Heraklion
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222803688
2008-07-01T05:09:15Z
Sv1xv
5427423
/* Modern Era */ copyedit, Candia already renamed Heraklion in 1898
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox Greek Dimos
|name = Heraklion
|name_local = Ηράκλειο
|image_skyline = Esglesia a Herakleion.jpg
|caption_skyline = St. Mark basilica, built in 1239. Currently it houses the Municipal Art Gallery
|city_flag =
|city_seal = HeraklionGrypas.png
|lat_deg = 35
|lat_min = 20
|lon_deg = 25
|lon_min = 8
|elevation_min = 0
|elevation_max = 33
|periph = [[Crete]]
|prefec = [[Heraklion Prefecture|Heraklion]]
|districts =
|mayor = Giánnis Kourákis
|party =
|since =
|population_as_of = 2001
|population = 137711
|area = 109.026
|population_metro =
|area_metro =
|postal_code = 70x xx, 71x xx, 720 xx
|area_code = 2810
|licence = HK, HP
|website = [http://www.heraklion-city.gr www.heraklion-city.gr]
}}
'''Heraklion''' or '''Iraklion''' ({{lang-el|Ηράκλειο}}, ''Irákleio'', {{IPA2|iˈɾaklio̞}}; {{lang-vec|Candia}}), is the largest city and [[capital city|capital]] of [[Crete]]. It is also the fourth largest city in [[Greece]]. Its name is also spelled ''Herakleion'', a transliteration of the [[ancient Greek|ancient Greek]] and [[Katharevousa]] name, {{polytonic|Ἡράκλειον}}, or ''Iraklio'', among other variants. For centuries it was known as ''Candia'', a Venetian adaptation of the earlier Greek name Χάνδαξ or Χάνδακας, which in turn came from the [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{Unicode|rabḍ al-ḫandaq}}. Under the [[Ottoman Empire]], it was called {{lang-tr|Kandiye}}). In the local vernacular, it is often called Κάστρο (''Kástro'', "castle") and its inhabitants Καστρινοί (''Kastrinoí'', "castle dwellers").
Heraklion is the capital of [[Heraklion Prefecture]], with an [[Heraklion International Airport|international airport]] named after the writer [[Nikos Kazantzakis]]. The ruins of [[Knossos]], which were excavated and restored by [[Arthur Evans]], are nearby.
==History==
Heraklion is close to the ruins of the palace of [[Knossos]], which in [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] times was the largest centre of population on [[Crete]]. This [[Bronze Age]] palace and [[human settlement]] has yielded significant [[archaeological]] finds that have given insights to the [[Minoan civilisation]].<ref>C. Michael Hogan, ''Knossos fieldnotes'', Modern Antiquarian (2007) [http://letmespeaktothedriver.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes]</ref> It is likely that there was a port at Heraklion as long ago as [[2000 BC]], although no archaeological recovery has been made of the port itself.
===Founding===
The present city of Heraklion was founded in [[824]] [[AD]] by the [[Saracen]]s who had been expelled from [[Al-Andalus]] by Emir [[Al-Hakam I]] and had taken over the island from the [[Byzantine Empire]]. They built a [[moat]] around the city for protection, and named the city ربض الخندق ''{{Unicode|rabḍ al-ḫandaq}}'' 'Castle of the Moat'. The Saracens allowed the port to be used as a safe haven for pirates who operated against Byzantine shipping and raided Byzantine territory around the Aegaean.
===Byzantine Era===
{{see|Byzantine Greece}}
In [[961]], the Byzantines, under the command of [[Nikephoros II|Nikephoros Phokas]], later to become [[Byzantine Emperor]], landed in Crete and attacked the city. After a prolonged [[siege]], the city fell. The Saracen inhabitants were slaughtered, the city looted and burned to the ground. Soon rebuilt, the town of Chandax remained under Byzantine control for the next 243 years.
