Lasithi ( Greek : Λασίθι ) is the easternmost regional unit on the island of Crete , to the east of Heraklion . Its capital is Agios Nikolaos , the other major towns being Ierapetra and Sitia . The mountains include the Dikti in the west and the Thrypti in the east. The Sea of Crete lies to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south.
15-469: To the east of the village of Elounda lies the island of Spinalonga , formerly a Venetian fortress and a leper colony . On the foot of Mount Dikti lies the Lasithi Plateau , famous for its windmills . Vai is well known for its datepalm forest. Thanks to its beaches and its mild climate year-long, Lasithi attracts many tourists. Mass tourism is served by places like Vai, Agios Nikolaos and
30-463: Is visited almost every year by the royal family of Saudi Arabia . The earliest recorded settlement at Elounda was the ancient Greek city of Olous , whose people were in intermittent conflict with the citizens of Dorian Lato , until a peace treaty was eventually reached. Elounda has a later history as part of the Venetian era. Elounda has changed considerably during its lifespan. The bulk of
45-542: Is made up of the island of Spinalonga , the Peninsula Spinalonga and the island of Kolokythas along with other smaller maritime structures. The road into Elounda from Agios Nikolaos is approximately 12 km in length and follows the shore as it climbs to the top of a small mountain. On a clear day it is possible to see the whole of Mirabello Bay and all the way to the eastern tip of Crete. The small fishing village of Plaka (Lasithi) , which overlooks
60-437: Is part of the municipality of Agios Nikolaos . Elounda is formed of seven villages and an uninhabited island area. The village of Schisma is by far the most populated one and is often understood as 'Elounda Centre'. The community of Elounda has a total of 2,254 inhabitants according to the 2021 census. The areas making up the community are (at least since the re-organisation of 2011-01-01) with Greek names: The area of Kalydon
75-618: The Dorian era settlement of Olous and Lato . It has been speculated that ra-su-to , found in Linear B , corresponds to an unattested ancient Lasynthos . There is also a Lyttian tribal name Lasynthioi , presumably reflecting the same name. Earlier proposals that it is derived from a Venetian 'la' preposed to derivatives of Lyttos ( Lyttus > Tselyttus > Tselethe > Xeethe > La Xeethi > Lasithi ) or Sitia ( Sitia > La Sitia > Lasithi ) are unlikely, as
90-617: The bay . This locale was important in prehistoric settlement of the island of Crete. The coast of the Bay of Mirabello was noted for its role in copper metallurgy development in the period circa 3000 BC . In the Late Minoan period, cities on high ground overlooking the Bay of Mirabello were founded as cities of refuge , including Karphi . Later in the Dorian Invasion , settlement occurred of other hilltop cities overlooking
105-449: The Bay of Mirabello; an example of this phase of settlement was the city of Lato . On 22 August 1936, a Short S.17 Kent of Imperial Airways , Scipio (G-ABFA), sank after a heavy landing in the bay with a strong downdraft . The plane had just arrived on a flight from Alexandria . 11 people (4 crew and 7 passengers) were on board; two of the passengers, Richard Wilson-Dickson of the 5th Battalion Royal Tank Corps and Thomas Forbes of
120-672: The KTEL ( Greek : ΚΤΕΛ ) bus company, with scheduled services running to Plaka (Lasithi) and Agios Nikolaos throughout the day. Mirabello Bay Mirabello Bay (also Bay/Gulf of Mirabello/Mirabella ) is an embayment of the Sea of Crete on the eastern part of Crete in present-day Greece . It is the largest bay of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea . The tourist town Agios Nikolaos overlooks
135-537: The ancient city of Olous was reclaimed by the sea towards the end of the Ancient Greek period and is still visible, in part, when diving in the bay of Elounda. During the early 20th century, Elounda acted as a stopping off point for lepers being transported to the leper colony at Spinalonga . In the 1930s the enclosed waters between Elounda and the Spinalonga peninsula (known as "Mirabella Harbour")
150-480: The island of Chrissi . More off-beat tourism can be found in villages on the south coast like Myrtos , Makrys Gialos or Makrigialos, Xerokambos and Koutsouras . Lasithi is home to a number of ancient remains. Vasiliki , Fournou Korifi , Pyrgos , Zakros and Gournia are ruins of Minoan date, Lato and Itanos were Doric towns. The history of Lasithi can be traced over at least three millennia. The region has considerable ancient history antecedents, including
165-633: The island of Spinalonga and the Kolikithia Peninsula, is located a mere 5 km from the main square of Elounda heading north away from Agios Nikolaos. It is also the closest major town to the former leper colony of Spinalonga ( Greek : Σπιναλόγκα ), located on an island officially named Kalydon ( Greek : Καλυδών ). Elounda is a tourist attraction, visited by VIPs for its seaside luxury resorts. Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou used to spend his summers in Elounda; today, it
SECTION 10
#1732765184870180-424: The map in the infobox): As a part of the 2011 Kallikratis government reform, the regional unit Lasithi was created out of the former prefecture of Lasithi ( Greek : Νομός Λασιθίου ), which was created while Crete was still an autonomous state and was retained after the island joined Greece in 1913. The prefecture had the same territory as the present regional unit, except Viannos area that belonged to Lasithi but
195-533: The name Lasithi was attested as early as 1211, whereas the Venetians only first arrived in Crete in 1205 . Another unlikely etymology derives it from lakkos 'hole or basin' ( Lakkos > Lakkidion > Latsidi > Lasidi > Lasithi ). The area was known as Laşid ( Ottoman Turkish : الشيد ) under Turkish rule . The regional unit Lasithi is subdivided into four municipalities. These are (number as in
210-404: Was annexed to Heraklion prefecture in 1932. At the same time, the municipalities were reorganised, according to the table below. Before 2006, Lasithi was divided into 4 provinces : Elounda Elounda ( Greek : Ελούντα , romanized : Elúnda ), alternatively transliterated as Elounta or Elouda , is a small town on the northern coast of the island of Crete , Greece . It
225-658: Was used by Imperial Airways flying boats as a landing, for long-range flights to the Middle east and beyond. In 1936 it was the scene of a fatal crash by IA's Scipio . In 1984, the Prime minister of Greece , Andreas Papandreou , the President of France , François Mitterrand , and Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya met in a luxurious Elounda resort to discuss conflict resolution in Chad . Bus services in Elounda are operated by
#869130