Omalos Crete
Omalos, Crete: An authentic rural village in a magnificent plateau
Omalos, Crete, is a tiny village in the middle of the homonymous Omalos
plateau, located about 40 kilometers south of Chania city. Omalos is one of the
most especial places in the island of Crete.
Omalos, Crete, is the ideal place to spend the night, if you want
to get up early in the morning and descend through the famous Samaria Gorge apart
from the tourist crowd. The entrance of Samaria Gorge, the biggest gorge in
Europe, is only 5 kilometers away from Omalos village.
Omalos,
Crete has some rooms for rent and some traditional taverns, but it is a very
small village, so you shouldn’t expect too many amenities for the traveller.
However, this means that you get the rare chance to experience the genuine
rural Crete.
Regarding ease
of access, the last half of the road from Chania city to Omalos, Crete, after
Fourni, and especially after Lakki, is narrow and winding, with some sharp
turns. As the road is also used by the local bus service, which takes visitors
to Samaria Gorge, you should drive carefully. Also, in winter, you should be extra
careful, as there is a possibility of stones on the mountainous road.
Omalos, Crete – a village in magnificent natural settings
The plateau
of Omalos, Crete is situated in really unique settings. It is a circular piece
of land between the high peaks of Lefka Ori, or White Mountains, ranging
between 1.000 and 1.250 meters. It is 15 square kilometers in area.
Geographers
believe that the plateau of Omalos, Crete, was in the distant past a lake,
which lost its water through the cave chasm of Tzanni.
In the
fertile ground of Omalos, Crete, plateau, the locals are growing vegetables and
fruits, especially apples, cereals and potatoes, which are
hard to grow in lower altitudes and warmer climate.
Regarding
stock farming, Omalos, Crete, is well known for its “mitata”, small traditional
structures where the famous local cheese is produced, using old and natural
methods. Equally known are the local “madares”, as well. These are structures
in high altitudes, on the sides of Lefka Ori, where the shepherds bring their
sheep during the warm spring and summer seasons, from their autumn and winter
“base” in Omalos plateau.
Omalos, Crete – a place full of historic events
The plateau
of Omalos, Crete, during the 19th century, was one of the main bases
of the Cretan revolutionists against the Ottoman occupation. During this
occupation, that lasted about two and a half centuries, Omalos plateau was most
of the times a free place, as the Ottoman army avoided fighting the strong army
corps of the local revolutionists.
Perhaps the
most well-known revolutionist of West Crete, Hatzimihalis Yiannaris, was born
in the plateau of Omalos, Crete, and more specifically in the nearby village of
Lakki. Hatzimihalis Yiannaris had a central part in the uprisings of 1855 and 1856,
and the revolution of 1866-1869. He had been captured several times by the
Ottoman occupation army, but he always managed to escape. His most spectacular
escape was from Firkas fortress in the Venetian Harbor of Chania city,
something that was considered impossible at the time. He spent some time in
exile in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire.
In 1912,
Hatzimihalis Yiannaris became a member of the parliament, and, finally, in 1915
he was present at the official ceremony of the reunion of Crete with Greece.
The following year, after watching his dream of a free Crete coming true, he
died. He was 85 years old.
Hatzimihalis
Yiannaris was buried in his home fields in Omalos, Crete, according to his
wish. Today, opposite the entrance of the chasm cave of Tzannis, stand the
tower and the church that have been dedicated to him, as a monument of the
everlasting revolutionist.
Omalos, Crete,
is a village and a plateau full of the authentic flavour of
mountainous rural Crete. Although access and amenities are not as good as in
the north part of the island, Omalos,
Crete, has an eternal appeal for its unique atmosphere.
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