Archaeological Park of Heraklion Crete –an excursion into history
Where King Minos stood to gaze upon his ships, where friends and enemies marched, where El Greco and Nikos Kazantzakis wandered: the Cultural Route of Heraklion takes the visitor by the hand and leads them from the Venetian fortress by the harbor to the historic center, paving new avenues for the city’s tourism development.
| Progress of Actions and Projects | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Planning | Inclusion in a Funding Programme | Infrastructure | Marketing Plan - Digital Strategy | Entrepreneurship | Destination Management & Marketing Organisation (DMO) | |
In February 2017, the Municipality of Heraklion and the DIAZOMA Association officially launched their cooperation in the implementation of a programme of Sustainable Urban Development that would enhance and promote Heraklion’s historic center.
In March 2017, the Municipality of Heraklion Crete and the DIAZOMA Association signed a memorandum of cooperation to implement a Sustainable Urban Development programme to enhance and promote the Old Town of Heraklion, which is also the historic center of the modern city.
Following the memorandum, the DIAZOMA Association commissioned: a) the Marketing Study by Mr. Dimitris Koutoulas and b) the “Study of urban entrepreneurship for the creation of an enterprise cluster in the Municipality of Heraklion” by ETAM S.A. It also successfully held an international contest for the creation of a new destination brand for the Municipality of Heraklion Crete.
Soon, the Association will also commission the design of a pilot cultural route in the “Venetian Port- Cultural Center” section of Heraklion. This is one of the five routes in the Route Network of the Old Town of Heraklion considered by the Municipality under the title “Creation of infrastructure for the development of routes of interest in the Old Town”. It is incorporated in the Development Planning and Local Strategic Plan of the Municipality.
It is proposed that the route include the following monuments:
Rocca a Mare (Koules), Saint Titus, Loggia, St Mark’s Basilica, Church of Agios Mattheos (St. Matthew), Martinengo Bastion, St. Minas Cathedral, Church of Agia Ekaterini (Saint Catherine) of Sinaites, Morosini Fountain, 25th August Street, 18 Anglon Square.
