#05 Walking Tour - Venetian Walls

What is the greatest fortification in the Mediterranean today?

The city of Heraklion is famous for its magnificent monuments that highlight its history and the various people who lived in it for many years. One of its most important monuments, however, stands out both for its architecture and design, and also for its size.

Which monument of Heraklion can you walk on?

The Venetian Walls are one of the largest fortifications built by the Venetians in the city of Heraklion, which today it is the best-preserved fortification work in the entire Mediterranean. Its construction began in 1462 by the Venetians and lasted almost a century, that is, 100 whole years. 

Read the history of their construction in our tourist guide This Is Crete:

• Where did the Venetians build the walls?
• Why did they build them? Who did they want to protect?
• How big is this work? What material did they use to make it?

Then, look carefully at the photos here and observe the road signs. Try to make the map of the Venetian Walls. Which parts of the city do you recognize? Which roads pass through the Walls? Find the city map here for more exploration!

While making the map, you can also design the outline of the Walls along with its special features. What are these special features? But of course, its bastions! What is a bastion and what were they used for? Discover more about them and the fortifications here.

Now that you know the secrets of Venetian fortifications, it's time to build your own Walls! Choose items of different materials and sizes that you have at home (from Lego blocks to toothpicks) and test the strength of the materials and your constructions.

Don't forget to find the secret paper with the key down in the photos! Maybe, it will help us somewhere!

Have fun building!

#Tips:

• In most of the texts that you read, you will come across the names "Chandax" and "Candia". What  are they; These were the names of Heraklion, before our city got its name as we know it today: Knossos <Herakleion <Chandax <Megalo Kastro <Candia <Kandigue <Heraklion. Explore the history of our city through the digital application of the Municipality of Heraklion "A city through the ages"
• Don’t forget to discover other well-known fortifications and walls that exist on the island of Crete, in Greece, but also around the world. Books, travel guides and of course the internet will help you in your research. What other fortified castles are in Greece? What other great wall do you know that is in China?