Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Agios Nikolaos Άγιος Νικόλαος | |
---|---|
Agios Nikolaos' promenade | |
Flag Seal | |
Agios Nikolaos Location within the region | |
Coordinates: 35°11′N 25°43′E / 35.183°N 25.717°E / 35.183; 25.717Coordinates: 35°11′N 25°43′E / 35.183°N 25.717°E / 35.183; 25.717 | |
Country | Greece |
Administrative region | Crete |
Regional unit | Lasithi |
Government | |
• Mayor | Antonis Zervos |
Area | |
• Municipality | 511.7 km2 (197.6 sq mi) |
• Municipal unit | 317.8 km2 (122.7 sq mi) |
Elevation | 21 m (69 ft) |
Population (2011)[1] | |
• Municipality | 27,074 |
• Municipality density | 53/km2 (140/sq mi) |
• Municipal unit | 20,679 |
• Municipal unit density | 65/km2 (170/sq mi) |
Community [1] | |
• Population | 12,638 (2011) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Postal code | 721 00 |
Area code(s) | 28410 |
Vehicle registration | ΑΝ |
Website | www.dimosagn.gr |
Agios Nikolaos or Aghios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος) is a coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia.
In the year 2011, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed 27,074 inhabitants. The town is a municipality of the Crete region and sits partially upon the ruins of the ancient city of Lato pros Kamara.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Archaeology
2 Geography
2.1 Municipality
3 Infrastructure
3.1 Transportation
4 Culture
4.1 Modern Agios Nikolaos
5 Climate
6 Notable residents
7 Gallery
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
History
Agios Nikolaos was settled in the late Bronze Age by Dorian occupants of Lato, at a time when the security of the Lato hillfort became a lesser concern and easy access to the harbour at Agios Nikolaos became more important.[2]
The name Agios Nikolaos means Saint Nicholas. Its stress lies on the second syllable of the word "Nikolaos". Agios Nikolaos or Ayios Nikolaos (alternative romanizations of the Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος) is a common placename in Greece and Cyprus, since Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors and of all of Greece.
Archaeology
Near the town there's an archaeological site of ancient Priniatikos Pyrgos. It appears to have been first settled in the Final Neolithic, circa 3000 BC. Activity on the site continued throughout the Minoan Bronze Age and the Classical Greek and Roman periods, spanning a total of up to 4,000 years. Since 2007, Priniatikos Pyrgos has been undergoing excavation by an international team under the auspices of the Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies at Athens.
Geography
Municipality
The municipality of Agios Nikolaos was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[3]
- Agios Nikolaos
- Neapoli
- Vrachasi
The municipality has an area of 511.694 km2 (197.566 sq mi), the municipal unit 317.834 km2 (122.716 sq mi).[4]
Infrastructure
Transportation
Agios Nikolaos is accessible from the mainland and the whole of Europe through Nikos Kazantzakis (HER) airport, and the many daily ferry services in Heraklion 64 kilometres (40 mi). You can also travel through Sitia airport boarding onto a domestic or charter flight or through its harbour 67 kilometres (42 mi). Recently, the town became host to a department of a Technological Educational Institute (TEI), offering tourism-related courses.
Culture
Modern Agios Nikolaos
Agios Nikolaos is probably best known as a tourist town that serves as a hub to the twenty or so small villages and farms that make up that part of Lassithi. Tourist attractions include the small lagoon Lake Voulismeni, small beaches in the town, the tiny island Agioi Pantes, the archaeological museum, the local flora exhibition “Iris” and numerous fairs.
Just a short ferry ride away from Agios Nikolaos is the island of Spinalonga, an old Venetian fortress turned leper colony in the beginning of the 20th century.[citation needed]
Tourism is mainly West European with Greek tourism concentrated in mid August, though there are a considerable amount of Russian vacationers in East Crete. The lagoon features a small park with a trail, traditional fishing boats, ducks, pigeons, an amphitheatre and many cafès. The modern city of Agios Nikolaos became internationally well known during the 60's, when it was "discovered" by famous cinema directors (Jules Dassin, Walt Disney etc.), BBC producers and many others. It was then that the rapid tourist development of the area started. Among the various productions filmed were He Who Must Die, The Moon-Spinners, and the TV series The Lotus Eaters.
Daphne du Maurier's short story Not After Midnight was set in and around the town.
Climate
Climate data for Agios Nikolaos, Greece | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °F (°C) | 59 (15) | 59 (15) | 63 (17) | 68 (20) | 74 (23) | 81 (27) | 85 (29) | 84 (29) | 81 (27) | 75 (24) | 68 (20) | 62 (17) | 71.583 (21.99) |
Average low °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 47 (8) | 49 (9) | 53 (12) | 59 (15) | 66 (19) | 72 (22) | 72 (22) | 67 (19) | 62 (17) | 56 (13) | 51 (11) | 58.416 (14.68) |
Source: <World Weather Online >High/Low Temperature for Agios Nikolaos, Greece. World Weather Online. 2016 http://www.worldweatheronline.com/agios-nikolaos-weather-averages/crete/gr.aspx. Retrieved 12 September 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help).mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em} |
Notable residents
Mimis Androulakis (1951) politician
Maria Damanaki (1952) politician
Nikos Koundouros (1926) director
Gallery
Agios Nikolaos church (7-9th century)
Lake Voulismeni
The promenade
View of the port
See also
- Lake Voulismeni
- Cretan cuisine
References
^ ab "Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός" (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority.
^ C. Michael Hogan, Lato Fieldnotes, The Modern Antiquarian, Jan 10, 2008
^ Kallikratis law Greece Ministry of Interior (in Greek)
^ "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.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Agios Nikolaos, Crete. |
Agios Nikolaos travel guide from Wikivoyage- Homepage of the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos