Loutro ( el, Λουτρό) (Greek: "Bath") lies on the south coast of

Chania Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The muni ...

regional unit in west

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, Cyprus, and ...

, between

Chora Sfakion Image:Chora Sfakion 1941 evacuation monument.jpg, 200px, Monument commemorating the evacuation during WW2 of British and ANZAC forces from Hora Sfakion in May 1941. ''Click on the left plaque for a closer view'' rect 198 536 320 1082 rect 0 0 90 ...

and

Agia Roumeli Agia Roumeli ( el, Αγιά Ρούμελη) is a small village in southwest Crete, Greece and is popular with tourists. Background Located a few kilometers above the town is the southern entrance to the Samaria Gorge. For most walkers, this is ...

, the exit to the

Samaria Gorge Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first-ce ...

. The whole area is known as

Sfakia Sfakiá ( el, Σφακιά) is a mountainous area in the southwestern part of the island of Crete, in the Chania regional unit. It is considered to be one of the few places in Greece that have never been fully occupied by foreign powers. With a ...

. The village got its name from the Greek word for "bath," for the many ancient baths found in the area.

History

Loutro is the site of the ancient city of Phoenix (Finikas), which was the port town of ancient

Anopolis Anopolis ( grc, Ἀνώπολις) was a town and ''polis'' (city-state) of ancient Crete The history of Crete goes back to the 7th millennium BC, preceding the ancient Minoan civilization by more than four millennia. The palace-based Minoan ci ...

, and an important harbour in

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

and Roman times. It later became the wintertime port of the town of Sfakia because of its natural protection during harsh weather. Today nothing remains of ancient Phoenix except the name preserved by the small village in the bay west of Loutro. Later the Saracen pirates used Loutro as a lair from which to attack the ships sailing south of Crete. The Venetians managed to drive out the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

and fortified Loutro with a small fortress whose ruins are still visible today. Another fortress preserved in better condition in Loutro is evidence of the Turkish presence here.

Access

Loutro is accessible only by foot or by sea. Ferries run daily connecting Loutro to nearby towns and the exit-point of the Samaria Gorge.

Economy

Much of Loutro's economy is based on tourism and fishing.

References

External links

Loutro in Crete
* {{coord, 35, 12, N, 24, 5, E, source:plwiki_region:GR, display=title Populated places in Chania (regional unit)

History

Access

Economy

See also

References

External links