Rethymno

Rethymno (also Rethymnon; Greek: Ρέθυμνο [ˈreθimno]) is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 35,000 inhabitants (nearly 40,000 for the municipal unit). It is believed to have been built on the site of the earlier city of Rhithymna.

Rethymno Ρέθυμνο
Municipal unit
View of Rethymno with the Venetian Fortezza fortress
Rethymno Location within the region
Coordinates: 35°22′08″N 24°28′26″E
Country	Greece
Administrative region	Crete
Regional unit	Rethymno
Municipality	Rethymno
Area
• Municipal unit	126.5 km2 (48.8 sq mi)
• Community	26.777 km2 (10.339 sq mi)
Elevation	17 m (56 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Municipal unit	38,759
• Municipal unit density	310/km2 (790/sq mi)
• Community	35,763
• Community density	1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	741 00
Area code(s)	28310
Vehicle registration	ΡΕ
Website	www.rethymno.gr

History

Arabic scrypt on a mosque converted to a church

View of the old harbour

Inside the Fortezza of Rethymno

Rethymno is believed to have been built on the site of the earlier city of Rhithymna.^[2][3] Some sources mention a city called Arsinoe which some scholars have proposed stood at the same site.^[4][5][6]

Rethymno began a period of growth when the Venetian conquerors of the island decided to establish an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (palia poli) was almost entirely built by the Republic of Venice. It is one of the best-preserved old towns in Crete.

From circa 1250 the city was the seat of the Latin Diocese of Retimo, which was renamed Retimo–Ario after the absorption in 1551 of the Diocese of Ario and as suppressed only after the Turkish conquest.

The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine remains, the small Venetian harbour and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia houses the information office of the Ministry of Culture and Sports. A Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival, in memory of the destruction of the Arkadi Monastery, is held on 7–8 November.

The city's Venetian-era citadel, the Fortezza of Rethymno, is one of the best-preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neradje Mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate (Μεγάλη Πόρτα or "Porta Guora"), the Piazza Rimondi and the Loggia.

The town was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1646 during the Cretan War (1645–69) and they ruled it for almost three centuries. The town, called Resmo in Turkish, was the centre of a sanjak (administrative part of a province) during Ottoman rule.

During the Battle of Crete (20–30 May 1941), the Battle of Rethymno was fought between German paratroopers and the Second Australian Imperial Force and Hellenic Army. Although initially unsuccessful, the Germans won the battle after receiving reinforcements from Maleme in the Northwestern part of the island.

Today the city's main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for olive oil and other Mediterranean products.

Municipality

Dusk airview of the Old Harbour of Rethymno

Rethymno Lighthouse

Street and the belltower of Megalos Antonios church in the fond

Beach of Rethymno

Aquila Rithymna Beach

The municipality of Rethymno was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:^[7]

• Arkadi
• Lappa
• Nikiforos Fokas
• Rethymno

Population of Rethymno ^[8]

Settlements	1940	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011
Rethymno (city)	8,648	11,057	14,999	14,969	17,136	23,355	28,987	32,468
Agia Eirini	96	88	63	47	34	63	49	75
Agios Markos	-	-	-	-	18	65	-	-
Anogeia	50	25	25	21	13	15	89	131
Gallos	315	274	252	180	146	205	430	922
Giannoudi	92	82	78	30	22	23	96	116
Kastellakia	-	45	27	36	105	-	-	-
Koumpes	-	106	-	-	-	-	-	-
Metochi Albani	67	79	31	-	-	-	-	-
Megalo Metochi (Risvan)	-	33	25	-	6	28	29	46
Mikro Metochi	-	-	-	-	29	91	188	149
Misiria	294	212	-	-	-	-	-	-
Xiro Chorio	214	219	132	90	-	114	131	221
Perivolia	853	805	-	-	-	-	-	-
Platanes	343	488	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tria Monastiria	-	-	-	-	18	105	107	172
Total	10,972	13,513	15,632	15,373	18,190	24,064	31,687	34,300

Culture

Rethymno is home to the following museums:

• Archaeological Museum of Rethymno
• Historical and Folklore Museum of Rethymno
• Municipal Gallery "L. Kanakakis"
• The Frantzeskaki Collection
• Museum of Sea Life at Rethymno

The Treasure Hunt of Rethymno is a game played by local people and takes place two weeks before Carnival.^[9]

Literature

Pandelis Prevelakis wrote Το χρονικό μιας πολιτείας (1937), The Chronicle of a Town, a nostalgic depiction of Rethymno from the period of the Cretan State (1898) to the expulsion of the Cretan Turks (1924).

