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Myrtos
Myrtos is a coastal village and a community in the west of the municipality of Ierapetra, in the Regional Unit (previously called prefecture) of Lasithi on the Greek island of Crete. It is located 50 km (31 mi) from Agios Nikolaos and 15 km (9.3 mi) from Ierapetra, on the road to Viannos. A little to the west of the village is the iconic conical Kolektos mountain. Myrtos is situated on the Libyan Sea. The patron saint of the village is Saint Anthony. The population of the community is 518 (2021).
The transliteral spelling of this village is often written as Mirtos.
Myrtos has a rich history but has only prospered with the advent of tourism. The village has many tavernas and diverse shops for both residents and visitors. More recently there is now a pharmacy and an ATM. There are numerous churches, hotels, apartments and studios.
There is a regular bus service between Ierapetra and Myrtos.
The area surrounding Myrtos was already inhabited during the Minoan period, but the current village dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Before that, it was the location of a small port, where inhabitants from the higher surrounding areas traded local products that they shipped to Ierápetra. Only when threats from piracy along the Cretan coast diminished and it became safer to live there, did the village of Myrtos develop.
On September 15, 1944, during the Second World War, the inhabitants of Myrtos were ordered by the Nazi-German occupiers to leave the village. Many refused to do so, resulting in the massacre of eighteen inhabitants as a reprisal and the almost complete destruction of the village by fire. There is a monument to commemorate that event which has now been relocated to the periphery of Myrtos adjacent to the Heraklion/Ierapetra highway. Every year on October 28, Ohi Day is commemorated near this monument.
Tourism started at the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, Myrtos was especially popular amongst hippies, but later also 'regular' tourists started to visit the village. Since the 1980s, apartment complexes have been built in Myrtos, but tourism in Myrtos is still relatively small-scale and nowhere near as developed as the tourist centres which are found on the North coast of Crete.
Myrtos has a subtropical climate. The temperature in Myrtos (as well as in some other areas of southern Crete) is a few degrees higher than in the north, because the northern winds are blocked by the Dikti mountain range (whose highest point is 2,150 metres or 7,050 feet).
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Myrtos AI simulator
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Myrtos
Myrtos is a coastal village and a community in the west of the municipality of Ierapetra, in the Regional Unit (previously called prefecture) of Lasithi on the Greek island of Crete. It is located 50 km (31 mi) from Agios Nikolaos and 15 km (9.3 mi) from Ierapetra, on the road to Viannos. A little to the west of the village is the iconic conical Kolektos mountain. Myrtos is situated on the Libyan Sea. The patron saint of the village is Saint Anthony. The population of the community is 518 (2021).
The transliteral spelling of this village is often written as Mirtos.
Myrtos has a rich history but has only prospered with the advent of tourism. The village has many tavernas and diverse shops for both residents and visitors. More recently there is now a pharmacy and an ATM. There are numerous churches, hotels, apartments and studios.
There is a regular bus service between Ierapetra and Myrtos.
The area surrounding Myrtos was already inhabited during the Minoan period, but the current village dates from the first half of the twentieth century. Before that, it was the location of a small port, where inhabitants from the higher surrounding areas traded local products that they shipped to Ierápetra. Only when threats from piracy along the Cretan coast diminished and it became safer to live there, did the village of Myrtos develop.
On September 15, 1944, during the Second World War, the inhabitants of Myrtos were ordered by the Nazi-German occupiers to leave the village. Many refused to do so, resulting in the massacre of eighteen inhabitants as a reprisal and the almost complete destruction of the village by fire. There is a monument to commemorate that event which has now been relocated to the periphery of Myrtos adjacent to the Heraklion/Ierapetra highway. Every year on October 28, Ohi Day is commemorated near this monument.
Tourism started at the beginning of the 1970s. Initially, Myrtos was especially popular amongst hippies, but later also 'regular' tourists started to visit the village. Since the 1980s, apartment complexes have been built in Myrtos, but tourism in Myrtos is still relatively small-scale and nowhere near as developed as the tourist centres which are found on the North coast of Crete.
Myrtos has a subtropical climate. The temperature in Myrtos (as well as in some other areas of southern Crete) is a few degrees higher than in the north, because the northern winds are blocked by the Dikti mountain range (whose highest point is 2,150 metres or 7,050 feet).