===Venetian Era===
{{see|Republic of Venice}}
In 1204, the city was bought by the [[Republic of Venice]] as part of a complicated political deal which involved among other things, the Crusaders of the [[Fourth Crusade]] restoring the deposed [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Isaac II Angelus]] to his throne. The Venetians improved on the ditch by building enormous fortifications, most of which are still in place, including a giant wall, in places up to 40 m thick, with 7 bastions, and a fortress in the harbour. Chandax was renamed to ''Candia'' in Italian and became the seat of the Duke of Candia. As a result, the Venetian administrative district of Crete became known as "Regno di Candia" (Kingdom of Candia). The city retained the name of Candia for centuries and the same name was often used to refer to the whole [[List of islands of Greece|island]] of Crete as well. To secure their rule, Venetians began in 1212 to resettle families from [[Venice]] on Crete. The coexistence of two different cultures and the influence of [[Italian Renaissance]] lead to a flourishing of letters and the arts in Candia and Crete in general, that is today known as the ''[[Cretan Renaissance]]''.
===Ottoman Era===
After the Venetians came the [[Ottoman Empire]]. During the [[Cretan War (1645–1669)]], the Ottomans [[Siege of Candia|besieged the city]] for 22 years, from 1648 to 1669, the second-longest siege in history. In its final phase, which lasted for 22 months, 70,000 Turks, 38,000 Cretans and slaves and 29,088 of the city's Christian defenders perished.<ref>[http://www.msc.gr/veniva/uk/main/p2.htm The War for Candia]</ref> Under the Ottomans, the city was known officially as '''Kandiye''' (again also applied to the whole island of Crete) but informally in Greek as ''Megalo Kastro'' ("Big Castle"). During the Ottoman period, the [[harbour]] silted up, so most shipping shifted to [[Hania]] in the west of the island.
===Modern Era===
In 1898 the autonomous [[Cretan State]] was created, under Ottoman [[suzerainty]], with Prince George of Greece as its High Commissioner and under international supervision. During the period of direct occupation of the island by the Great Powers (1898-1908), Candia was part of the [[United Kingdom|British]] zone. At this time the city was renamed "Heraklion", after the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] port of Heracleum ("[[Heracles]]' city"), whose exact location is unknown.
With the rest of [[Crete]], Heraklion was incorporated into the [[Kingdom of Greece]] in 1913. The biggest monument of the city is the Venetian medieval fortress ''Rocca al Mare'' (also known as ''Koules'', Turkish for "tower") located at the port.
==Transportation==
===Port===
Heraklion is an important shipping port and ferry dock. The public can take ferries and boats from Heraklion to a multitude of destinations including [[Thira]], [[Rhodes]], [[Egypt]], [[Haifa]] and mainland [[Greece]].
===Airport===
[[Image:Morozini Fountain Heraklion.jpg|thumb|275px|[[Francesco Morosini|Morosini]] Fountain on Venizelou square in Heraklion, Crete, built in 1628]]
[[Image:Heraklion.JPG|thumb|275px| View of the city of Heraklion as seen from route [[European route E75|E75]]]]
[[Heraklion International Airport]], or Nikos Kazantzakis Airport is located about 5km east of the city. The airport is named after Herkalion native [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], a Greek writer and philosopher. It is the second busiest airport of Greece, mostly due to the fact that Crete is a major destination for tourists during summer. There are regular domestic flights to and from Athens, Thessaloniki and Rhodes with [[Aegean Airlines]] and [[Olympic Airlines]]. [[Cyprus Airlines]] flies to Larnaca via Rhodes. Furthermore, [[Sky Express (Greece)|Sky Express]] operates direct flights to Aegean islands such as Rhodes, Santorini, Samos, Kos, Mytilini and Ikaria. During the summer period, traffic is intense and the flight destinations are from all over Europe (mostly Germany, UK, Italy and Russia). The airfield is shared with the 126 Combat Group of the [[Hellenic Air Force]]. The take off in western direction leads directly over the town of Heraklion, which makes it a very noisy city.
===Highway Network===
European route [[European route E75|E75]] runs through the city and connects Heraklion with the three other major cities of Crete: [[Agios Nikolaos, Crete|Agios Nikolaos]],[[Chania|Chania]], and [[Rethymno|Rethymno]].
===Public transit===
There are a number of buses serving the city and connecting it to many major destinations in Crete.
==Climate==
[[Crete]] has a warm [[Mediterranean]] climate. Summers in the lowlands, are hot and dry with clear skies. Dry hot days are often relieved by a system of seasonal breezes. The mountain areas are much cooler, with considerable rain. Winters are mild in the lowlands with rare frost and snow.
