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.
