Prines ( el, Πρινές) is a local community of the municipality of
Rethymno within
Rethymno regional unit
Rethymno () is one of the four regional units of Crete, Greece. Its capital is the city of Rethymno. Today its main income is tourism. The countryside is also based economically on agriculture and herding.
Administration
The regional unit Rethy ...
,
Crete,
Greece. Before the
"Kallikratis Project" it belonged to the municipality of
Nikiforos Fokas
Nikiforos Fokas ( el, Νικηφόρος Φωκάς) is a former municipality in the Rethymno regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Rethymno, of which it is a municipal unit. The munic ...
(Νικηφόρος Φωκάς).
It lies 5 km W-SW of the town of
Rethymno and consists of the village Prines, with 851 inhabitants and the settlement Vederoi with 33 inhabitants (2011 census).
Together, the two settlements have been classified as "preservable traditional settlements" thus retaining their traditional style and character.
Before
World War II, Prines, was the capital of a commune consisting of the nearby villages Prines, Vederi and
Gerani.
Prines used to be an important place during the
Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
occupation of Crete (1204-1669 AD). According to local traditions, its name derives either from a Venetian lord (that the locals used to call "Prince") who lived there or after a very common bush called "Prinos" or "Prinari" that flourishes in the area. The village church, dedicated to St. Nikolaos, dates from the 13th century.
The majority of the local products are related to agriculture (mainly olives and olive-oil) and stock-breeding but there are also some small factories which employ a number of the inhabitants.
References
Populated places in Rethymno (regional unit)
Rethymno (municipality)
{{Crete-geo-stub