Apokoronas () is a municipality and a former

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

(επαρχία) in the Chania regional unit, north-west

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. It is situated on the north coast of Crete, to the east of

Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, romanized as Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno ...

itself. The seat of the municipality is the village

Vryses Vryses () is a village in Crete, Greece, and the seat of the municipality of Apokoronas. It has a population of 854 inhabitants according to the 2021 census. It is now a popular tourist destination that has maintained its Cretan character. On Ne ...

. The municipality has an area of . It has a total of 75 villages.

Geography

Apokoronas extends from the foothills of the White Mountains north to the coast, in a wide plain with rolling hills. To the east, Cape Drapanon rises above the plain and extends out into the Sea of Crete. The area is very green and fertile, unusual for rocky Crete. The Kiliaris river, known in antiquity as 'Pyknos', runs through the region.

Robert Pashley Robert Pashley (4 September 1805 – 29 May 1859) was a 19th-century English traveller, lawyer and economist. Pashley was born in York and he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. Distinguished in mathematics and Classics, in 1830 he was elected ...

suggested that the name 'Apokoronas' came from the ancient city of Ippokoronas or Ippokoronion, also cited by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

. This city may have been located near modern Nipos, or on the site of the Venetian fortress, Castel Apicorono, on an outcrop between

Kalyves Kalyves () is a large village in Crete, Greece, the main village in the municipal unit of Armenoi. Description Kalyves is a seaside village of Apokoronas, 19 km east of Chania Chania (, , ), also sometimes romanization of Greek, ro ...

and Almyrida. The major towns of Apokoronas are

Vamos Vamos (Greek language, Greek: Βάμος) is a small town and former municipality in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform "Kallikratis" it is a municipal unit, part of the municipa ...

Armenoi Armenoi (, also transliterated as ''Armeni'') is a village and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. Th ...

and

, with police, municipal and utility offices as well as taverns and large churches; Kalyves, Almyrida and

Georgioupoli Georgioupoli () is a resort village and former municipality in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The m ...

are the largest beach resorts. Tourism and agriculture are the major local industries, with much construction and quarrying to satisfy the demands of many foreigners eager to buy or rent properties in what used to be beautiful and traditional villages.

Gavalochori Gavalochori, also spelled ''Gavalohori'' (Greek: Γαβαλοχώρι), is a 1000-year-old village located in the northwestern part of the Crete, island of Crete, Greece. The village lies in a valley about three kilometers/1.86 miles directly inla ...

is among the more popular villages. Many residents or workers in

also have homes in the area. Apokoronas was the location of much of the filming of the movie ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' (, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek intellectual who ventures to escape his bookish life with the aid of the boisterous and m ...

''.

Municipality

The municipality Apokoronas was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 6 former municipalities, that became municipal units: *

Asi Gonia Asi Gonia () is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it i ...

Fres Fres () is a village and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . The ...

Kryonerida Kryonerida () is a former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . The seat of ...

Province

The province of Apokoronas () was one of the provinces of Chania Prefecture. It covered the same area as the current municipality. It was abolished in 2006.

References

{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece

External links

Municipality of Apokoronas, Government Website

Gavalochori Village

Gavalochori Village
Populated places in Chania (regional unit) Municipalities of Crete Provinces of Greece