The capital of Sfakiá is Hóra Sfakíon, a small town of just 500 inhabitants. It is found on the Southern coast at the end of the Imbros Gorge, 74km south of Chania. In its small harbour, the small boats from Agia Roumeli dock in the summer, bringing the hikers from the Samaria Gorge to take buses back to Chania. It is a small town with a main harbourfront of tavernas and minimarkets.
Hóra Sfakíon prospered during the Venetian and Turkish occupations and up to the 18th century carried on a flourishing trade with its own small fleet. It was said to have had a hundred churches but the town suffered badly from wartime bombardment during and after the Allied evacuation.
Not far east from Hóra Sfakíon, half the way to Plakias, is Frangokastello, literally "Frankish castle". The Venetian fortress here was built in 1371 to deter pirates and unsuccessfully, to control Sfakiá. It is largely ruined but is picturesquely set on a wide sandy beach with the towering White Mountains behind. Daskalogiannis was captured here in 1771
Sfakia municipality, population 2446 in the year 2001:
Frangokastello and Lakki Beach near the Castle, images from STIGMES, the magazine of Crete: http://stigmes.gr
Agia Roumeli
Near Agia Roumeli was the ancient city of Poikilassos
Agios Nektarios
Agios Nektarios Google Earth
Aradaina
Aradaina or Aradaina, a village at the Aradena Gorge, population 15 in 2001, medieval church of Agios Efstratios.
Argoules
Argoules Google Earth
Asfendos
Asfendos Google Earth
Imbros
Imbros Google Earth
Kapsodasos
Kapsodasos or Kapsodassos
Skaloti
See also
Divisions of the Chania prefecture Provinces of the Chania prefecture Apokoronas | Kissamos | Kydonia | Selino | Sfakia Municipalities of the Chania prefecture Akrotiri | Anatoliko Selino | Armeni | Chania | Eleftherios Venizelos | Fres | Georgioupoli | Innachori | Kandanos | Keramia | Kissamos | Kolymvari | Kryonerida | Mousouri | Mythimna | Nea Kydonia | Pelekanos | Platanias | Sfakia | Souda | Theriso | Vamos | Voukolies Non-municipal communities of the Chania prefecture |
External links
Ancient Greece |
Medieval Greece / Byzantine Empire |
Modern Greece |
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