We do not know how it happened that in our described places, which are worth seeing in Crete, so far there is no description of the Gramvousa fortress. So we are catching up and publishing a historical outline and some other information.
Imeri Gramvousa Island from the side of the Balos Lagoon
The island of Gramvousa, or in fact Imeri Gramvousa ( Ήμερη Γραμβούσ α), is an inseparable point of a trip that combines a stay in the Balos Lagoon with visiting the remains of a fortress located on the top of the island of Imeri Gramovousa. This is one of the most popular tourist trips in Crete. And unlike the Balos Lagoon, there is no room for dilemmas such as "better by car or by boat". Imeri Gramovusa is an island, so outside of the boat you won't get here otherwise.
It is also one of the most stunning places in Crete. The views from the old Venetian fortress compensate for the hardships of climbing steep steps. The delightful color of the water, shimmering with various shades of blue, azure and turquoise, contrasts beautifully with the orange shade of the rocks and the walls of the fortress. In the distance, you can see the Balos lagoon located at the foot of the 715-meter peak Geroskinos crowning the Gramvousa peninsula belonging to Crete.
Geroskinos peak as seen from the fortress
North of Imeri Gramovusa is another island called Agria Gramvousa. This name came about for a reason, Agria, meaning wild. Access to it is difficult due to high rocks. This hostile island is protected under the Natura program.
Imeri Gramovysa's landscape is reminiscent of African landscapes. This region, together with the Balos Lagoon, is one of the most important protected areas in the Eastern Mediterranean. There are over 100 species of birds and 400 species of plants. These areas are visited by the Mediterranean monk seal (a species of seal), which is threatened with extinction. Currently, its number is estimated at no more than 500 individuals. There are also individuals of the endangered Caretta caretta turtle species.
Imeri Gramvousa area
The main and, in fact, the only destination for excursions to Imeri Gramvousa is the Venetian fortress erected about 137 meters above the water surface, to which access is blocked by 365 steep steps. Overcoming them in 30-degree heat in the rays of the scorching sun is quite a challenge.
Until recently, the attention of visitors was also attracted by the rusty wreckage of the Dimitrios P ship, lying here on the shoal of the bay, but time and salty sea water slowly "worked it out". The ship was carrying a cargo of cement in 1967 when bad weather forced the captain to seek shelter. Misfortunes like to go in pairs, and in this case the anchor turned out to be the second negative event. During the stop, the chain of the left anchor broke, and the ship ran aground and remained there.
Ship condition in the 2020 film
In ancient times, the island of Imeri Gramovousa was called Korykos. Some associate this island with the mythical Ajaja ( Αιαία ), but of course this is just one of the hypotheses, because some of Ajaja's location is on the Apennine peninsula, others in Croatia or other Greek islands. On Ajaja lived the fairy Circe, who lured the companions of Odysseus returning from Troy with her beautiful singing. They wanted to get off the ship for a while, so they seized the opportunity. However, under Murphy's Law, if anything can go wrong, it will. As a result, after a great feast, Odysseus' companions were transformed by Circe into various animals. Odysseus missed it, but he fell under the charm of the sorceress and stayed with her for a year on the island, begetting a descendant. These are all ancient myths and fantasies, of course. The subsequent history of Gramvous is much better known and documented.
View from the fortress
In the years 1579-1584, the Venetians who ruled over Crete at that time, built an impressive fortress on this small island. The choice was not accidental because its strategic location made it possible to protect north-eastern Crete and the area between western Crete and the Peloponnese. Even today, when little is left of the fortress's glory days, its majestic size is impressive. The fortress has a triangular shape, and the walls, built of limestone, are nearly 600 meters long. It should be noted that from the west side of the access to the fortress there are steep rocks, and the fortress covers an area of 3 hectares. This fortress was able to accommodate 3,000 people, but interestingly, at a time when it was under the Venetian jurisdiction, its potential was not used in larger battles.
The entrance gate and the characteristic corner bastions have survived to our times. Inside the fortress there are two cisterns to collect rainwater, the remains of the Church of the Annunciation, which was converted into a mosque in Turkish times, and a gunpowder warehouse. The imagination of visitors can be fueled by a legend about a great treasure buried here.
