13th Gymnasium of Heraklion
ΚΑ2: 2016-1-ES01-KA219-025211_3 NAPLES: 20-24 FEBRUARY 2017
HISTORICAL FLASHBACK
Chania : City in the west
side of Crete
Its history starts from the
antiquity when there was the ancient Cydonia.
Region of great
importance both commercial and military reasons due to its position at the crossroads of the North-South (EuropeAfrica) and East - West (Europe - Asia) .
The lighthouse in the old port of
Chania counts more than five centuries old.
identification mark of the port
and the city of Chania around the world.
Its history is related to the history
of the port and of course the history of the city.
In 1212 A.D Venetians conquered
the island of Crete.
Chania during Turkish and
Venetian period had a quite developed trade and shipping.
Venetians reconstructed the town
again following the venetian architectural standards and gradually was developed inside the walls.
The port’s function was soon
rated necessary and so the local authorities were forced to take further action for its construction.
13TH CENTURY VENETIAN OCCUPATION
1320 - 1356 : The construction of the port began
and the project continued for the next 200 years. 1363-1364: this harbor was abandoned and only Heraklion’s harbor was in use as Rethimno’s harbor had similar problems. .
1595 – 1601 :
the Venetians built a lighthouse based on a natural rock that was functioning as an open fire torch ,mentioned as the “Flashlight’’.
1830-1860 TURKISH OCCUPATION  During this period many public works
took place in the island.
The lighthouse was reconstructed on its original trapezoid basis, however, it is different from the old one and looks like a minaret.
 The body of the lighthouse is
consisted of three parts of different cross sections: the part of the base is octagon, the middle part has sixteen angles and the third is round. It is constructed with stone chopped rocks from white sandstone. The inner staircase leads to a balcony with a glass turret.  In 1847 and 1859 the lighthouse
was renovated to its Turkish base and in 1839 it worked with its new, for the age, technology.
At the end of the 19th century it
works as a port lantern and consists only of the lighthouse tower, without the keepers’ residence as it is located in a residential area. At the end of the Turkish
occupation, a staircase was constructed on the east side at the entrance of the lighthouse.
The lighthouse of Chania
operated in 1933 as a red, stable “port lantern”.
In 1941 its lighting machine was
destroyed during the Second World War.
It was replaced later and
operated again in 1945.
In 1962, the ship “AFOVOS” hit the northwest corner of the lighthouse’s base.
Today, the lighthouse keeps
being the oldest ornament of the city of Chania .
It id standing 21m above the
sea level and its light shines for 7 miles.
It’s the oldest, preserved
lighthouse until today, not only in Greece but in the Mediterranean too, and one of the oldest in the world.
GREEK STUDENTS: APOSTOLAKIS BABIS KEVGAS MANOLIS PAPADAKI IOANNA CHRISTAKI MARIANNITA