Agia Roumeli

Agia Roumeli (Greek Αγία Ρουμέλη ( f sg ) ) is a harbor village on the southwest coast of Crete at the Libyan Sea. Administratively, it belongs to the municipality of Sfakia in the regional prefecture of Chania. Agia Roumeli is accessible only by water or trails. Among other things, combines the European path E4 the place with Soughia in the west and in the east of Loutro. The village is known as the end point of about 16 kilometer hike from the Omalos plane through the longest gorge in Europe, the Samaria Gorge, down to the sea. While the main hiking season in summer, the small town, once just an isolated fishing village, the destination for thousands of day-trippers. After the walk, they are brought from there by ferry west towards Soughia and Paleochora, or east to Chora Sfakia to get from there back to their vacation homes in the north of the island. In the village there is a first aid station, a few small hotels, restaurants, bars, two supermarkets and souvenir shops. On the flood plain east of the village a helipad is maintained.

Out of season, live only a few people in the village. The 2011 census recorded 57 in Agia Roumeli people registered .. De facto live in winter about 30 to 40 people in the place. The supply is maintained over a ferry service two times per week.

Old Agia Roumeli

Approximately two kilometers schluchteinwärts is the original settlement of Agia Roumeli, now called " Palea Agia Roumeli " ( Παλεά Αγία Ρουμέλη ). 1952, the village was from a flood severely damaged. After the establishment of national parks and the new village at the port of orphaned site. Since the autumn of 2008 extensive repairs take place. The eponymous church and cemetery - also for the new village - are, however, still at the old site.

History

Founded by the Dorians as Tarrha, the city declined since 500 AD Roman excavations testify tracks. Maybe lay here but even before that, in the Minoan period, a harbor. From Hellenistic-Roman period the mosaics of Apollon Temple, today the Panagia Church stands in its place on a smaller floor plan derived from the Venetian period. The mosaics in front of the church are open to everyone, the church itself is usually closed. During the different periods of occupation by the Venetians and Ottomans are not ingestible Samaria Gorge served the rebels again and again as a rallying point. So also 1770 Jannis Daskalogiannis and during the Great Cretan Revolt in 1886. Agia Roumeli as the southern end of the gorge with direct access to a navigable port was therefore for the occupiers at any time of great strategic importance.

After the final defeat of the uprising in 1887 the Ottomans built so there various fortifications. The ruins of a castle, which served to monitor the gorge output is obtained on the ridge at 200 meters north of Agia Roumeli. It can be reached from the south via a serpentine path. To the north, a path leads along the slope to Old Agia Roumeli. From the castle also a poorly preserved path leads to another ruin in 530 meters height, which probably belonged to a lookout tower.

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