Sitia ( el, Σητεία) is a port town and a municipality in

Lasithi Lasithi ( el, Λασίθι) is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete, to the east of Heraklion. Its capital is Agios Nikolaos, the other major towns being Ierapetra and Sitia. The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the ...

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

. The town has 9,912 inhabitants (2011) and the municipality has 18,318 (2011). It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of

Ierapetra Ierapetra ( el, Ιεράπετρα, lit=sacred stone; ancient name: ) is a Greek town and municipality located on the southeast coast of Crete. History The town of Ierapetra (in the local dialect: Γεράπετρο ''Gerapetro'') is located on ...

. Sitia port is on the

Sea of Crete 300px, Map of the Sea of Crete The Sea of Crete (, ''Kritiko Pelagos''), or Cretan Sea, is a sea, part of the Aegean Sea, located in its southern extremity, with a total surface area of . The sea stretches to the north of the island of Crete, eas ...

, part of the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans an ...

and is one of the economic centers of the

region.

European route E75 European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. The E 75 starts at the town of Vardø in Norway by the Barents Sea and it runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, ...

, which ends in

Vardø ( fi, Vuoreija, fkv, Vuorea, se, Várggát) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, more to the east than Saint Petersburg or Istanbul. The administra ...

, starts in Sitia. Sitia is served by the

Sitia Public Airport Sitia Airport is a small community airport in the region Mponta of Sitia Municipality, on the eastern part of Crete in Greece. The facility is serving the city of Sitia. The airport is located 1 km north/northwest of the city center. Histo ...

. Sitia has not experienced the effects of mass tourism even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest.

Geography

Municipality

The municipality Sitia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities which became municipal units: *

Itanos Itanos ( el, Ίτανος) is a municipal unit (demotike enoteta) of the municipality (demos} Siteia in the Lasithi regional unit, eastern Crete, Greece. A former municipality itself, it was included in Siteia as part of the 2011 local governm ...

* Lefki, Lasithi *Sitia The municipality has an area of , the municipal unit .

Province

The province of Siteia ( el, Επαρχία Σητείας) was one of the

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

of Lasithi. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Siteia and the municipal unit

Makry Gialos Makry Gialos ( el, Μακρύ Γιαλός) is a former municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece, with a population 3,894 in 2011. It is located on the south-east coast of Crete. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipalit ...

. It was abolished in 2006.

Environmentally protected areas

There are a number of sites in the municipality of Sitia that are protected as National Parks, Aesthetic Forests, Wildlife Refuges etc. under national and international laws. Notable examples are: *

Dionysades The Dionysades ( el, Διονυσάδες, also Γιανυσάδες - ''Gianysades'') is a small, northward-trending archipelago off the north coast of the island of Crete, mid-way between the Cape Sidero lighthouse to the southeast (from wh ...

Islands which carry many rare and endangered plant species and also serve as a refuge of several animal species (mostly birds and small reptiles), including the falcon, ''Falco eleonorae'', which finds sanctuary here. * Vai Palm Forest. *

Richtis Gorge Richtis Gorge ( el, Φαράγγι του Ρίχτη, Faraggi tou Richti) is a gorge in Crete, GreeceMap of Richtis Gorge here. It is a state protected park near Exo Mouliana, Sitia, eastern Crete (Greece) that starts at the traditional village E ...

and waterfall.

Climate

History

The settlement of the town dates to pre- Minoan times. Excavations in the Petras neighbourhood have found architectural remains from the end of the Neolithic (3000 BC) and continue through the Bronze Age 3000-1050 BC, including the Minoan palace of Petras. Several other Minoan settlements have been found within the municipality, notably

and Mochlos. According to

Diogenes Laërtius Diogenes Laërtius ( ; grc-gre, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is definitively known about his life, but his surviving ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal sour ...

, Sitia was the home of Myson of Chen, one of the

Seven Sages of Greece The Seven Sages (of Greece) or Seven Wise Men (Greek: ''hoi hepta sophoi'') was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7–6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom. The ...

Etymology

The ancient Ἠτεία, written as Itia or Etea in English, appears to correspond roughly to modern Sitia. The name Sitia itself is probably the result of

rebracketing Rebracketing (also known as resegmentation or metanalysis) is a process in historical linguistics where a word originally derived from one set of morphemes is broken down or bracketed into a different set. For example, '' hamburger'', originally ...

of the prefix "s-" < σε 'at' + Ἠτεία.

Ancient Sitia

Sitia was founded by Minoans as Iteia, and was a centre of refuge for native Cretans after the fall of the major Minoan settlements. The city continued to prosper through the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods as one of the island's chief ports.

Venetian Era

The town was later expanded and fortified by the Venetians after their acquisition of Crete in 1204, who used it as a base of operations for the Eastern Mediterranean. During the Venetian occupation, the town was destroyed three times: first by an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

in 1508, then by the Turkish pirate

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an O ...

in 1538, and finally by the Venetians themselves in 1651. This final destruction took place in the context of the

Cretan War (1645–1669) The Cretan War ( el, Κρητικός Πόλεμος, tr, Girit'in Fethi), also known as the War of Candia ( it, Guerra di Candia) or the Fifth Ottoman–Venetian War, was a conflict between the Republic of Venice and her allies (chief among ...

in which the Venetians battled to retain their hold on the island against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. While Sitia did not fall in the initial Turkish advance the Venetians did not have the resources to withstand a long siege, and accordingly destroyed the fortifications and removed the garrison to

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban ...

