Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants (near 40,000 for the municipal unit). It is a former Latin Catholic bishopric as Retimo(–Ario) and former Latin titular see. Rethymno was originally built during the

Minoan civilization The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450BC ...

(ancient Rhithymna and

Arsinoe Arsinoe grc, Ἀρσινόη, Arsinoë, pronounced Arsinoi in modern Greek, may refer to: People * Arsinoe of Macedon, mother of Ptolemy I Soter * Apama II or Arsinoe (c. 292 BC–after 249 BC), wife of Magas of Cyrene and mother of Berenice II ...

). The city was prominent enough to mint its own coins and maintain urban growth. One of these coins is today depicted as the crest of the town: two dolphins in a circle.

History

This region as a whole is rich with ancient history, most notably through the

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450B ...

civilisation centred at Knossos east of Rethymno. Rethymno itself began a period of growth when 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 ...

conquerors of the island decided to put an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (''palia poli'') was almost entirely built by the Republic of Venice. It is one of the best-preserved old towns in Crete. From circa 1250 the city was the seat of the Latin Diocese of Retimo, which was renamed Retimo–Ario after the absorption in 1551 of the Diocese of Ario and as suppressed only after the Turkish conquest. The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, the small Venetian harbour and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia houses the information office of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. A Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival, in memory of the destruction of the Arkadi Monastery, is held on 7–8 November. The city's Venetian-era citadel, the Fortezza of Rethymno, is one of the best-preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neradje Mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate ( or "Porta Guora"), the Piazza Rimondi and the Loggia. The town was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1646 during the

Cretan War (1645–69) Cretan War may refer to multiple wars involving the island of Crete, including: *Cretan War (205–200 BC), a war between King Philip V of Macedon and Rhodes *Cretan War (1645–69), a war between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire See ...

and they ruled it for almost three centuries. The town, called ''Resmo'' in Turkish, was the centre of a '' sanjak'' (administrative part of a province) during Ottoman rule. During the Battle of Crete (20–30 May 1941), the Battle of Rethymno was fought between

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

paratroopers and the Second Australian Imperial Force and Hellenic Army. Although initially unsuccessful, the Germans won the battle after receiving reinforcements from Maleme in the Northwestern part of the island. Today the city's main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

and other Mediterranean products.

Municipality

The municipality of Rethymno was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units: * Arkadi * Lappa *

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 ...

*Rethymno ;Population of Rethymno

Culture

Rethymno is home to the following museums: *

Archaeological Museum of Rethymno The Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is a museum in Rethymno, Crete, Greece. Larnax, Early Minoan, hunting scene, AM Rethymno, 076112.jpg, Early Minoan larnax. Larnax, hunting of deer and ibex, deer, dog, Prepalatial, AM, Rethymno, 076113.jpg, Mi ...

*Historical and Folklore Museum of Rethymno *Municipal Gallery "L. Kanakakis" *The Frantzeskaki Collection * Museum of Sea Life at Rethymno The

Treasure Hunt of Rethymno The treasure hunt in Rethymno is a game played by local people in Crete and takes place two weeks before Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically o ...

is a game played by local people and takes place two weeks before

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

Literature

Pandelis Prevelakis wrote ''Το χρονικό μιας πολιτείας'' (1937), ''The Chronicle of a Town'', a nostalgic depiction of Rethymno from the period of the Cretan State (1898) to the expulsion of the

Cretan Turks The Cretan Muslims ( el, Τουρκοκρητικοί or , or ; tr, Giritli, , or ; ar, أتراك كريت) or Cretan Turks were the Muslim inhabitants of the island of Crete. Their descendants settled principally in Turkey, the Dodecanese ...

(1924).

Sports

Rethymno hosted the international athletics meeting known as Vardinogianneia. The athletics meeting stopped in 2012 due to Greek financial crisis. Rethymno has many sport clubs with presence in Panhellenic championships of various sports. Below is alist of the main sport clubs of Rethymno.

Education

In the Rethymno Campus of the University of Crete are located the School of Philosophy, the School of Education, the School of Social, Economics and

Political Sciences Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, and the University Library of the University of Crete. On a yearly basis, there are about 8.000 students studying at "Galos" where the Campus and the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies are located. Also in Rethymnon is located the School of Music and Optoacoustic Technologies of th
Hellenic Mediterranean University
Finally, in Rethymno, Tria Monastiria area is located the international researc
Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser
ref> of the Hellenic Mediterranean University which is the access point of the National Research Facilit
HELLAS-CH
.

Geography

Climate

Notable locals

; Royalty and politics * Georgios Chortatzis (1545–1610), dramatist in Cretan verse * Ahmed Resmî Efendi (1700–1783), Ottoman statesman, author and ambassador * Nikolaos Sifounakis (born 1949), Greek politician * Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan (1642–1715), valide sultan * Emmanouil Tsouderos (1882-1956), former

Prime Minister of Greece The prime minister of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρωθυπουργός της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Prothypourgós tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), colloquially referred to as the prime minister of Greece ( el, Πρωθυ� ...

; Other *

Stylianos Harkianakis Stylianos Harkianakis ( el, Στυλιανός Χαρκιανάκης; 29 December 1935 – 25 March 2019) was the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia and Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. He served as inaugural and perm ...

(1935 - 2019), Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia *

Athanasius III of Constantinople Athanasius III Patellarios (born Alexios Patellarios, el, Αλέξιος Πατελλάριος, russian: Алексий Пателла́рий; 1597 – 5 April 1654) was the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1634, 1635 and 1652. Before his patr ...

, Patriarch * Pandelis Prevelakis (1909–1986), writer * Manolis Xexakis (born 1949), poet and writer *

Nick Dandolos Nikolaos Andreas Dandolos ( el, Νικόλαος Ανδρέας Δάνδολος; ; April 27, 1883 – December 25, 1966), commonly known as Nick the Greek, was a Greek professional gambler and high roller. Early life Dandolos was the son of ...

(1883–1966), professional poker player

International relations

Rethymno is twinned with : *

Ayia Napa Ayia Napa ( el, Άγια Νάπα tr, Aya Napa, ), officially romanised Agia Napa, is a tourist resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus. Etymology The name Ayia Napa is derived from a Venetian-era monastery of the same ...

, Cyprus *

Castenaso Castenaso ( Bolognese: ; la, Castrum Nasicae) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. It is located around away from Bologna, the capital of Emilia Romagna. Sports Associazione Sportiva Dilettantist ...

, Italy * Pushkin, Russia

Gallery

File:Rethymno venetian port and fort.jpg, Panorama of the city File:Fontaine Rimondi (Réthymnon).JPG, Rimondi Fountain File:Loggia Rethymnou.JPG, Venetian loggia File:Porte Guora à Réthymnon.JPG, Guora Gate (Megali Pyli), old city gate File:Οδός Βερνάδου 3080.JPG, View of the old town File:Rethymno Sultan Ibrahim 19.JPG, Sultan Ibrahim mosque File:L'église catholique de Réthymnon.JPG, The catholic church of Agios Antonios File:Eleftherios Venizelos in Rethymno.JPG,

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movem ...

statue

References

;Notes

External links

* * http://www.explorerrethymno.gr
Prefecture of Rethymno - Official websiteRethymno
The Official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation {{Authority control Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece Greek prefectural capitals Populated places in Rethymno (regional unit)