OLD CITY
WALK THROUGH THE OLD TOWN
The current old town of Rethimno is built in the place that once existed ancient Rithiymna and today it includes the are between Fortezza and Dimakopoyloy and Gerakari street.
In general lines urban form that it had at the Venetian domination has remained inalterable and minimal building blocks constitute additions of the time of Ottoman domination. The characteristics of these two periods it can be observed by the visitor from the first moment of his tour in the old town. The central streets are the Ethnikis Antistaseos street (Megali Porta), makri steno (Nikif. Fwka street) and the then beach street of Sand (Arkadiou street).
Our tour begins from Megali Porta which is in the beginning of Ethnikis Antistaseos street and constitutes the unique leftover of initial fortification of Rethimno. In the interior of Megali Porta we will meet a small square that is named small market. There in the old days in first narrow street on the left (Bouniali street) were the horse shoe shops, in which the horses were shoed and there were gathered the manufactures of manufacture of packsaddles.
Moving to Ethnikis Antistaseos street we meet in our left Agios Fragiskos and next door the Turkish School and continuing we reach in the Soylioy street, a paved graphic narrow that it's worth to visit and constitute since it is the most graphic street full of shops and all kinds of popular art. There up to recently they were the shoemarket of the city the so called "Mpitsaxidika".
Coming out from Souliou is Palaiologou street in which precisely on our right in the contribution with Arkadiou street we will see the Loggia of Rethimno. In our left winger hand going up Palaiologou street we reach in Platanos that is to say in the Petyhaki squere, where is found the Rimondi fountain. Crossing the square with the cafes the taverns and raki taverns, we lead to the pane Neratzes, the current Conservatoire of Rethimno.
Here we stop and we admire his tall minaret and we see also the view from up there. Above the conservatoire is the Vernardou street in which is the Folklore museum while little more beyond in number 30 we meet one from most interesting door frames in Rethimno. In the end of Vernardou we see the Nik. Foka street, well known as makri steno (long narrow street), second large road of the old town. In all its length we see many examples of houses of Venetian domination that their ground floor were used by the tradesmen and the artisans of the time.
Later it constituted the main axis of Turkish district of Rethimno. In all the way, as well as in the byways, right and left, there are obvious elements of both two periods: door frames, arc lintels lintels, pavilions, fountains and signs.
Moving in makri steno a little below we meet a semidistructed fountain and on the right the temple of Lady of Anggels and the square that is shaped in front of it. Walking Nik. Foka on our left we meet the Kleidi street and one of the most characteristic houses of Venetian domination, while on the right at Radamanthios street we meet Turkish hamam.
Makri steno leads to Meljssinou street. In the north west corner of this street, in a renewed building, is accomodated the "Institution of Technology and Research - Institute of Mediterranean Study", that was founded in 1985 and began functions with the current organisational form in 1986. We go straight ahead in Melissinou street and we turn left in the Smirnis street where in contribution with Koronaiou street are 5 fountains, two on Koronaiou and three under the room.
In the end of Koronaiou is the neoclassical building of Prefecture of Rethimno We turns back in the Koronaiou and we are directed to the eastern side We turn right in Mavili, then left in Piga street, where we meet Patelarou street and we again reach back in makri steno There we observe the stone fixture church icon street. Crossing makri steno southernly, we turn left in Bouniali, at the horse shoe shops. Moving on we see Ethnikis Antistaseos street and if we look right we will see Megali Porta our starting point. From here we can continue our walk in the old town going down Ethnikis Antistaseos street and turning right in Ag. Barbara.street. There is the homonym historical temple, in the grounds of which is accomodated the Public Central Library Rethimno.
A hundred metres of Ag. Barbara we find Mitropoleos squere and the Metropolitan temple. From there we continue in Kastrinogiannaki street and we stop in Tsouderon in order to admire the impressive venetian door frame but also the neoclassical building of national bank of Greece. From Tsouderon we come out in Arkadiou street, one of the most commercial streets of Rethimno Walking Arkadiou easternly we stop in the number 154 in order to see the biggest in dimensions venetian residence of the old town, while below in number 48 we will admire a door frame of a renaissance palace that exists there.
A Little beyond in the contribution of Arkadiou with the Viktoros Ougko street we meet the pane Kara Musa Pasa Moving below in Arkadiou and pass in Ethnarchi Makariou in order to see the departments of vaulted buildings that constituted the barracks of rampant of Saint Barbara of first fortification of city of Rethimno and are saved up to today. We go down this street and reach in the Iroon square e of Unknown Soldier in its centre. This square is known and as "gate of sand" and in the venetian years this gate was department of fortification of Rethimno. From here we turns left in El. Venizelou street that is the coastal street of city and a walk there is imposed. At the end of coastal is the Lyceum of Greek Girls, where we see a permanent report of traditional weavers, uniforms and embroideries.
On the left we meet the I. Petuhaki street in the end of which it is venetian Loggia Istead of going at I. Petuhaki street we will advance straight on in the plane street, in order to be found ourselves in front of the venetian harbour and we stop to admire it. From the venetian harbour on foot if we can take it or by car once again we continue at Arkadiou and reach to Fortezza.