Hora Sfakion - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Image:Chora Sfakion 1941 evacuation monument.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Monument commemorating the evacuation during WW2

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

of British and ANZAC

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps

The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...

forces from Hora Sfakion in May 1941. Click on the left plaque for a closer view
rect 198 536 320 1082
rect 0 0 900 1200
desc bottom-left

Hóra Sfakíon or Sfakia (Σφακιά sfaˈca) is a town on the south coast of Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. It is the capital of the remote and mountainous region of Sfakiá

Sfakia

Sfakiá is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania peripheral unit. It is considered one of the few places in Greece to never have been fully occupied by foreign powers...

, and is a small town of just 278 inhabitants (2001 census). It lies on the south coast near the end of the Imbros Gorge

Imbros Gorge

Imbros Gorge is a 11 km long canyon located near Hora Sfakion in southern Crete, the Mediterranean island. It runs parallel to Samariá Gorge, its narrowest part has 1.60 m and it ends at the village of Kommitádes...

, 74 km south of Chania

Chania

Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...

. It has two small harbours, where the ferry boats from Agia Roumeli

Agia Roumeli

Agia Roumeli is a small village in southwest Crete, Greece and is popular with tourists. Located a few kilometres above the town is the southern entrance to the Samaria Gorge. For most walkers, this is the exit, as the usual route through the gorge is to descend from the north...

dock, which in the summer bring the hikers from the Samaria Gorge

Samaria Gorge

The Samariá Gorge is aNational Park of Greece on the island of Crete - a major tourist attraction of the island - and a World's Biosphere Reserve....

to take buses back to the northern coast. From Hora Sfakion ferries also run to the nearby coastal town of Loutro and the island of Gavdos

Gavdos

Gavdos is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much bigger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the peripheral unit of Chania. It forms a community with surrounding islets and was part of the former Selino Province. It is the southernmost point of...

.

Hora Sfakion is a small village with a main harbourfront of tavernas, two minimarkets, a butcher and a bakery. There is a quiet local beach immediately West of the village, and several pebbly beaches nearby. The town offers a variety of tourist accommodation: rooms, studios and apartments. The local economy is based on tourism, fishing, olive oil production and sheep and goat herding.

Hóra Sfakíon prospered during the Venetian and Turkish occupations and up to the 18th century carried on a flourishing trade with its own small fleet. It was said to have had a hundred churches but the town suffered badly from wartime bombardment during the Battle of Crete

Battle of Crete

The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...

and the Allied evacuation that followed.

Hóra Sfakíon is famous as one of the centers of resistance against the occupying forces of both the Venetians

Republic of Venice

The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...

and the Turks

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. The impenetrable White Mountains

Lefka Ori

Lefka Ori or Madares is a mountain range located in Western Crete, in the Chania prefecture. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a good part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region...

to the north combined with the rocky beaches on the south helped the locals fight off all invaders. Anopolis, a village near Hóra Sfakíon, is the birthplace of one of the most celebrated Cretan revolutionaries, Daskalogiannis

Daskalogiannis

Ioannis Vlachos , better known as Daskalogiannis was a wealthy shipbuilder and shipowner who led a Cretan revolt against Ottoman rule in the 18th century.-Life and career:...

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.