Sitia
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Greek Dimos
Sitia (Latin and Italian) or Siteia (Template:Langx, Template:Translit {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a port town and a municipality in Lasithi, Crete, Greece. The town has 11,166 inhabitants and the municipality has 20,438 (2021).<ref name="census21" /> It lies east of Agios Nikolaos and northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia's port is on the Sea of Crete, part of the Aegean Sea<ref>Peter Saundry, C. Michael Hogan & Steve Baum. 2011. Sea of Crete. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds.M.Pidwirny & C.J.Cleveland. National Council for Science and Environment. Washington DC. Template:Webarchive</ref> and is one of the economic centers of the Lasithi region. European route E75 (which ends in Vardø, Norway) starts in Sitia. The town is served by the Sitia Public Airport. It has not experienced the effects of mass tourism{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Fix }} even though there is a long beach along the road leading to Vai and several places of historical interest.
HistoryEdit
The settlement of the town dates to pre-Minoan times. Excavations in the Petras neighbourhood have found architectural remains from the end of the Neolithic (3000 BC) and continue through the Bronze Age 3000-1050 BC, including the Minoan palace of Petras. Several other Minoan settlements have been found within the municipality, notably Itanos and Mochlos.Template:Cn
According to Diogenes Laërtius, Sitia was the home of Myson of Chen, one of the Seven Sages of Greece.Template:Cn
NameEdit
The ancient Itia or Etea<ref>John Freely, Crete: Discovering the 'Great Island Template:ISBN, p. 154</ref> (Template:Langx, Template:Translit) appears to correspond roughly to modern Sitia. The name Siteia itself is probably the result of rebracketing of Template:Translit ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "at") and Template:Translit.<ref>Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt, Travels and Researches in Crete, 1865, chapter XIX, p. 201</ref><ref name=Bourne1887>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Ancient SitiaEdit
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} Sitia was founded by Minoans as Itia,{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Fix }} and was a place of refuge for native Cretans after the fall of the major Minoan settlements.Template:Fact The city continued to prosper through the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods as one of the island's chief ports.
Venetian eraEdit
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} 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 in 1508, then by the Turkish pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1538, and finally by the Venetians themselves in 1651. This final destruction took place in the context of the Cretan War (1645–1669) in which the Venetians battled to retain their hold on the island against the Ottoman Empire. 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. 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 eraEdit
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 Lasithi, which it remains to this day). Under Turkish rule the town was renamed AvniyeTemplate:What? after its rebuilder, but as the local Greeks continued to use the traditional name of Sitia this innovation did not survive independence. Despite the turbulent history of Crete in leaving the Ottoman Empire 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.
GeographyEdit
MunicipalityEdit
The municipality Sitia was formed at the 2010 local government reform by the merger of the three former municipalities Itanos, Lefki and Sitia, which became municipal units.<ref name=Kallikratis>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2011, Sitia incorporated the four communities Chrysopigi, Lithines, Perivolakia and Pefkoi, which had previously been part of the municipality Ierapetra.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, these communities were grouped into the new municipal unit Analipsi.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The municipality Sitia consists of the following municipal units and communities:Template:Cn
- Analipsi (Chrysopigi, Lithines, Pefkoi, Perivolakia)
- Itanos (Karydi, Palaikastro, Zakros)
- Lefki (Agia Triada, Apidia, Armenoi, Chandras, Pappagiannades, Ziros)
- Sitia (Achladia, Agios Georgios, Chamezi, Exo Mouliana, Katsidoni, Krya, Lastros, Maronia, Mesa Mouliana, Myrsini, Piskokefalo, Praisos, Roussa Ekklisia, Sitia, Sfaka, Skopi, Stavromenos, Tourloti)
The municipality has an area of Template:Convert, the municipal unit Template:Convert.<ref name=stat01>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ProvinceEdit
Sitia Province or Eparchy ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Template:Translit) was one of the provinces of Lasithi. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Sitia and the municipal unit Makry Gialos.<ref name=census91>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Small Template:In lang</ref> It was abolished in 2006.
Environmentally protected areasEdit
Template:Refimprove section 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. Sitia is home to the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark. Notable examples are:
- Dionysades 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 and waterfall.<ref>Richtis Gorge and Waterfall</ref>
ClimateEdit
Sitia has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa) with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.Template:Weather box
InfrastructureEdit
Template:Refimprove section The municipality of Sitia is served by the Sitia Public Airport 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. In 2011, the local authorities completed negotiations with international travel agents for organising regular charter flights starting in May 2012.<ref>Charter flights 2012 Template:Webarchive, (in Greek)</ref> The same year, local officials negotiationed with the low-cost airline Ryanair.<ref>Ryanair to fly to Sitia (in Greek)</ref>
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.<ref>Sitia Port</ref> The town also has a marina which accommodates smaller fishing boats and yachts.
Health servicesEdit
Sitia General Hospital 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.<ref>General Hospital of Sitia (in Greek).</ref>
CultureEdit
AttractionsEdit
{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }}
- Moni Toplou, 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).
- Archaeological Museum of Sitia.
- FolkorTemplate:What? Museum of Sitia.
- Various archeological sites with Minoan civilization settlements from the Bronze Age, such as in Itanos and Mochlos.
Notable peopleEdit
- Yannis Hamilakis - archaeologist
- Myson - philosopher (one of the 7 legendary wise men of ancient Greece)
- Vitsentzos Kornaros - poet (composer of Erotokritos)
- Giorgos Mazonakis - singer
- Jenny Hiloudaki - DJ
- Manousos - Musician (bassist of Psofioi Korioi Band)
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Template:Wikivoyage-inline
- Municipality of Sitia (History)
- Vai forest
- Richtis gorge
- Gorge of the Dead
- Richtis beach and gorge
- Richtis gorge and waterfall
- 1st General Lyceum of Sitia (high school)
- Cretan Quality Agreement, local non-profit "promoting local cuisine and good health"
- Photos from Sitia
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