Kallikratis ( el, Καλλικράτης) is a small village belonging to the municipality of
Sfakia, in southwest
Crete,
Greece.
According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (
droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of
Constantinople with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by
Sphrantzes
George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza ( el, Γεώργιος Σφραντζής or Φραντζής; 1401 – c. 1478), was a late Roman (Byzantine) historian and Imperial courtier. He was an attendant to Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos, ''p ...
in his ''Chronicle'', these volunteers manned three towers on the
walls of Constantinople and continued to fight bravely even after the city had
fallen. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan
Mehmed
Mehmed (modern Turkish: Mehmet) is the most common Bosnian and Turkish form of the Arabic name Muhammad ( ar, محمد) (''Muhammed'' and ''Muhammet'' are also used, though considerably less) and gains its significance from being the name of Muh ...
allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons.
Geography
Kallikratis is situated off the beaten tourist path and is made up of four widely separated neighborhoods that are scattered on a small
plateau in
Lefka Ori
Lefka Ori ( el, Λευκά Όρη, meaning 'White Mountains') or Madares ( from the Cretan Greek meaning 'without coverage, bald, bare of any vegetation for high mountain areas') is a mountain range located in Western Crete, in the Chania prefect ...
with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via
Myriokefala
Myriokefala is a local community of the Rethymno Municipality in the Rethymno (regional unit) of the region of Crete established by Kallikratis reform. Previously, it was part of municipality of Lappa. Capital of the new municipality is Rethymn ...
,
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia ( el, Ασή Γωνιά) is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it i ...
or
Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than 25 tight
hair-pin turns, which starts in
Kapsodasos and overlooks the
Frangokastello plain and the
South Cretan Sea in the distance. Kallikratis is also on the
E4 walking route. Kallikratiano (i.e. Kallikratis') gorge starts southwest of the village and ends in the village of
Patsianos, maintaining important natural habitats. The gorge can be crossed on a 4 km path. Before 1900, Kallikratis was a large village with more than 130 families. Today, only a few tens of inhabitants still live in the village and many of the houses are deserted. Kallikratis is almost uninhabited during the colder months of the year, since in that time the local shepherds move with their herds in
transhumance to the warmer climate of the villages near the shore.
History
Kallikratis never lived under permanent foreign rule and its residents have a long tradition of participation in national fights for freedom.
Wars against the Ottoman Turks
In 1770, Kallikratis was destroyed during
Daskalogiannis'
revolt
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
against the
Ottoman Empire. In 1821, a group of
Sfakians The Sfakians (or Sphakians or Sfakiots; el, Σφακιανοί) are the inhabitants of the region of Sfakia located in western Crete. The Sfakians hold themselves to be the direct descendants of the Dorians who came down to Crete around 1100 BC.
...
led by Kallikratis native Georgios Demonakis ( el, Γεώργιος Δαιμονάκης) fought with
Alexander Ypsilantis after his crossing of the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates ...
river to start a
revolt
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
in Romania. In July 1821, during the
revolt of 1821, part of Kallikratis was burnt while many of its residents were away fighting the Turks near
Rethymno. In 1866, during the
great Cretan revolt, Kallikratis was burnt for the third time. The following year (1867), Ottoman forces under the command of
Omar Pasha unsuccessfully attempted to invade Sfakia from Kallikratis.
Macedonian struggle
At the beginning of the twentieth century, several Kallikratians voluntarily took part in the
struggle for Macedonia
The Macedonian Struggle ( bg, Македонска борба; el, Μακεδονικός Αγώνας; mk, Борба за Македонија; sr, Борба за Македонију; tr, Makedonya Mücadelesi) was a series of social, po ...
between 1904-1908 under the leadership of
Efthimios Kaoudis,
Georgios Dikonymos,
Emmanouil Benis and
Lamprinos Vranas.
World War II
During the first months of the
Axis occupation of Crete, the
AEAK resistance organization was established at the house of Colonel Andreas Papadakis, located between Kallikratis and
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia ( el, Ασή Γωνιά) is a mountainous village and a former community in the eastern part of the Chania regional unit in Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it i ...
. Later on, the resistance operated a radio station hidden in a cave near Kallikratis.
In October 1943, in
reprisal
A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Since the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (AP 1), reprisals in the laws of war are extremel ...
for aiding the partisans operating in the area,
Friedrich Schubert's Jagdkommando accompanied by German occupation forces subjected the village to a collective punishment.
Around 30 civilians were executed
[Beevor, Antony. ''Crete: The Battle and the Resistance'', John Murray Ltd, 1991. Penguin Books, 1992.] and another twenty were imprisoned. Houses were looted and burned and the remaining inhabitants expelled.
In memory of these events, Kallikratis was declared a martyred village on 3 October 2018 (Presidential Decree 29, ΦΕΚ Α 54/2.4.2019).
Επίσημα μαρτυρικό χωριό ο Καλλικράτης, Χανιώτικα Νέα, 3 Οκτωβρίου 2018
/ref>
Miscellaneous
The family of Kostas Mountakis
Kostas Mountakis (, a.k.a. Μουντόκωστας) (10 February 1926, in Alfa in Mylopotamos, Crete – 31 January 1991) was a Greek musician who popularized the traditional music of the island of Crete, primarily with the lyra, the bowed str ...
, one of the most celebrated Cretan music artists, originated from Kallikratis. On Sep. 5th 2008, a Cretan music night dedicated to his memory was held in Kallikratis.
During summer, a couple of coffee shops and taverns serving local specialties are open in the area.
References
External links
Kallikratis gorge photos & videos
Car commercial for which Kallikratis gorge provided the setting
Kallikratis from e-sfakia.gr
(in Greek -
translate
{{Sfakia div
Populated places in Chania (regional unit)