Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Agios Nikolaos or Aghios Nikolaos ( ) is a coastal city on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the city of Ierapetra and west of the city of Sitia.

In 2021, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, had 27,785 inhabitants. The town sits partially upon the ruins of the ancient city of Lato pros Kamara.

History

Agios Nikolaos was settled in the late Bronze Age by Dorian occupants of Lato, at a time when the security of the Lato hillfort became a lesser concern and easy access to the harbour at Agios Nikolaos became more important.C. Michael Hogan, ''Lato Fieldnotes'', The Modern Antiquarian, Jan 10, 2008
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The name Agios Nikolaos means ''Saint Nicholas''. Its stress lies on the second syllable of the word "Nikolaos". ''Agios Nikolaos'' or ''Ayios Nikolaos'' (alternative romanizations of the Greek ) is a common placename in Greece and Cyprus, since Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and of Greece.

Archaeology

Lato pros Kamara, the ancient Agios Nikolaos, has left some limited ruins but an extensive cemetery of Roman times. Near the town is an archaeological site of ancient Priniatikos Pyrgos. It appears to have been first settled in the Final Neolithic era, circa 3000 BC. Activity on the site continued throughout the Minoan Bronze Age and the Classical Greek and Roman periods, spanning a total of up to 4,000 years. Since 2007, Priniatikos Pyrgos has been undergoing excavation by an international team under the auspices of the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens.

Culture

Modern Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is a tourist town that serves as a hub to the twenty or so small villages and farms that make up that part of Lassithi. Tourist attractions include the small lagoon Lake Voulismeni, small beaches in the town, the tiny island of Agioi Pantes, the archaeological museum, the local flora exhibition “Iris” and numerous fairs.

Tourism is mainly West European, with Greek tourism concentrated in mid August, though there are a considerable number of Russian visitors in East Crete. The lagoon features a small park with a trail, traditional fishing boats, ducks, pigeons, an amphitheatre and many cafés. The modern city of Agios Nikolaos became internationally well known during the 1960s, when it was "discovered" by famous cinema directors ( Jules Dassin, Walt Disney etc.), BBC producers and many others. It was then that the rapid tourist development of the area started. Among the various productions filmed were He Who Must Die, The Moon-Spinners, and the TV series The Lotus Eaters.

Daphne du Maurier's short story Not After Midnight was set in and around the town.

Geography

Climate

Agios Nikolaos has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: ''Csa'') with very mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

Transportation

Agios Nikolaos is accessible from the mainland and the whole of Europe through Heraklion International Airport, and the many daily ferry services in Heraklion . Travellers pass through Sitia airport, boarding a domestic or charter flight, or through the town's harbour . Recently, the town became host to a department of the Hellenic Mediterranean university, offering tourism-related courses.

Notable residents

* Mimis Androulakis (born 1951), politician
* Maria Damanaki (born 1952) politician
*Nikos Koundouros (1926–2017), film director

See also

* Cretan cuisine
*Agios Nikolaos (disambiguation)

References

*Davaras, Costis, Hagios Nikolaos Museum, Athens 1982; Ρωμαϊκὸ Νεκροταφεῖο Ἁγίου Νικολάου, Ἀρχαιολογικὴ Ἐφημερὶς 1985, pp. 130–216; Führer zu den Altertümern Kretas, Athen 2003, pp. 125–126.
*Davaras, Costis, S.Papadaki and N.Klontzas, Ο Αγιος Νικόλαος και η περιοχή του, Herakleion 2001.

External links

*
Homepage of the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

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Populated places in Lasithi

Greek prefectural capitals
Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece