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  • Antica Dimora
  • Antica Dimora
  • Antica Dimora
  • Antica Dimora
  • Antica Dimora
  • Antica Dimora

A COMMENT ON HISTORY

MEMORIES OF CHOBITIS IOSIF'S HOUSE (ANTICA DIMORA)

The house whose owner is Chobitis Iosif is located in Agias Barbaras street, in the core of the historical and from centuries commercial centre of the town of Rethymno.

Its erection has taken place during the first decades of the 19th century with definite effects of classicism, which praviled that period in the whole Europe and was bought as a residence during the first decades of the 20th century from Chobitis Iosif, who was a merchant and gave 110 golden pounds to the Tutkish wealthy man of the town. It should be mentioned the fact that mr Chobitis Iosif, gave 100 pounds that had already, but the debt of 10 pounds still remained.

In 1924 during the exchange of the population among Greece and Turkey, the Turkish wealthy man, left for Mikra Asia without having collected the debt of the 10 pounds. Afterwards, mr Chobitis informed his children, that in his safe deposit box was the amount of money and it shouldn't be given to anyone for another purpose instead of his debt.

The Tuskish dignitary after returning to Turkey, always commented to his children on the bond of appraisal and friendship that was left behind in Rethymno, regarding mr Iosif Chobitis, who was a man of infrequent moral, as he used to say. One of his grandsons came to Crete 5 years before mr Chobitis' death in 1992, so as to meet the man for whom has heard a lot from his grandfather, without even knowing, due to the fact that his grandfather never let him know, the 10 pounds' debt.
What first of all did mr Chobitis, when he realized who his guest was, being overtly touched, was to open the safe deposit box and give the 10 pounds, that were so carefully saved for a lot of years.

From oral testimonies, for this marvelous historical building 70 of the best technicians worked and needed 6 years for its completion. As far as its ceiling paintings are concerned, in almost all the rooms, which unfortunately couldn't be saved as a whole, were made by a painter who came especially for this purpose from Venice. The role of this house in history has continued during the German possession, when it became a den as well as a headquarter of the team of resistance of the settlement of Rodakino, with a lot of members from the Bardinogianni's family, who took part in the resistance and lived there.
In addition, well-known politicians during their visits in Rethymno were special guests in its rooms, like Sofoklis Venizelos and also Giorgos Papandreou the Prime Minister of Greece.

In its lounges were taken meaningful decisions for the liberation of Crete, such as the deliverance from Germans of the key of the town of Chania, the capital of Crete, to Anastasios Chobitis, the lieutenant general and Iosif Chobitis' brother, to whom was assigned the general administration of Crete.

In 2006 Iosif Chobitis, grandson of the first greek owner, Iosif Chobitis, as a chair and a managing director of the company "Χομπίτης A.E.", to which belongs this building, decided to make all the arrangements, in order to be pronounced as a Newer Monument from the Ministry of Culture, and then to go on with its rehabilitation. Even if the first planning was to retain it as a residence of his family, finally he correctly decided to convert it in a luxurious hostel, giving thus the chance so as to be visited by a lot of visitors, in order for them to live and feel the architectonic and historic value of this special building. The most prevalent feeling was the responsibility and respect to this architectonic and historicalness of this building.