On Wednesday 19th February an inauguration ceremony was held for the new building of the Municipal Harbour Board of Chania at Akti Tompazi 26 and Afendoulief streets in the Venetian Harbour. The inauguration was attended by the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis, the President of the Municipal Harbour Board Manolis Kotsifakis, deputy mayors, Harbour Board directors and local authority representatives.
Also present at the ceremony were members of the Technical Service of the Municipality of Chania, the former mayor of Chania Tasos Vamvoukas, and business owners operating in the Venetian harbour. The inauguration ceremony included the customary blessing by local clergy and was followed by a reception in the new building. Speaking to reporters, the mayor of Chania Panagiotis Simandirakis described the event as a day of great satisfaction for the Municipality of Chania and for the Harbour Board:
“After some 10 years, the new management building of the Municipal Harbour Board of Chania is being handed over for use – a building which is a new adornment for the harbour and a worthy testament to the Board’s history and importance.” The process had been arduous, with many obstacles, he said, but its completion signals a new era for the Venetian Harbour of Chania. The mayor also made reference to future emblematic works which would complete the municipal authority’s overall plan for the area:
“The approval will shortly be announced for the tendering of the work on the Neoria – the Venetian shipyards – at a cost of €22 million, while all the procedures are under way for replacement of the paving throughout the area of the Venetian Harbour, as well as the installation of the new awnings [for the restaurants] which have received the approval of the Central Archaeological Committee. Along with these interventions we are looking to protect the Venetian Harbour with the completion of plans for replacing the breakwater [outside the harbour] and dealing with the cavities which have been found under the quayside and are judged in need of repair.”
The overall result is one “which we are particularly proud of,” the mayor said, “and it has been due to the excellent cooperation between local government, the Regional Authority, the central ministries and local MPs, and much very hard work by the workers and the engineers of the Technical Service and the Municipal Harbour Board, who deserve many congratulations.”
The President of the Municipal Harbour Board Manolis Kotsifakis said that with the opening of the new building the Harbour Board now has premises which befit its responsibilities, noting that it had taken 13 years of efforts by the previous and current municipal authorities. It is a modern building which harmonises with the Venetian Harbour, he added, and where in addition to the Board’s offices there will be spaces for rental, a space intended for a tourist centre, and a First Aid station to the rear of the building on Afendoulief Street.
The historical background
The construction of the new building of 1,100 sq m was an 11-year process which followed on the demolition of the previous building on the site, also owned by the Harbour Board, in 2014. Work began on the first phase only of construction in 2015, the funds approved for the project being insufficient for its completion. Construction began again with new funding in 2022 with a schedule for completion of Spring 2023, however a series of delays prevented its opening before today.
The building has stone-clad exterior which matches the area’s traditional architecture, while internally it is fitted out with ultra-modern facilities which will permanently house the services of the Chania Harbour Board. It will also house shops on the ground and upper floors, while the terrace will be available to rent for weddings and other public and private events.
(www.chania.gr)