Sports

Rethymno hosted the international athletics meeting known as Vardinogianneia. The athletics meeting stopped in 2012 due to Greek financial crisis.^[10] Rethymno has many sport clubs with presence in Panhellenic championships of various sports. Below is alist of the main sport clubs of Rethymno.

Sport clubs based in Rethymno
Club	Founded	Sports	Achievements
Neos Asteras Rethymno F.C.	1945	Football	Earlier presence in Gamma Ethniki
NO Rethymnou	1963	Water Polo	Presence in A1 Ethniki women
EA Rethymniakou	1983	Football, Track and Field	Earlier presence in Beta Ethniki
Rethymno B.C.	1986	Basketball	Presence in A1 Ethniki
OPE Rethymnou	1992	Volleyball	Presence in A1 Ethniki women

Education

In the Rethymno Campus of the University of Crete are located the School of Philosophy, the School of Education, the School of Social, Economics and Political Sciences, and the University Library of the University of Crete. On a yearly basis, there are about 8.000 students studying at "Galos" where the Campus and the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies are located. Also in Rethymnon is located the School of Music and Optoacoustic Technologies of the Hellenic Mediterranean University.^[11] Finally, in Rethymno, Tria Monastiria area is located the international research Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser^[12] of the Hellenic Mediterranean University which is the access point of the National Research Facility HELLAS-CH .

Geography

Climate

Climate data for Rethymno, Greece
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	55 (13)	55 (13)	59 (15)	64 (18)	73 (23)	82 (28)	86 (30)	86 (30)	81 (27)	72 (22)	64 (18)	57 (14)	69.5 (20.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	45 (7)	45 (7)	46 (8)	52 (11)	57 (14)	64 (18)	70 (21)	70 (21)	64 (18)	59 (15)	54 (12)	48 (9)	56.166 (13.43)
Source: <Holiday Weather >"Rethymnon, Greece - Average Annual Weather - Holiday Weather". Rethymnon: Annual Weather Averages. Holiday Weather. 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.

Notable locals

Royalty and politics

• Georgios Chortatzis (1545–1610), dramatist in Cretan verse
• Ahmed Resmî Efendi (1700–1783), Ottoman statesman, author and ambassador
• Nikolaos Sifounakis (born 1949), Greek politician
• Emetullah Rabia Gülnuş Sultan (1642–1715), valide sultan
• Emmanouil Tsouderos (1882-1956), former Prime Minister of Greece

Other

• Stylianos Harkianakis (1935 - 2019), Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia
• Athanasius III of Constantinople, Patriarch
• Pandelis Prevelakis (1909–1986), writer
• Manolis Xexakis (born 1949), poet and writer
• Nick Dandolos (1883–1966), professional poker player

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece

Rethymno is twinned with :

• Ayia Napa, Cyprus
• Castenaso, Italy
• Pushkin, Russia

Gallery

• 
  Panorama of the city
• 
  Rimondi Fountain
• 
  Venetian loggia
• 
  Guora Gate (Megali Pyli), old city gate
• 
  View of the old town
• 
  Sultan Ibrahim mosque
• 
  The catholic church of Agios Antonios
• 
  Eleftherios Venizelos statue

See also

• History of Crete
• List of settlements in the Rethymno regional unit
• Rethymnian Brewery

References

Notes

1. "Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό" [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.
2. Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 60, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
3. Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
4. Getzel M. Cohen, The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor (Volume 17 of Hellenistic culture and society). University of California Press, 1995 ISBN 0520914082 p132
5. Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 60, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
6. Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
7. "ΦΕΚ B 1292/2010, Kallikratis reform municipalities" (in Greek). Government Gazette.
8. Hellenic Statistical Authority, Digital Library (ELSTAT), Census (Greek and English)
9. "Largest treasure hunt game". guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
10. "Χωρίς "Βαρδινογιάννεια" και το 2013". rethnea.gr. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
11. "Ελληνικό Μεσογειακό Πανεπιστήμιο". Ελληνικό Μεσογειακό Πανεπιστήμιο (in Greek). Retrieved 2019-12-30.
12. "Plasma|Ρέθυμνο|www.ippl.hmu.gr|IPPL HELLENIC MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY". cppl-1 (in Greek). Retrieved 2019-12-30.

External links

• Rethymno travel guide from Wikivoyage
• http://www.explorerrethymno.gr
• Prefecture of Rethymno - Official website
• Rethymno The Official website of the Greek National Tourism Organisation