. The local inhabitants meanwhile removed westwards to Liopetro and the site was subsequently abandoned for the next 200 years of Turkish rule. The main remnant of the Venetian occupation is the '' Kazarma'' (from Italian ''casa di arma''), the old fortress overlooking the harbour.

Modern Era

After the Venetian period and subsequent abandonment the town was rebuilt until 1870 by the progressive Turkish governor Hüseyin Avni Pasha following the Cretan Revolt. It was subsequently created capital of the Sanjak of Lasit (later

, which it remains to this day). Under Turkish rule the town was renamed Avniye in honour of its rebuilder, but as the local Greeks continued to use the traditional named of Sitia this innovation did not survive Independence. Despite the turbulent history of Crete in leaving the

and joining Greece, as well as the First World War, the population almost quadrupled between 1881 (570 inhabitants) and 1928 (2,100 inhabitants). Major public works were carried out by the Greek government in 1911 to modernise the town, in the course of which much of the Ottoman era town was rebuilt, as well as a fresh water supply.

Infrastructure

The municipality of Sitia is served by the

which offers several domestic destinations. The first landing occurred on June 7, 1984 and the airport opened officially on June 9, 1984. Construction of new building facilities that included a control tower was completed in May 1993. Runway and apron extension works were finished in May 2003. Recently (2011), the local authorities have completed negotiations with international travel agents for organizing regular charter flights starting in May 2012. Currently (2011), local officials are under negotiations with the low-cost airline

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...

. In addition, Sitia is served by a port which connects Sitia and eastern Crete with several other Greek islands as well as with the

port of Piraeus The Port of Piraeus ( el, Λιμάνι του Πειραιά) is the chief sea port of Athens, Greece, located on the Saronic Gulf on the western coasts of the Aegean Sea, the largest port in Greece and one of the largest in Europe. The Chinese ...

. The town also has a marina which accommodates smaller fishing boats and yachts.

Health services

The General Hospital of Sitia was founded in 1947 as a local health center and was later (1994) relocated to a new 7500m² (110-bed capacity) building and accordingly upgraded to serve as the main hospital for the municipality of Sitia and the surrounding area.General Hospital of Sitia
(in Greek).

Culture

Attractions

Moni Toplou Toplou Monastery ( el, Μονή Τοπλού) is a currently active monastery located in a semi-arid area of the Lasithi regional unit, on the eastern part of the island of Crete in Greece. It is about north of Palekastro and east of Agios ...

, founded in the mid 15th century, is one of the most significant monasteries in Crete. * Kazarma fortress, in the town of Sitia. *Gorge of the Dead (at Kato Zakros). *Various archeological sites with Minoan civilization settlements from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

, such as in

and Mochlos.

Notable people

Yannis Hamilakis Yannis Hamilakis ( el, Γιάννης Χαμηλάκης, ; born 1966) is a Greek archaeologist and writer who is the Joukowsky Family Professor of Archaeology and Professor of Modern Greek Studies at Brown University. He specialises in archaeolog ...

- archaeologist * Myson - philosopher (one of the 7 legendary wise men of ancient Greece) *

Vitsentzos Kornaros Vitsentzos or Vikentios Kornaros ( el, Βιτσέντζος or ) or Vincenzo Cornaro (March 29, 1553 – 1613/1614) was a Cretan poet, who wrote the romantic epic poem ''Erotokritos''. He wrote in vernacular Cretan dialect (Cretan Greek), and was ...

- poet (composer of ''

Erotokritos ''Erotokritos'' ( el, Ἐρωτόκριτος) is a romance composed by Vikentios Kornaros in early 17th century Crete. It consists of 10,012 fifteen-syllable rhymed verses, the last twelve of which refer to the poet himself. It is written in ...

'') *

Giorgos Mazonakis , birth_date = , birth_place = Athens, Greece , death_date = , genre = Laïka, Greek Folk-Pop, Dance music, dance , years_active = 1992–present , label = Universal Music, Universal Music Greece (1993–2001)Heaven Music (2001–201 ...

- singer * Jenny Hiloudaki - DJ *

Manousos Manousos ( gr, Μανούσος) is both a Greek surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Savvas Manousos (born 1985), Greek basketball player * Yiorghos Manousos (born 1987), Greek footballer *Manousos Manousakis Manous ...

- Musician (bassist of '' Psofioi Korioi'' Band)

References

External links

*
Municipality of Sitia (History)Vai forestGorge of the DeadRichtis beach and gorgeRichtis gorge and waterfall1st General Lyceum of Sitia (high school)Cretan Quality Agreement, local non-profit "promoting local cuisine and good health"
{{Authority control Municipalities of Crete Populated places in Lasithi Provinces of Greece