{| class="wikitable" "text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|
|-
!style="background: #99CCCC; color: #000000" height="17" | Month
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Jan
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Feb
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Mar
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Apr
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | May
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Jun
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Jul
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Aug
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Sep
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Oct
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Nov
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" | Dec
|-
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Average High °C
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFFCC; color:#000000;" | 15
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFFCC; color:#000000;" | 16
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFFCC; color:#000000;" | 17
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 20
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 23
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 27
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 29
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 28
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 27
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 23
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 20
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFFCC; color:#000000;" | 17
|-
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Average Low °C
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 9
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 9
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 10
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 12
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFFCC; color:#000000;" | 15
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 19
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 22
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFCC66; color:#000000;" | 22
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 19
|style="text-align:center; background: #FFFF99; color:#000000;" | 17
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 13
|style="text-align:center; background: #DDDDDD; color:#000000;" | 11
|-
!style="background: #99CCCC; color:#000000;" height="16;" | Precip (mm)
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 91.4
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 76.2
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 58.4
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 30.5
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 15.2
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 2.5
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 0.0
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 0.0
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 20.3
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 68.6
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 58.4
|style="text-align:center; background: #E8EAFA; color:#000000;" | 76.2
|-
|colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|''Source: [http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/GRXX0030?from=search www.weather.com]''
|}
==Colleges and Universities==
*[[University of Crete]]
*[[TEI of Crete]]
==Culture==
===Sports===
The city hosts [[List of football clubs in Greece|three football clubs]]:
*[[OFI Crete]] in Heraklion, plays in the [[Alpha Ethniki|first division]].
*[[Ergotelis FC]] - in Heraklion, plays in the [[Alpha Ethniki|first division]].
Both OFI and Ergotelis FC use the [[Pankritiko Stadium]], which was built for the Athens [[2004 Summer Olympics]].
*[[Atsalenios]] - Football Club of Heraklion which plays in the [[Greek Third Division|third division]].
===Famous natives===
Heraklion has been the home town of some of Greece's most significant spirits, including the novelist [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], the poet and Nobel Prize winner [[Odysseas Elytis]] and the world-famous Greek painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos ([[El Greco]]).
====Literature====
*[[Vitsentzos Kornaros]] ([[1553]]-[[1613]]) author
*[[Nikos Kazantzakis]] ([[1883]]-[[1957]]) author
*[[Elli Alexiou]] ([[1894]]-[[1988]]) author
*[[Odysseas Elytis]] ([[1911]]-[[1996]]) Nobel awarded poet
*[[Lili Zografou]] ([[1922]]-[[1998]]) author
*[[Rea Galanaki]] ([[1947]]) author
====Scientists and Scholars====
