Nikos Kazantzakis (municipality)

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The Municipality of Nikos Kazantzakis (Greek Δημοτική Ενότητα Νίκου Καζαντζάκη ) south of the Cretan capital Heraklion is the center of the 2010 community -created Archanes - Asterousia and introduces the place Peza their parish seat. Nikos Kazantzakis was formed in 1994 as an independent community of around 15 villages and named after the Cretan poet Nikos Kazantzakis, whose father came from the village of Myrtia in his field.

Location and Geography

The municipality is located approximately in the middle of the Regional District of Heraklion, in the central mountains of Crete, the only up to 718 m above sea level here. inst increases. The northern villages within the area are located on the northern slope of the highlands, above the coastal plain of Heraklion, in which drain the river Karteos and one of its tributaries, and have formed two valleys, lie to the sides of the largest of these villages. The remaining territory stretches south to the mountains and borders here already at the district Asterousia which at the Messara has a share. The relatively carefree north-south route through the Cretan mountains, at the most Orstschaften are already joined in Knossos Minoan period on the north coast with the palace centers at the output of the Messara Plain in the south at Phaistos and Agia Triada.

History

Traces of settlement are already occupied on the territory of the Municipality of Nikos Kazantzakis Neolithic. Furthermore, some important excavations were made, testifying that the area was quite wealthy too early ancient times. So are located north of the village Alagni remains of a Minoan villa.

Villages and settlements

• Agies Para gravel Agies Para gravel ( Άγιες Παρασκιές )
• Kellia ( Κελλιά )

• Damania ( Δαμάνια )
• Arkadi ( Αρκάδιον )
• Melodochori ( Μελιδοχώρι )
• Filisia ( Φιλίσια )

• Meleses ( Μελέσες )

• Metaxochori ( Μεταξοχώρι )
• Armanogia ( Αρμανώγεια )
• Monastery of Agios Georgios Epanosifis ( Μονή Αγίου Γεωργίου Επανωσήφη )
• Partheni ( Παρθένιον )

Choudetsi

In the village Choudetsi, south of Archanes, Ross Daly and other musicians have set up the instrument museum and event center Labyrinth Musical Workshop. Find seminars and concerts with musicians from around the world who are looking for new ways in traditional music forms. The exhibition mainly stringed instruments and percussion and wind instruments. Among the approximately 200 instruments from many different countries are always adding new ones, Ross Daly, the artistic director, brings from concert tours. All instruments are played in concerts and workshops. In addition to this labyrinth also offers workshops for instrument building.

Katalagari

The village Katalagari, with about 200 inhabitants, situated on a hill on the border with Archanes. The earliest written mention of the town was found in a document of the notary Pietro Scardon of Chandax (Heraklion ) dates from 1271st The name Katalagari goes back to the ancient Greek root logarion ( λογάριον ), a diminutive form of logos in the importance of money or treasure. In the Middle Ages the term was used logarin for hidden and secure wealth. The village has been living for centuries from wine and olive growing. In an old Raki distillery, a workshop for Cretan cuisine has been set up who wants to make especially students familiar with traditional foods and ingredients.

Metaxochori - Monastery of Agios Georgios Epanosifis

The monastery dates from the 17th century and was dedicated to St. George, who was regarded as the patron saint against the plague then raging. It is one of the largest of Crete and is still inhabited by nearly forty monks. In addition to two churches, one of them with a valuable iconostasis, also has a showroom with church treasures and calligraphy to the system.

With the German invasion of Crete and during the four years of occupation, the monastery supported the Cretan resistance. Supposedly the monk Sofronios, who later became abbot of the monastery, have taken on June 2, the mobilized by Manolis Bandouvas fighters in a cave near Agios Silla an oath. In the monastery took place during the German occupation wounded Antares (Greek for partisan ) shelter and care, and found there the conferences Kapetanii ( leader ) of the various resistance groups instead.

Myrtia

The village of origin of Nikos Kazantzakis ' father, was formerly called VARVARI ( barbarians ). The name goes back to a settlement of non-Greek by Nicephorus Phocas, who is said to have settled here in the year 961 either his mercenaries from the fight against the Arab occupation, or Arabs themselves, who had survived the fighting. 1955, the town was renamed as part of the Hellenization of place names in Myrtia.

1983 was opened the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum - on the village square in Myrtia. 2010, it was enlarged and transformed. Photos, letters and manuscripts are shown, stage models to his works, pictures of the filming of ' The man must die ' by Jules Dassin, based on the novel ' The Greek Passion ' and all expenses of Kazantzakis ' works in many languages. There is also a conference hall, which is named after the founder of the museum Giorgos Anemoyiannis, and a digital archive.

Peza

Peza is the center of wine production in the Dimos Nikos Kazantzakis (see Resources).

Economy

In the agrarian community are - since Minoan times - especially wine and olives grown. 97 % of the farms, about 3000, in which was founded in 1933 Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, in short: Peza Union together. Place about one third of the cultivated wine is marketed as a quality wine as table wine and as raisins and table grapes. The investments of the Peza Union can process 20,000 tons of wine, it also has bottling and packaging equipment. Average of 5,000 tons of oil annually extracted from the olives of about 1,100,000 trees. In addition to the lab, filling and packing equipment, the cooperative also has a plant for the production of traditional olive oil soap. The cooperative also offers its members loans and insurance and shopping for agricultural equipment. In an exhibition space visitors are shown historical equipment of the vine and olive cultivation, a film about the villages involved and offered a wine tasting. In Peza also maintains the winery ' Minos ' production halls and an exhibition space and Skalani the winery ' Boutari '.