Entrance to the fortress
In 1645, the Turks, expanding their sphere of influence, became interested in Crete, who transferred their army of 60,000 here. In three years, the Ottoman army systematically took control of the largest cities of the island. The resistance of each of them lasted about 2 months on average. The exception was Candia, today's Heraklion, which defended itself for 22 years. In 1669, the commander of the Venetian army, Francesco Morosini, signed a capitulation agreement, which finally sealed the fate of Crete, which from then on was entirely subordinated to Turkish rule.
One of the points of the act of capitulation was, however, leaving the Venetians in the hands of three fortresses located in Souda, Spinalonga and the island of Imeri Gramvousa. Thanks to this, the Venetians hoped to regain control over Crete.
In this way Gramvousa became the base of the Venetians, who took action from there to recover the island from the Ottoman hands. This situation, however, did not last long, because in 1692 one of the Venetian commanders, Luca Della Rocca, a Neapolitan, was bribed by the Turks and simply handed over the fortress to them. Even the ironic nickname "Captain Gramvous", given to him by the Turks, clung to him. The Turks began to fortify the fortress. They transported 66 guns here, transferred strong troops and made the fortress unavailable for many years.
In 1821, another uprising broke out, which was to give Greece the longed-for independence and allow it to throw off the hated Turkish yoke. In 1825, Greek and Cretan revolutionaries recaptured the Gramovous Fortress from Turkish hands, using an old-fashioned trick of disguising themselves as the enemy. For three years, the fortress became a "nest" of several thousand Cretan revolutionaries and a base for armed actions against the Ottoman occupiers. Both sides waged a devastating battle against each other, and in the meantime, the current residents of Gramvous increasingly adapted the fortress to their needs and organized daily life on the island. A school and a church appeared on the island.
At that time, many people sought refuge in this place from the increasingly devastating revolutionary turmoil. If you have been to this island, you know that it is not a fertile agricultural area that would be able to feed thousands of inhabitants of the fortress. Notorious food supply problems caused revolutionaries to attack ships passing nearby. Other countries whose ships fell victim to the pirates of Gramvousa could not turn a blind eye to such "arbitrariness".
In 1828, pressure from France and Great Britain forced the Greek government to take action, which put an end to piracy, and the island's inhabitants once again had to change their place of residence. After these events, the islet temporarily came under British rule, but in 1830 the island was again handed over to the Turkish authorities under the London Protocol as a sign of international "solidarity" and remained in Turkish hands until independence was regained by Crete.
The island has been uninhabited since then, and the last decades of organized tourism development have attracted considerable interest. And so Gramvousa from the seat of revolutionaries turned into one of the main tourist attractions of people vacationing in Crete.
View of the marina from the fortress
If you are going to visit Gramvousa it is best to bring more comfortable shoes and put them on before entering. Of course, we know that there are powerful people who will run up to Kazbek in socks, but twisting your leg on the approach to this fortress is no fun. Like climbing that rocky climb in thin-soled sandals. Of course it is possible, but no comfort.
In addition, it is also worth taking something with you that will protect your head and skin from the scorching sun and a supply of water. After 20 minutes of ascent, you will definitely need it. Those who cannot climb the mountain for some reason can of course stay at the bottom of the island, near the marina. Then sunbathing accessories will come in handy.
↤ click the appropriate part of the island to change the bottom map
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Elafonisi is a small island located at the end of the southwestern edge of Crete. A characteristic feature of Elafonisi is the shallow lagoon connecting it with Crete.
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Chania (Χανιά) is the second largest (after Heraklion) city of Crete. The biggest advantage of Chania is the area of the Old Town and the beautiful Venetian Harbor.
The genesis of the name of this poviat will not surprise anybody who will break the road from the Imbros gorge to Hora Sfakion. Word
This is the second largest airport (IATA code: CHQ) in Crete. In 2010, the airport in Chania served a total of over 1.65 million passengers.
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Between the villages of Topolia and Koutsamatados there is an interesting cave known as Agia Sofia
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The island of Gramvousa, or in fact Imeri Gramvousa (Ήμερη Γραμβούσα), is an inseparable point of a trip that combines a stay in the Balos Lagoon with visiting the remains of a fortress located on the top of the island of Imeri Gramovousa.
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