*[[Peter Phillarges]] (ca. [[1339]]-[[1410]]) (also Pietro Di Candia, later [[Pope Alexander V]])
*[[Francesco Barozzi]] ([[1537]]-[[1604]]) mathematician and astronomer
*[[Maximos Margounios|Maximos (Emmanuel) Margounios]] ([[1549]]–[[1602]]) scholar, theologian, poet and writer, [[titular bishop]] of [[Kythira]]
*[[Nikolaos Panagiotakis]] ([[1935]]-[[1997]]) byzantinologist
*[[Fotis Kafatos]] biologist, President of the European Research Council
*[[Joseph Sifakis]] ([[1946]]) computer scientist, co-recipient of the 2007 [[Turing Award]]
====Painting====
*[[Andreas Ritzos]] ([[1422]]-[[1492]]) painter of icons
*[[Theophanes the Cretan|Theophanes]] (ca.1500-[[1559]]) painter of icons
*[[Michael Damaskenos]] (1530/35-1592/93) painter of icons
*[[Georgios Klontzas]] ([[1540]]-[[1607]]) painter of icons
*[[El Greco]] ([[1541]]-[[1614]]) mannerist painter, sculpturer and architect
*[[Emmanuel Tzanes]] ([[1610]]-[[1690]]) painter of icons
*[[Theodoros Poulakis]] ([[1622]]-[[1692]]) painter of icons
*[[Konstantinos Volanakis]] ([[1837]]-[[1907]]) painter
*[[Aristidis Vlassis]] (*1955) painter
====Film industry====
*[[Sapfo Notara]] ([[1907]]-[[1985]]) actress
*[[Rika Diallina]] ([[1934]]) actress and model, Miss Hellas
*[[Yannis Smaragdis]] ([[1946]]) film director
====Music====
*[[Fragiskos Leontaritis]] (Francesco Londarit) ([[1518]]-[[1572]]) composer
*[[Rena Kyriakou]] ([[1918]]-[[1994]]) pianist
*[[Giannis Markopoulos]] ([[1939]]) composer
*Christos Leontis ([[1940]]) composer
*Manolis Rasoulis ([[1945]]) lyrics writer
*[[Notis Sfakianakis]] ([[1959]]) singer
====Sports====
*[[Nikos Machlas]] ([[1973]]) footballer
*[[Georgios Samaras]] ([[1985]]) footballer
====Business====
*[[Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki]] ([[1955]]) business woman and politician
====Politics====
*[[Georgios Voulgarakis]] ([[1959]]) politician
====Law====
*[[Romilos Kedikoglou]] ([[1940]]) President of the Court of Cassation of Greece
====Clergy====
*[[Cyril Lucaris|Kyrillos Loukaris]] ([[1572]]–[[1637]]) theologian, Patriarch of Alexandria as Cyril III and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as Cyril I
*[[Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria|Theodore II]] ([[1954]]) Patriarch of Alexandria
==== Fashion ====
*[[Maria Spiridaki]] ([[1984]]) fashion model and television presenter
== Sister cities ==
*{{flagicon|Romania}} [[Constanţa]], [[Romania]]
==See also==
*[[Minoan civilization]]
*[[Siege of Candia]] (1648 - 1669)
*[[University of Crete]]
*[[Foundation for Research & Technology - Hellas]]
*[[ENISA|European Network and Information Security Agency]]
*[[TEI of Crete]]
*[[Centre for Technological Research of Crete]]
==Notes==
*[http://www.msc.gr/veniva/uk/main/p2.htm The War for Candia] by the VENIVA consortium provides details of the [[siege of Candia]], including estimated number of deaths.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commonscat|Herakleion}}
*{{wikitravel}}
*[http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Greece/Prefectures/Heraklion/ dmoz.org on Heraklion]
*[http://www.interkriti.org/iraklion/map Heraklion city map and virtual tour] An interactive map with streets, sights, travel info and pictures
*[http://www.heraklion.gr/ Municipality of Heraklion]
*[http://www.forth.gr (FORTH) Foundation of Research & Technology Hellas]
*[http://www.ctr-crete.gr (CTRC) Centre for Tecnological Research of Crete]
*[http://www.stepc.gr (STEP-C) Science & Technology Park of Crete]
*[http://www.teicrete.gr/tei/en/gen_plhrof/hrakleio/index.htm Heraklion] Information about the city of Heraklion by the [[TEI of Crete|Technological Educational Institute of Crete]]
{{Heraklion Prefecture}}
{{Prefectural capitals of Greece}}
{{Capitals of Peripheries of Greece}}
[[Category:824 establishments]]
[[Category:Greek prefectural capitals]]
[[Category:Greek regional capitals]]
[[Category:Crete]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Crete]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Greece]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Greece]]
[[Category:Heraklion Prefecture]]
[[ar:كاندية]]
[[bg:Ираклион]]
[[ca:Càndia]]
[[cs:Iraklion]]
[[da:Iraklio]]
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[[et:Irákleio]]
[[el:Ηράκλειο Κρήτης]]
[[es:Heraklion]]
[[fr:Héraklion]]
[[id:Heraklion]]
[[it:Candia]]
[[he:הרקליון]]
[[la:Heracleum]]
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[[ja:イラクリオン]]
[[no:Heraklion]]
[[nn:Iráklio]]
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[[pt:Iráclio]]
[[ro:Heraklion]]
[[ru:Ираклион]]
[[sk:Irakleio (Kréta)]]
[[sr:Ираклион]]
[[fi:Heraklion]]
[[sv:Heraklion]]
[[tr:Kandiye]]
[[ur:کانڈیہ]]
[[vo:Iraklio]]
[[zh:伊拉克利翁]]