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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Kantanos
Kandanos or Kantanos (Greek: Κάνδανος or Κάντανος), also Candanos, is a town and former municipality in the Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kantanos-Selino, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 73.081 km (28.217 sq mi). It was part of the former Selino Province which covered the southwest of the island. The community has 590 residents.

History

Main articles: Cantanus and Razing of Kandanos

Nearby is the site of the ancient town of Cantanus.

A German soldier in front of one of the signs erected after the razing. The text reads: "Kandanos was destroyed in retaliation for the bestial ambush murder of a paratrooper platoon and a half-platoon of military engineers by armed men and women."
War memorial in Kandanos square

The town of Kandanos and its surrounding area suffered particularly badly from German occupation during World War II. During the Battle of Crete, resistance fighters had held advancing German soldiers for two days, preventing them from reaching Palaiochora 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. 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

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece

Kandanos is twinned with:

Country Town Since
Slovakia Slovakia Ostrý Grúň 1987
Djibouti Djibouti Arta 2011

See also

References

  1. ^ "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
  3. ^ "Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)" (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-21.
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