenisit as Χάνδαξ (Handax) or Χάνδακας an Laitinisit as Candia, which wis taken intae ither European leids: in Italian as Candia (uised unner the Venetian rule), in French as Candie, in Inglis as Candy, aw o which coud refer tae aw o Crete as well as tae the ceety itsel; the Ottoman name wis Kandiye.
Efter the Byzantine reconquest, the ceety wis locally kent as Megalo Kastro or Castro (the Big Castle in Greek) an its indwallers wur cried Kastrinoi or Castrini (Castle-dwallers in Greek).
The auncient name Ηράκλειον wis revivit in the 19t century[3] an comes frae the nearbi Roman port o Heracleum ("Heracles' ceety"), whose exact location is unkent. Inglis uisage umwhile preferred the classicisin transliterations "Heraklion" or "Heraclion", but the form "Iraklion" is becomin mair common.
History
eedit
Heraklion is close tae the ruins o the palace o Knossos, which in Minoan times wis the lairgest centre o population on Crete. Tho thare is nae airchaeological evidence o it, Knossos mey well hae haed a port at the steid o Heraklion as lang ago as 2000 BC.
Foondin
eeditThe present ceety o Heraklion wis foondit in 824 bi the Saracens who haed been expelled frae Al-Andalus bi Emir Al-Hakam I an haed taken ower the island frae the Eastren Roman Empire. Thay biggit a moat aroond the ceety for pertection, an namit the ceety ربض الخندق, rabḍ al-ḫandaq ("Castle o the Moat"). The Saracens alloued the port tae be uised as a safe haven for pirates who operatit against Imperial shippin an raidit Imperial territory aroond the Aegean.
Restored Greek Era
eeditIn 961, Imperial forces unner the command o Nikephoros Phokas, later tae acome Emperor, laundit in Crete an attackit the ceety. Efter a prolangit siege, the ceety fell. The Saracen indwallers wur slauchtered, the ceety luitit an burned tae the grund. Suin rebuilt, the toun o Chandax remained unner Greek control for the next 243 years.
Venetian control
eedit
In 1204, the ceety wis bocht bi the Republic o Venice as pairt o a complicatit poleetical deal which involvit amang ither things, the Crusaders o the Fowert Crusade restorin the deposed Eastren Roman Emperor Isaac II Angelus tae his throne. The Venetians impruivit on the ditch o the ceety bi biggin enormous fortifications, maist o which are still in place, includin a giant wall, in places up tae 40 m thick, wi 7 bastions, an a fortress in the harbour. Chandax wis renamit Candia an became the seat of the Duke o Candia, an the Venetian admeenistrative destrict o Crete became kent as "regno di Candia" (kinrick o Candia). The ceety retained the name o Candia for centuries an the same name wis aften uised tae refer tae the whole island o Crete as well. Tae secur thair rule, Venetians began in 1212 tae settle faimilies frae Venice on Crete. The coexistence o twa different culturs an the stimulus o Italian Renaissance led tae a flourishin o letters an the airts in Candia an Crete in general, that is the day kent as the Cretan Renaissance.
Ottoman Era
eedit
Efter the Venetians came the Ottoman Empire. Durin the Cretan War (1645–1669), the Ottomans besiegit the ceety for 21 years, frae 1648 tae 1669, aiblins the langest siege in history. In its feenal phase, which lastit for 22 month, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans an slaves an 29,088 o the ceety's Christian defenders perisht.[4] The Ottoman airmy unner an Albanie grand vizier, Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha conquered the ceety in 1669. Unner the Ottomans, the ceety wis kent offeecially as Kandiye (again applee'd tae the whole island o Crete) but informally in Greek as Megalo Castro (Μεγάλο Κάστρο; "Big Castle"). Durin the Ottoman period, the harbour siltit up, sae maist shippin shiftit tae Chania in the wast o the island.
Modren era
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In 1898, the autonomous Cretan State wis creatit, unner Ottoman suzerainty, wi Prince George o Greece as its Heich Commissioner an unner internaitional superveesion. Durin the period o direct occupation o the island bi the Great Pouers (1898–1908), Candia wis pairt o the Breetish zone. At this time, the ceety wis renamit "Heraklion", efter the Roman port o Heracleum ("Heracles' ceety"), whose exact location is unkent.
In 1913, wi the rest o Crete Heraklion wis incorporatit intae the Kinrick o Greece.
Municipality
eedit
The municipality Heraklion wis formit at the 2011 local govrenment reform bi the merger o the follaein 5 umwhile municipalities, that became municipal units:[5]
- Gorgolainis
- Heraklion
- Nea Alikarnassos
- Paliani
- Temenos
Transportation
eeditPort
eedit
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Heraklion is an important shippin port and ferry dock. Travellers can tak ferries and boats frae Heraklion tae destinations includin Santorini, Ios Island, Paros, Mykonos, and Rhodes. Thare are an aa several daily ferries tae Piraeus, the port of Athens on mainland Greece.
