Damnoni

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Damnoni Bay

Damnoni ( Greek Δαμνόνι ) was originally the name for a small fishing village on the south coast of Crete about 2.5 kilometers east of Plakias . It was protected from west and north winds at the western end of a bay. The place was deserted; the 2011 census shows 11 registered residents again. However, the port was used continuously.

Today the name Damnoni is mostly used to denote the entire bay and in a tourist context also for the sandy beach of this bay. Damnoni administratively belongs to the village of Mariou in the municipality of Agios Vasilios of the regional district of Rethymno , whose historic port it is.

Geographical location

The bay of Damnoni , located on the Libyan Sea , forms a larger sea inlet with the smaller neighboring bays of Ammoudi and Schinaria to the east , which is separated from the northwest bay of Plakias by the Sarella peninsula and the 207 meter high mountain of the same name. At the western edge of the bay, the Katsari brook flows into the sea, whose tributaries come partly from the Kouroupa mountain range in the north, but mostly only lead into the fertile lowlands between Asomatos and Plakias. Six kilometers to the southeast is the palm beach of Preveli , to which there are irregular boat connections from Damnoni .

description

Damnoni Beach

The approximately 500 meter long beach of Damnoni consists of gravel and sand with some rock slabs in the shallow water. The mouth of the Katsari can be crossed on a wooden bridge on the beach. Near the estuary there is a water sports center with a pier into the sea. In the season, loungers and parasols are available for rent all over the beach.

Development on the west side

While the bay was almost undeveloped until the 1980s, the “Damnoni Bay” hotel and the Hapimag holiday resort below are located on the west side . The Minoan Prince Hotel planned on the east side of the bay is now in ruins. In between there are a few small taverns with partly horticultural outdoor areas and shady trees.

Access

Damnoni can be reached via a signposted asphalt access road that branches off the road between Lefkogia and Plakias. The access road crosses the Katsari and turns eastwards along the beach at its mouth. It then turns into a dirt path that leads to the neighboring bay of Ammoudi .

A second access road takes you closer to Plakias to the hotel "Damnoni Bay", which is located a little above the mountainside. This continues on to the Sarella peninsula and ends at the Kalypso Cretian Village hotel, which was built in a rocky bay on the peninsula.

From the lake side, Damnoni can be approached at the jetty to the west. It is mostly used by excursion boats that go from Plakias to the palm beach of Preveli .

literature

  • Giorgis N. Petrakis: Plakias . SELENA publishing house, 2006.
  • G. Desipris, K. Santorineou: Rethymno . Michalis Toubis SA, 1997.
  • Western Crete . ROAD Editions (road map).

Individual evidence

  1. Results of the 2011 census at the National Statistical Service of Greece (ΕΣΥΕ) ( Memento from June 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (Excel document, 2.6 MB)

Web links

Commons : Damnoni  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 35 ° 10 ′ 27 ″  N , 24 ° 24 ′ 54 ″  E