Kandanos or Kantanos ( el, Κάνδανος or Κάντανος), also Candanos, is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit,

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, ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality

Kantanos-Selino Kantanos-Selino ( el, Κάντανος-Σέλινο) is a municipality in Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. It is numbered 4 on the map of the Chania region. The seat of the municipality is the village of Palaiochora Palaiochora ( el, Πα� ...

, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of . It was part of the former

Selino Province Selino is a historical region and a former province of Crete. It is located in the remote southwestern corner of the island, in the Chania regional unit. It is a rugged and remote area in the foothills of the Lefka Ori (White Mountains) and also ...

which covered the southwest of the island. The town has 421 residents.

History

Nearby is the site of the ancient town of Cantanus. The town of Kandanos and its surrounding area suffered particularly badly from

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 **Ge ...

occupation during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. During the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious ope ...

, resistance fighters had held advancing German soldiers for two days, preventing them from reaching

Palaiochora Palaiochora ( el, Παλαιόχωρα or Παλιόχωρα) is a small town in Chania regional unit, Greece. It is located 70 km south of Chania, on the southwest coast of Crete and occupies a small peninsula 400 m wide and 700 m long. T ...

to secure it. In retribution the occupiers razed the village to the ground and erected a sign: ''"Here stood Kandanos, destroyed in retribution for the murder of 25 German soldiers, never to be rebuilt again."'' The town was rebuilt however, and the sign retained in a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

. Several of the Byzantine churches and their frescoes were restored. Germany donated waterworks after the war to the village and former soldiers stationed there returned in reconciliation. Facilities include a health centre, a police station, a bank, a post-office, a pharmacy, and some shops, taverns and cafes. The municipality also includes 28 villages, like Anisaraki, Koufalotos, Plemeniana, Kadhros, Kakodiki and Floria.

International relations

Kandanos is twinned with:

References

External links

Municipality descriptionGTP description
{{Kantanos-Selino div Populated places in Chania (regional unit)

History

International relations

See also

References

External links