Historic Hotel Megaron // Heraklion Port, Crete // Greece K a l i m e r a !!! Visitors of Heraklion, not only by sea but also by land, they find themselves in front of a towering edifice known by the name (for the locals) the Megaron Fytaki. For many years a ruin, the mansion was in the 1930s the center of political, social, economic and cultural life of the city and the whole county. It was built in the mid 1920s by the Commercial Company Fytaki-Kasapakis, the object of which was the marketing of citrus which was then at its peak. The building was founded upon the Venetian walls of the city, at the point called Cortina Dei Consiglieri. This decade, all this beach was used for sea baths, by bold locals that were beginning shyly, slowly and secretly to appear. In front of the coastal area of Megaron, at some distance, an old Turkish ship was protruding. Anyone who managed to swim far enough to reach it, was considered to be a keen swimmer. One of the two citrus merchandisers, Fytakis, initially involved in the trade of fruits and vegetables and later he joined the citrus trade. Citrus was of great demand from abroad and the price was rising steadily, not only from day to day, but within the same day. The price had exceeded 28-30 drachmas/kilo, when the wages were 20-25 drachmas. Thereby, they realized the large profits and decided to invest in the reconstruction of the building. However, their thinking to start an industry of final production of sweet-citrus, was also the beginning of their decline. The foreign industries boycotted the Cretan citrus and chose to be sourced only from Corsica. The most notable citrus production center was the Municipality of Lagadas and in particular the villages of Avdou, of Potami, of Gonies and of Sfentili. This whole area during the 1920s experienced moments of great prosperity. But as always in human life, prosperity is followed by poverty. So then at the end of this decade, an incurable disease of the tree of citrus ,the phylloxera(ie cancer of citrus), decimated the area and it literally vanished the fruit. It was the era of the 1930s. The Megaron Fytakis was rising majestically. All the prosperous families of Heraklion lived there. The ground floor housed the Heraklion Club, where all the thriving locals were gathering, representatives of Members and the trading houses, which guided the local economy. Every Saturday they organized dances, cosmopolitan gatherings and charity events and the dance education of the people of Heraklion was taken care by the dancing school Triantafyllaki, that was also operating on the ground floor of the building. Within the German occupation, the Heraklion Club Theotokopoulos was housed within the premises of the Prefecture of Heraklion. At the end of the occupation, a German convoy which sailed from Crete towards Africa, was the target of an English bomber flock and was dissolved. A ship loaded with weaponry was hit and fled to the port of Heraklion. The explosion that followed, hit hard the area along with the Megaron. Currently the building is characterized as a work of art and a historic monument. The unique building of Heraklion and the entire Crete, was renovated and transformed into a luxurious hotel! Live the ultimate vacation experience by letting us show you all the hidden treasures of Crete.. #hotel #megaron #monument #port #history #architecture #visit #travel #learn #escape2crete escape2crete.eu/services/private-tour-services/ escape2crete.eu/
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 09:24:10 +0000
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