The ancient Gournia

Gournia is an ancient town often called Pompeii of Minoan Crete. The name Pompeii of Minoan Crete was given to this town due to the great preservation state it shows and which causes it to be a very attractive spot from the point of view of archaeology, anthropology and history. This town dates from as long ago as the Late Minoan Period, around the year 1500 BC.

Gournia and its surroundings are very attractive from the point of view of archaeology due to the important amount of ancient remains it has. Tourists who visit Gournia could meet ruins from as long ago as the Middle Minoan period, within 2000 and 1500 BC. Besides this, there also are interesting remains from Gournia’s Palace, a construction which was first built around the year 1600 BC, then destroyed and rebuilt towards the year 1450 when it became the most important building of this area of Crete until 1200 BC.

Most of the ruins of this destination are located within the area known as the Gournia Acropolis. This is, without any doubt, one of the main attractions offered by this destination and a place which visitors should never miss while being in this region of Crete, especially if they are interested in disciplines such as archaeology, history, anthropology, and architecture among others.

The Palace of Gournia is located towards the northern area of the acropolis. This construction has several levels and a basement located to the west. This basement is very interesting due to the fact that it counted with 18 rooms and seems to have had an important role in the palace’s every day life. It is also interesting to know that according to archaeologists and architects, some parts of this palace were built during its re-building and remodeling stage of 1450, such as for example, the entire south wing.

The main construction visitors can meet in the Acropolis of Gournia is located towards the southern side of this area. This construction shows a very irregular shape, in such a way that its width varies between 10m to 16m from one side to the other and its length between 29m and 33m from one side to the other.

Map of Gournia in Greece