Airport
eeditHeraklion Internaitional Airport, or Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is locatit aboot 5 km east o the ceety. The airport is namit efter Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis, a writer an filosopher. It is the seicont busiest airport o Greece, due tae Crete bein a major holiday destination.
The airfield is shared wi the 126 Combat Group o the Hellenic Air Force.
Heich-gate Netwirk
eeditEuropean route E75 runs throu the ceety an connects Heraklion wi the three ither major ceeties o Crete: Agios Nikolaos, Chania, an Rethymno.
Public transit
eeditThare are a nummer o buses servin the ceety an connectin it tae mony major destinations in Crete.
Climate
eeditCrete haes a wairm Mediterranean climate. Simmers in the lawlands are het an dry wi clear skies. Dry het days are aften relievit bi saisonal breezes. The muntain auries are hintle ceuler, wi considerable rain in the winter. Winters are mild in the lawlands wi rare frost an snaw. Acause Heraklion is further sooth than Athens, it haes a milder climate.
| Climate data for Heraklion | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record heich °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) |
26.2 (79.2) |
29.4 (84.9) |
34.5 (94.1) |
38.0 (100.4) |
41.3 (106.3) |
41.0 (105.8) |
42.0 (107.6) |
39.5 (103.1) |
35.7 (96.3) |
31.2 (88.2) |
28.5 (83.3) |
42.0 (107.6) |
| Average heich °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.4 (83.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
23.1 (73.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.2 (66.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
18.4 (65.1) |
| Average law °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.3 (66.7) |
16.5 (61.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
| Record law °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.2 (32.4) |
0.3 (32.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
0.2 (32.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 91.5 (3.60) |
77.4 (3.05) |
57.4 (2.26) |
30.0 (1.18) |
15.2 (0.60) |
3.2 (0.13) |
1.0 (0.04) |
0.7 (0.03) |
19.5 (0.77) |
68.8 (2.71) |
58.8 (2.31) |
77.1 (3.04) |
500.6 (19.71) |
| Average precipitation days | 10.1 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 8.9 | 53.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine oors | 117.8 | 124.7 | 176.7 | 228.0 | 300.7 | 351.0 | 372.0 | 347.2 | 282.0 | 198.4 | 150.0 | 120.9 | 2,769.4 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[6] NOAA (extremes)[7] | |||||||||||||
Colleges, Universities, an Research Centers
eeditCultur
eedit
Museums
eedit- Heraklion Archaeological Museum
- Cretaquarium
- Historical Museum of Crete
- Natural History Museum
- The Battle of Crete and National Resistance Museum
- Nikos Kazantzakis Museum
- Lychnostatis Open Air Museum
- Collection of Agia Aikaterini of Sinai
- Museum of Visual Arts
Sports
eeditThe ceety hosts three fitbaa clubs:
- Ergotelis FC – in Heraklion, plays in the seicont diveesion.
- OFI Crete in Heraklion, plays in the first division.
- Atsalenios – Fitbaa Club o Heraklion which plays in the third diveesion.
Famous natives
eeditHeraklion haes been the hame toun o some o Greece's maist significant spirits, includin the novelist Nikos Kazantzakis, the poet an Nobel Prize winner Odysseas Elytis an the warld-famous painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos (El Greco).
Local TV stations
eedit- Channel 4
- Creta Channel
- Kriti TV
- MyTV
Internaitional relations
eeditTwin touns — sister ceeties
eeditHeraklion is twinned wi:
Location
eedit
References
eedit- ↑ a b "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
- ↑ Encyclopaedia of Islam, s.v. Iķrīṭish
- ↑ it wis in uise bi the local fowk bi 1867, see Samuel Gridley Howe, The Cretan refugees and their American helpers, 1867 [1]
- ↑ The War for Candia
- ↑ Kallikratis law Archived 2017-04-27 at the Wayback Machine Greece Ministry of Interior (in Greek)
- ↑ "Climatological Information for Iraklion, Greece" Archived 2012-11-20 at the Wayback Machine – Hong Kong Observatory
- ↑ "Iraklion Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
Freemit airtins
eedit| Wikimedia Commons haes media relatit tae Herakleion. |
| Wikisource haes the text o the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica airticle Candia. |
- Municipality o Heraklion Archived 2012-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- Heraklion information
- Heraklion Archived 2007-03-15 at the Wayback Machine Information aboot the ceety o Heraklion bi the TEI of Crete
Heraklion travel guide frae Wikivoyage- Heraklion at Curlie
- Heraklion The Offeecial wabsteid o the Greek National Tourism Organisation
