Owners of property in Platanias and other municipalities of the Regional Unit of Chania, may have received, or be about to receive an email from the Chania branch of the National Land Registry advising them that the registry for their area has now been posted in draft form for checking by property owners. The text of the email runs as follows:
The Kipos Cinema opens for summer 2026
The following press release appeared on the Municipality of Chania’s website on 21st May.
The Kipos Municipal Cinema, the city’s historic summer cinema, is this year once more opening its doors to the public, inviting young and old to a summer filled with cinematic experiences, in the leafy setting of the Municipal Garden of Chania. The showings start on Monday 25th May 2026, with a week of free showings up to Sunday 31st May.
Continue readingMore road safety measures and progress on the new VOAK
Among the speakers at the “Kriti 2030” forum organised by the national newspaper Eleftheros Typos in Heraklion on 13th May was the Minister for Infrastructure Christos Dimas, who presented an overview of the current state of infrastructure works in Crete, focusing mainly on the VOAK. His talk was illustrated with videos taken in April showing work in progress on the different sections of the project. The following is a translated transcript of his comments, the full video of which can be seen on the Minister’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fX_avdqXAQ#
Continue readingRestricted access to Natura areas in periods of high fire risk
With the no-fires period, which runs from 1st May to 31st October, well under way, it may be useful to issue a reminder of the fire prevention measures instituted by the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, which include the forbidding of access in times of high fire risk to certain routes located in Natura areas.
Continue readingWomen in the Battle of Crete – a documentary
During the Battle of Crete in May 1941, women not only joined in the fight against the invading German paratroopers, they tended the wounded, buried the dead and provided food and supplies for their men and Allied soldiers on the battlefields. During the harsh four-year German occupation, women of Crete sheltered and cared for Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers “on the run”, and participated in resistance activities. They gathered intelligence, provided communication support, carried food, supplies and weapons to resistance fighters and at times took up arms, all this while under the constant threat of reprisal executions. At the same time, they maintained their roles as carers and providers – raising children, making clothes, baking bread, tending goats and sheep, planting and harvesting crops – providing everything needed “more or less out of their own hands”.
Continue readingSpecial provisions for Crete in new tourist plan
A Special Planning Framework for Tourism, with a clear emphasis on sustainable development, resilience of destinations and the safeguarding of the country’s natural and cultural resources, was presented at a press conference on 11th May by the Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and the Minister of the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou.
Continue readingA profile of tourism in Western Crete
Record arrivals, a high level of satisfaction but clear weaknesses in infrastructure make up the picture of the 2025 tourist season in Western Crete according to research carried out by the Tourism Observatory for West Crete and coordinated by the Department of Economics and Management of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICH). The published text of the research makes the following points.
Continue readingThe programme for this year’s Battle of Crete commemorations
The programme for the events commemorating the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Crete includes the customary ceremonies and a number of additional events, the most notable of which is the première of the first in a series of six documentaries on the women of Western Crete during World War II, using material gathered over the past 20 years by New Zealand film maker John Irwin. There are also other film showings, a book launch, and guided tours in English and Greek at the Allied Cemetery and the park of Agii Apostoli, where there was a prisoner of war camp during the German occupation. Full details can be found in the programme published by the Regional Unit of Chania (see link below).
Continue readingBeach cleaning in Tavronitis
Volunteers are invited to take part in cleaning Tavronitis beach on Sunday 17th May from 9.00 am.
The activity is being organised by the Tavronitis Cultural Association with the voluntary participation of the Association of Non-professional Fishermen.
Participants may like to bring with them a tasty dish to contribute to a communal meal to be held afterwards.
(Haniotika Nea, 07/05/26)
Knossos to receive a €1.85 million upgrade
July 2025 was a landmark for Crete, with the inscription of six Minoan Palatial Centres on Crete into the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Long sought after by the government and the Cretan authorities, the distinction cemented the position of these Minoan sites as important assets of world cultural heritage. However, in addition to ensuring greater visibility and a probable boost in visitor numbers, the recognition also entails significant responsibilities for Greece:
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