Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Agios Nikolaos (Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος ( m. sg. ) ) Is a city in the eastern part of Crete and seat of the municipality of the same name. Agios Nikolaos is a major tourist destination and is one of 11,421 inhabitants, as a town with 12,638 inhabitants neighboring settlements.

The name of the town goes back to the church of Agios Nikolaos (German, Saint Nicholas '), which dates from the 10th century and one of the oldest surviving churches of Crete is. The church is located on a peninsula north-east of the city on a site, which is now part of a luxury hotel.

Geography

Agios Nikolaos is located in the east of Crete, on the west bank of the Mirabello Gulf. In the center of the town is the Voulismeni lake connected to the sea, to the settled numerous tavernas and bars. The place also has a sizeable port and a marina.

Attractions

Among the main attractions in Agios Nikolaos is one of the Archaeological Museum, which was built in 1970 to accommodate the finds from eastern Crete, which until then had been housed in Heraklion.

A few kilometers north of the city is connected by a causeway to the mainland peninsula of Spinalonga with the fortified island of Spinalonga. Until the mid- 20th century, the island leper colony and the last leper colony in Europe.